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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MDT THU APR 3 2025

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

31-3  In 1979...total snowfall of 6.6 inches was measured at
        Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted
        to 31 mph on the 31st.  The greatest accumulation of snow
        on the ground was 3 inches on the 1st.
31-4  In 1905...much rain and some snow occurred over the 5 days
        behind an apparent cold front.  Precipitation totaled 2.00
        inches.  There was a thunderstorm on the 3rd.  Snowfall
        totaled 3.0 inches on the 4th.  North winds were sustained
        to 34 mph on the 1st and 2nd and to 30 mph on the 3rd.
        High temperatures during the period ranged from the upper
        30`s to the lower 40`s.  Low temperatures were in the upper
        20`s and lower 30`s.
1-3   In 1945...snow fell across metro Denver for a total of 51
        consecutive hours.  While the storm was not accompanied by
        excessive snow...the long duration made the event a heavy
        snow producer.  Snowfall totaled 10.7 inches in downtown
        Denver with 9.5 inches recorded at Stapleton Airport.  North
        winds were sustained to 21 mph on the 1st; otherwise winds
        were not strong.  The air mass was very cold for April.
        The high temperatures of 26 on the 2nd and 17 on the 3rd
        were record low maximums for the dates.  The latter was also
        a record low maximum for the month.  Warm weather following
        the storm quickly melted the snow.
      In 1973...heavy snow fell at Stapleton International Airport
        where 8.7 inches were measured.  Snow began late on the 1st
        and continued through early morning on the 3rd.  Thunder
        accompanied the snow during the late morning and afternoon
        of the 2nd.  North winds gusted to 33 mph on the 2nd and
        37 mph on the 3rd.  Snow only accumulated to a depth of
        5 inches on the ground due to melting.
      In 1977...from the 1st to the 3rd...a foot of snow fell in
        Boulder and Broomfield.  The Denver-Boulder Turnpike was
        closed for an hour after numerous minor traffic accidents.
        At Stapleton International Airport...snowfall totaled 4.7
        inches and southeast winds gusted to 32 mph on the 2nd.
        The greatest depth of snow on the ground was only 3 inches
        due to melting.
2-3   In 1955...from the 2nd to the 3rd...strong west to southwest
        winds raked metro Denver on both days.  Sustained winds as
        high as 37 mph with gusts to 60 mph were recorded at
        Stapleton Airport where the visibility was reduced to 1/4
        mile in blowing dust.
      In 1974...from the 2nd to the 3rd...a heavy snowfall of 6.7
        inches was accompanied by northeast wind gusts to 33 mph
        which produced some blowing snow across metro Denver. Over
        eastern Colorado many highways and schools were closed due
        to near-blizzard conditions from the storm.
      In 1986...from the 2nd to the 3rd...the worst snow storm of the
        season blasted metro Denver.  Heavy snow and high winds
        combined to close roads...schools...and airports.  Portions
        of all interstate highways out of Denver were closed at
        times.  The snow came after an exceptionally mild late
        winter and early spring;  trees and bushes had already
        bloomed and leafed out.  The snow and wind snapped many
        of these...causing power outages.  Total snowfall amounts
        in metro Denver ranged from 1 to 2 feet with 2 to 3 feet
        in the foothills.  Snowfall totaled 12.6 inches at
        Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusting
        to 39 mph reduced the visibility to 1/8 mile in snow and
        blowing snow.  Most of the snow fell on the 3rd when
        temperatures hovered around 30 degrees for most of the day.
        The heavy snow halted traffic and closed businesses.  A 59-
        year-old man was found dead from exposure in northwest
        Denver.  The roof of a toy store in Northglenn collapsed.
        A 100 thousand square foot section of a greenhouse roof
        collapsed in Golden...destroying over a million dollars worth
        of plants.
      In 2000...from the 2nd to the 3rd...a combination of strong
        instability and moist upslope winds allowed for a heavy...
        wet spring snowstorm to develop in and near the Front
        Range foothills.  The heaviest snow occurred in southern
        Jefferson County.  Storm totals included:  14 inches near
        Conifer...12 inches near Evergreen and on Floyd Hill; 11
        inches near Blackhawk...Morrison...and Tiny Town; 10 inches
        at Aspen Springs and Eldora Ski Area; 9 inches at Chief
        Hosa; and 8 inches at both Golden Gate Canyon and
        Rollinsville.  Only 2.1 inches of snow fell at
        the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.
        North winds gusted to 36 mph at Denver International
        Airport on the 2nd.
      In 2014...from the 2nd to the 3rd...a storm system brought
        moderate to heavy snow to the Front Range Mountains...
        Foothills and Urban Corridor. Storm totals in the
        mountains and foothills included: 21.5 inches...8 miles
        north of Blackhawk; 15.5 inches near Rollinsville...15
        inches at Aspen Springs...14.5 inches near Ward...12 inches...
        6 miles southwest of Evergreen; 11 inches at Cabin Creek
        and 12 miles south-southwest of Georgetown...10 inches at
        Winter Park...8 inches near Conifer...Georgetown and Gross
        Reservoir; 7.5 inches at Bailey and Intercanyon.  In the
        Urban Corridor...storm totals included:  9.5 inches near
        Highlands Ranch...7 inches at Boulder...6 inches near
        Castle Rock...with 5.5 inches at Lakewood and Morrison.
        At Denver International Airport...3.4 inches of snowfall was
        observed.
2-4   In 1934...snowfall totaled 8.2 inches in downtown Denver
        from the afternoon of the 2nd through the early morning
        of the 4th.  Most of the snow...6.8 inches...fell on the 3rd.
