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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MDT THU APR 11 2024

...Today in metro Denver weather history...

7-12  In 1959...snow falling over a 5-day period totaled 20 to 30
        inches just east of the mountains...while over the plains
        blizzard conditions closed schools and blocked highways.
        The second big storm in two weeks dumped 16.4 inches of
        snowfall on Stapleton Airport with the most...11.6 inches...
        occurring on the 8th.  East winds gusted to 37 mph on the
        9th.  Temperatures dipped into the single digits on the
        mornings of the 7th and 12th when 7 degrees were
        registered.  The cold temperatures caused streets to
        glaze with ice...resulting in the death of a pedestrian
        who was struck by a car in Denver.  Three people died from
        heart attacks while shoveling the heavy...wet snow.
9-11  In 1951...heavy snowfall totaled 9.4 inches at Stapleton
        Airport.  The storm was accompanied by strong northeast
        winds gusting to 43 mph.
      In 1953...heavy snowfall occurred at Stapleton Airport where
        7.9 inches of snow were measured.  North winds gusted to
        29 mph.
      In 1994...6 to 14 inches of heavy snow buried much of eastern
        Colorado...closing many schools and I-70 from east of Denver
        to the Kansas border.  Rain changed to snow on the 9th...and
        snow continued through the 11th.  Snowfall totaled 5.7
        inches at Stapleton International Airport...but maximum
        snow depth on the ground was only 3 inches on the 10th due
        to melting.  East winds gusted to 26 mph on the 9th.
      In 1995...a major spring storm dumped 8 to 16 inches of snow
        in the foothills west of Denver.  Snowfall totaled 8.3
        inches at the site of the former Stapleton International
        Airport...but most of the snow melted as it fell with the
        maximum snow depth on the ground of only 2 inches.  Five-to
        6-inch snow accumulations occurred over southern portions
        of metro Denver and eastward onto the plains.  Northeast
        winds gusted to 36 mph at Denver International Airport on
        the 10th.  I-70 was closed for several hours east of
        Watkins to the Kansas border due to drifting snow and near
        whiteout conditions.  High temperature of only 29 degrees
        on the 10th was a record low maximum for the date.
9-12  In 1901...rain changed to snow and totaled 10.8 inches in
        downtown Denver over the 4 days.  Northeast winds were
        sustained to 28 mph with gusts to 31 mph on the 11th.
        Temperatures hovered in the 30`s.
10-11 In 1979...a heavy snow storm produced near-blizzard conditions
        across eastern Colorado with 10 to 20 inches in the
        foothills and 4 to 8 inches over the plains.  Winds to
        35 mph combined with the snow to produce drifts at least
        3 feet deep...closing many roads and causing power outages.
        Travel was interrupted south of Denver when the storm
        closed both I-25 and State Highway 83.  Snowfall totaled
        only 3.8 inches at Stapleton International Airport where
        northeast winds gusted 37 mph...causing some blowing snow on
        the 11th.
      In 2001...a potent spring storm dumped heavy snow over metro
        Denver and the adjacent foothills...while a blizzard roared
        across the plains to the east of Denver.  Snowfall amounts
        ranged up to a foot and a half across metro Denver and in
        the foothills.  North to northwest winds at sustained speeds
        of 40 to 50 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph piled the
        snow into drifts of 3 to 6 feet deep.  I-25 southbound was
        closed at Lincoln Avenue.  I-70 to the east was closed at
        Gun Club Road.  The combination of heavy wet snow and
        damaging winds resulted in widespread electrical outages.
        Denver International Airport was completely shut down for
        the first time in its brief 6-year history.  Power surges
        and outages crippled the airport`s massive computer systems.
        The airport was closed at 5:00 AM and did not re-open until
        mid-afternoon on the 11th.  The power outages resulted in
        businesses and schools closing.  Over all of northeastern
        Colorado...there were 220 thousand customers without power...
        the worst outage in Xcel Energy`s history.  Repairs totaled
        1.6 million dollars.  Across metro Denver...snow totals
        included:  18 inches in southeast Aurora...16 inches at
        Centennial Airport and Parker...14 inches at Broomfield...
        13 inches in Louisville...12 inches at Lakewood and Morrison...
        11 inches at Ken Caryl and Thornton...10 inches at the site
        of the former Stapleton International Airport and in Wheat
        Ridge...9 inches in Westminster...and 8 inches in Littleton.
        Thunderstorms preceded the start of the snow on the
        afternoon of the 10th and were embedded in the snow storm
        during the early morning hours of the 11th at Denver
        International Airport where northwest winds gusted to
        60 mph on the 11th.  Snow storm totals in the foothills
        included:  17 inches at Genesee...16 inches at Rollinsville...
        14 inches at Intercanyon...13 inches in Coal Creek Canyon
        and near Evergreen...11 inches at Aspen Springs and Chief
        Hosa...10 inches at Blackhawk...and 9 inches atop Crow Hill.
      In 2005...a strong spring storm produced blizzard conditions
        in areas to the east of Denver and south of I-76 and near-
