Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MDT FRI OCT 10 2025

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

9-10  In 2005...from the 9th to the 10th...a major winter storm
        brought heavy...wet snowfall to the Front Range Mountains...
        eastern foothills...portions of metro Denver...and the
        Palmer Divide.  Snow accumulations ranged from 8 to 26
        inches with drifts from 3 to 4 feet in places.  The
        heaviest snow occurred to the east and southeast of the
        city...closing most major highways in that area...including
        I-70 from Denver to Limon.  The Red Cross opened four
        shelters for people who were stranded along I-70 in
        eastern Colorado.  Since many trees had not yet shed
        their leaves...the storm caused significant tree
        damage.  One woman in Denver was killed when a tree
        branch...8 to 10 inches in diameter...snapped under the
        weight of the heavy...wet snow and struck her as she was
        shoveling her driveway.  Xcel Energy reported power
        outages to about 35 thousand customers.  Several
        incoming flights were delayed at Denver International
        Airport.  Snow totals included:  16 inches in the
        foothills near Boulder...12 inches at Genesee and near
        Golden...22 inches near Watkins...19 inches near
        Bennett...17 inches southeast of Aurora...14 inches near
        Parker...13 inches near Castle Rock...12 inches in Centennial...
        11 inches in Parker...and 10 inches at Denver International
        Airport and in Littleton.  While many areas of metro Denver
        received heavy snow...others experienced almost entirely rain.
        This included west and northwest metro Denver...Boulder...and
        Longmont.  Rainfall amounts were significant as storm totals
        ranged between 1.50 and 2.50 inches.  The steady rainfall
        triggered 3 rockslides in foothills canyons.  Two of the
        slides occurred on State Highway 119 in Boulder Canyon and
        the longest slide...7 feet in length...on State Highway 74 in
        Bear Creek Canyon at Idledale.  North winds were sustained
        to around 23 mph with gusts to 31 mph at Denver International
        Airport on the 9th.  The high temperature of only 34 degrees
        on the 10th was a record low maximum for the date.  The low
        temperature on both days was 32 degrees.
      In 2019...a vigorous winter like storm system brought intense
        northerly winds and the cold front blasted through the urban
        corridor. Peak wind gusts from 50 to 60 mph accompanied the
        front. Some trees in Denver were uprooted by the strong
        winds. Light rain and drizzle overnight...changed over to the
        season`s first snow during the predawn hours of the 10th.
        Bands of moderate to heavy snow brought 2 to 6 inches of
        snow in the Front Range mountains...foothills and urban
        corridor. The morning commute was especially hazardous as
        falling temperatures froze wet roads. Multiple crashes
        occurred including: I-25 in Denver...I-70 from Denver west
        to the Eisenhower Tunnel and State Highway 285 towards
        Fairplay.  Over 300 crashes were reported in Denver and
        Aurora alone. After reaching a maximum temperatures of
        83 degrees on the afternoon of the 9th...the temperature
        plummeted to 13 degrees on the 10th. A temperature change
        of 70 degrees...the second largest 2-day swing for the
        month of October in Denver weather history.
10    In 1901...an evening thunderstorm produced east winds to
        43 mph with gusts to 48 mph.
      In 1949...strong winds believed to be the worst in Boulder`s
        history at the time caused over 100 thousand dollars
        damage in the city.  Peak winds were estimated to 85 mph
        at Valmont...just east of Boulder.  High winds also
        occurred over most of metro Denver and caused damage to
        trees...window glass...and utility lines.  The damage was
        most pronounced over the northwest metro area...including
        north Denver and Lakewood.  Falling tree branches caused
        damage to parked autos and houses.  Wind gusts to 70 mph
        were recorded at Stapleton Airport.
      In 1964...lightning struck and killed a 13-year-old boy...while
        he was riding his bicycle along a tree-lined residential
        street in south Denver.  Apparent microburst winds gusted
        to 54 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
10-11 In 1986...from the 10th to the 11th...first significant
        snowstorm of the season produced 2 to 5 inches of snow over
        metro Denver with 5 to 10 inches in the foothills west of
        Denver.  Wondervu recorded the most snow from the storm...13
        inches.  The heavy wet snow caused numerous power outages.
        The storm was accompanied by strong north winds with gusts
        to 41 mph recorded on the 10th.  The first snowfall of the
        season totaled 3.1 inches at Stapleton International Airport
        with only one inch on the ground due to melting.  The strong
        cold front accompanying the storm cooled the temperature
        from a high of 73 degrees on the 10th to a high of only
        33 degrees on the 11th...which was a record low maximum
        for the date.
10-12 In 1969...from the 10th to the 12th...the second heavy snowstorm
        in less than a week dumped nearly a foot of snow across
        metro Denver and plunged the area into extremely cold
        temperatures for so early in the season.  Snowfall totaled
        11.0 inches at Stapleton International Airport.  North winds
        gusting to 26 mph produced drifts up to 2 feet deep.
        Temperatures dipped from a high of 52 degrees on the 10th to
        a record low for the date of 10 degrees on the 12th.  There
        was additional damage to trees and power and telephone lines
        from heavy snow accumulations and icing.  Travel was
        restricted or blocked by drifting snow in both the
        mountains and on the plains east of Denver.

$$