        Rain changed to snow behind a strong cold front on the
        afternoon of the 2nd.  The cold front first appeared as a
        long-cigar shaped squall cloud to the north of the city.
        Strong north winds at sustained speeds of 33 mph with
        gusts to 43 mph produced much blowing dust and an abrupt
        fall in temperature...from a high of 68 on the 2nd to a
        low of 22 on the 3rd.
      In 1964...from the 2nd to the 4th...a major storm dumped 10.9
        inches of heavy wet snow on Stapleton International
        Airport where northeast winds gusted to 35 mph.  Most of
        the snow...10.0 inches...fell on the 3rd.
2-5   In 1918...from the 2nd to the 5th...snowfall totaled 12.4
        inches over downtown Denver. Most of the snow fell on the
        3rd and 4th.  Temperatures were in the 20`s and 30`s.
        Northwest winds were sustained to 24 mph on the 2nd.
3     In 1872...skies were cloudy and threatening until 11:30 AM
        when it commenced to rain and continued to rain until
        3:00 PM...when it turned into heavy snow with a very brisk
        north wind.  Snow continued all night.  Telegraph wires
        were downed between Denver and Cheyenne...and the night
        report could not be sent.  Precipitation (rain and melted
        snow) measured 0.82 inch.
      In 1887...north winds were sustained to 43 mph.
      In 1894...northwest winds were sustained to 41 mph with gusts
        to 50 mph.  The warm chinook winds on the 2nd became a
        bora as the temperature warmed to a high of only 52 degrees.
      In 1900...southeast winds were sustained to 52 mph with gusts
        as high as 61 mph.
      In 1945...the temperature warmed to only 17 degrees...the
        all-time record low maximum for the month.
      In 1968...a snow storm of unusual severity for so late in the
        season caused ground blizzard conditions with near zero
        visibility in snow at times and severe drifting of snow
        over portions of northeastern Colorado and metro Denver.
        Highways were blocked to the north of Denver and to
        Colorado Springs.  Rain at the start of the storm
        contributed to power and communications outages.  In
        metro Denver...snowfall totaled 7.0 inches at Stapleton
        International Airport where north winds gusted to 45 mph.
      In 1978...a tornado was sighted by a National Weather
        Service observer 3 miles north of Stapleton International
        Airport near the Rocky Mountain Arsenal.  Security police
        on the Arsenal called it a large dust devil...but four
        commercial airline pilots confirmed the phenomenon as a
        tornado or funnel cloud.
      In 1981...a snowstorm hit northeastern Colorado...dumping 6 to
        12 inches of snow in the foothills and 4 to 8 inches on the
        plains north of Denver.  Snowfall totaled only 2.0 inches at
        Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted
        to 24 mph.
      In 1985...strong winds of 60 to 70 mph occurred in the
        foothills.  The driver of a car in Nederland was slightly
        injured when the wind toppled an utility pole onto his
        vehicle.  Northwest winds gusted to 53 mph at Stapleton
        International Airport where the visibility was briefly
        reduced to 2 miles in blowing dust.
      In 1989...a northwest wind gust to 51 mph was recorded at
        Stapleton International Airport.
      In 2011...high winds developing along the Front Range during
        the early morning hours.  Peak wind gusts included:  92 mph...
        7 miles northwest of Berthoud; 75 mph...2 miles west of
        Castle Rock; and 65 mph...2 miles west of Elbert.  West
        winds gusted to 49 mph at Denver International Airport.
3-4   In 2017...a storm system brought a period of locally heavy
        snow to portions of the Front Range Foothills. The heaviest
        snowfall occurred in and near the foothills of Clear Creek...
        southern Boulder...northern Jefferson and Gilpin Counties.
        Storm totals included: 16 inches at Eldorado Springs...15
        inches at Echo Lake...14 inches at St. Mary`s Glacier and
        Winter Park Ski Area...13.5 inches at Genesee...13 inches
        near Tiny Town...12.5 inches near Allenspark and Idaho
        Springs and 11 inches near Conifer.  Across the rest of
        the Front Range mountains and foothills...the western
        suburbs of Denver and Boulder...storm totals ranged from
        4 to 8 inches. At Denver Interational Airport...only 0.1
        inch of snowfall was observed.
3-5   In 1996...from the 3rd to the 5th...the foothills west of
        Denver received 6 to 8 inches of new snow.  Only 0.8 inch
        of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton
        International Airport...along with some freezing drizzle on
        the 4th and 5th.  North-northeast winds gusted to 30 mph
        at Denver International Airport on the 3rd.
3-6   In 1898...from the 3rd to the 6th...snowfall totaled 8.7 inches
        in downtown Denver over the 4 days.  Northeast winds were
        sustained to 48 mph with gusts as high as 60 mph on the
        3rd.
      In 1983...from the 3rd to the 6th...a prolonged heavy snowstorm
        blanketed the area along with very cold temperatures.  The
        greatest amounts of snow fell in the foothills where 24 to
        42 inches were measured.  A foot of snow fell in Boulder.  Snow
        fell for 50 consecutive hours at Stapleton International
        Airport on the 3rd through the 5th with a total snowfall
        of 8.8 inches and a maximum accumulation on the ground of
        6 inches on the 5th.  In Denver...the mercury failed to rise
        above freezing for 3 consecutive days...on the 4th...5th...and
        6th...for the first time ever in April.  Five daily
        temperature records were set from the 4th through the 6th.
        Record low temperatures of 12 degrees occurred on the 5th
        with 7 degrees on the 6th.  Record low maximum temperatures
        of 25 degrees occurred on the 4th...27 degrees on the 5th...
        and 28 degrees on the 6th.

$$