        blizzard conditions across metro Denver.  The combination
        of heavy snow and strong winds forced the closure of Denver
        International Airport...stranding thousands of travelers.
        Long stretches of I-25...I-70...and I-76 were also closed
        due to extensive blowing and drifting snow.  Snow amounts
        ranged from 1 to 2.5 feet in and near the eastern foothills
        and over the Palmer Divide.  Drifts were 2 to 5 feet in
        depth.  Downed power lines caused scattered electrical
        outages.  Storm total snowfall amounts in and near the
        foothills included:  31 inches near Conifer...27.5 inches in
        Aspen Springs...25.5 inches near Sedalia and Blackhawk...25
        inches near Bergen Park and Genesee...24.5 inches at
        Pine Junction and Roxborough Park...24 inches southwest of
        Boulder...23.5 inches at Ken Caryl...23 inches atop Crow
        Hill and near Larkspur...Evergreen...and Nederland; 21 inches
        at Eldora Ski Area...18 inches at Eldorado Springs and near
        Castle Rock...17 inches near Chatfield Reservoir and Perry
        Park...and 16 inches near Jamestown.  Across the city storm
        total snow amounts were:  22.5 inches in Aurora...22 inches
        at Bennett...20 inches near Arapahoe Park...Centennial...
        Littleton...and south Denver; 16 inches in Thornton...15
        inches in Lakewood...14.5 inches in Wheat Ridge and
        Englewood...14 inches at Lone Tree and Arvada...and 9.9
        inches at Denver Stapleton.  North winds were sustained
        from 25 to 35 mph with gusts to 46 mph at Denver
        International Airport on the 10th.
10-12 In 1997...a Pacific storm produced heavy snow on the 10th and
        the 11th in and near the foothills with 6 to 8 inches at
        Louisville and Turkey Creek Canyon...5 inches at Morrison...
        and only 3.5 inches at the site of the former Stapleton
        International Airport.  Northeast winds gusted to 24 mph
        at Denver International Airport.  The storm also brought
        unseasonably cold weather with 5 new temperature records
        equaled or broken.  Record low temperatures of 8 and
        6 occurred on the 11th and 12th.  Record low maximum
        temperatures of 20...19...and 30 occurred on the 10th...11th...
        and 12th respectively.  This was also only the second
        time on record that the temperature had failed to reach
        the freezing mark for 3 consecutive days in April.
10-14 In 1927...post-frontal rain on the 10th changed to snow on
        the 11th and continued through the 14th.  Snowfall totaled
        8.5 inches from precipitation of 1.28 inches.  North winds
        were sustained to 26 mph with gusts to 29 mph on the 13th.
11    In 1954...strong and gusty southeast winds blew all day.
        Winds as high as 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph produced some
        blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.
      In 1966...a tornado was sighted in an open area of southeast
        Denver.  Slight wind damage in the area was not directly
        attributable to the tornado.  Later in the day...a pilot
        reported a funnel cloud 10 miles southwest of Denver.
        Hail to 1/2 inch in diameter fell at Stapleton International
        Airport.
      In 1984...strong chinook winds gusted to 72 mph at Rocky
        Flats south of Boulder; speeds reached 70 mph in both
        Lakewood and Boulder.  At Stapleton International Airport...
        northwest wind gusts to 52 mph were recorded.
      In 2004...an afternoon cold front produced north winds
        sustained to 36 mph with gusts to 53 mph at Denver
        International Airport.  Light snowfall was 1.1 inches
        at Denver Stapleton through the evening.
11-12 In 1876...heavy snow began during the late afternoon of the
        11th and continued through the night.  Light snow ended
        around mid-morning of the 12th.  The amount of snow was
        not measured...but precipitation totaled 0.70 inch...which
        would be around 7 inches of estimated snowfall.  Strong
        winds accompanied the heavy snowfall.
      In 1896...post-frontal light rain changed to light snow
        overnight...but totaled only a trace.  Northeast winds
        were sustained to 45 mph with gusts as high as 62 mph
        on the 12th.
      In 1991...a strong Pacific storm dumped heavy snow across
        metro Denver with amounts of 6 to 15 inches at lower
        elevations and up to almost 2 feet in the foothills west
        of Denver.  Snowfall reports included:  21 inches at Idaho
        Springs...19 inches at Aspen Springs...15 inches in Arvada...
        14 inches at Rollinsville...10 inches in Boulder...8 inches
        in Aurora...and 7.3 inches at Stapleton International
        Airport where northeast winds gusted to 24 mph on the 11th.
11-13 In 2020...a cold northerly flow...associated with a strong
        upper level jet stream...combined with low level upslope
        to produce a period of moderate to heavy snowfall in and
        near the foothills. The heaviest snowfall focused over
        Boulder County where 19.3 inches was observed near
        Eldorado Springs...with 18 inches in northwest Boulder.
        Storm totals elsewhere included: 16.5 inches at the
        National Weather Service in southwest Boulder...15.5
        inches near Genesee...14 inches near Louisville...13
        inches...2 miles southwest of Golden and Westminster; 11.5
        inches in Kittredge and Lyons...and 10 inches near Crescent
        Village...Erie...and Lafayette.  At Denver International
        Airport...only 1.0 inch of snowfall was observed.

$$