Pick your poison. Blizzards and monster snow? Tornadoes? Hail? Deadly lightning? All of the above have been seen during this week in Denver’s past.

From the National Weather Service:

18-20

In 1966…sub-freezing temperatures caused thousands of dollars in damage to fruit trees across metro Denver. Minimum temperatures were in the teens each morning and failed to reach above freezing on the 19th. The low temperature of 13 on the 20th set a new record minimum for the date. Snowfall totaled 5.7 inches at Stapleton International Airport during the period.

19-20

In 1892…rain on the 18th changed to snow on the 19th and totaled 6.0 inches over downtown Denver into the 20th. Total precipitation was 1.56 inches. North winds were sustained to 26 mph on the 19th.

In 1907…a major storm dumped 18.0 inches of snowfall in downtown Denver. Much of the heavy wet snow melted as it fell. The most snow on the ground was 7.0 inches at 6:00 pm on the 19th. North to northeast winds were sustained to 42 mph on the 19th and to 21 mph on the 20th. High temperatures were in the low to mid 30’s with low readings around 20.

In 2021…moderate to heavy snow occurred in and near the Front Range Foothills…with the heaviest amounts in and near the foothills of Boulder and northern Jefferson counties. Storm totals ranged from 8 to 16 inches in those areas…with 2 to 7 inches across the rest of the I-25 Corridor. The National Weather Service Office in Boulder measured 8.9 inches…with a measurement of 3.1 inches of snowfall at Denver International Airport.

19-21

In 1984…a large snowstorm buried most of Colorado under a thick mantle of wet snow. Total snow amounts ranged from 10 to 20 inches across metro Denver and a whopping 20 to 40 inches in the adjacent foothills. The snow closed roads and damaged electrical transformers…causing numerous power outages. Nearly 14 inches (13.6) of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where the combination of snow and wind closed all but one runway…resulting in the cancellation of many flights. Both I-70 and I-76 were closed to the east of Denver.

19-22

In 1933…a major storm dumped 16.8 inches of snowfall over downtown Denver when rain changed to snow during the early morning of the 20th and continued through midday of the 22nd. Most of the snow fell on the 21st. Due to melting… The most snow on the ground was 10.5 inches at 6:00 pm on the 21st. Before the snow started…a strong cold front on the evening of the 19th produced north winds sustained to 35 mph with gusts to 37 mph. The strong winds deposited a thin layer of dust on the city. North to northwest winds were sustained to 31 mph with gusts to 35 mph on the 20th and to 29 mph with gusts to 32 mph on the 21st.

20

In 1874…light snow fell for most of the day…but melted almost as fast as it fell. The flakes…as large as 1 1/2 inches in diameter during the afternoon…resembled white feathers. Precipitation from melted snow was only 0.21 inch in the city. Snowfall was much heavier in the mountain parks where snow depths were reported between 3 and 5 feet from the storms of the 15th and 20th. The heavy snow resulted in the deaths of hundreds of cattle and sheep.

In 1875…the city was enveloped in a severe wind and sand storm. For nearly 30 minutes before the storm…it could be seen moving toward the city from the northwest as a black wall of clouds extending only 10 degrees above the horizon. At 5:30 pm…the sand was sweeping past in such clouds that objects at a distance of only 10 yards were not visible. The streets were entirely deserted. The greatest velocity of wind during the storm was 36 mph from the north-northwest. The storm diminished by 7:00 pm. Swarms of grasshoppers were seen today and were reported in all parts of the territory.

In 1897…southwest winds were sustained to 46 mph with gusts to 50 mph. The apparent Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 76 degrees.

In 1905…apparent post-frontal north winds were sustained to 43 mph.

In 1912…west winds were sustained to 42 mph with an extreme velocity of 48 mph.

In 1958…strong Chinook winds gusted to 52 mph at Stapleton Airport.

In 1981…3/4 inch hail fell in Lakewood with up to one half inch of rain in a few minutes across northern sections of the city of Denver. Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 0.39 inches at Stapleton International Airport…where 1/4 inch hail was also measured.

In 1987…6 to 12 inches of heavy snow fell in the foothills. Only 2.5 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where the usual flight delays occurred.

In 2005…severe thunderstorms produced large hail across metro Denver. Hail as large as 1 3/4 inches in diameter fell at Denver International Airport. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell in and near Golden and near Hudson… Keenesburg…Barr Lake…and Bennett.

In 2013…an avalanche pushed a group of six snow boarders into the Sheep Creek Gully of Loveland pass. This is near but outside the Loveland Ski Area boundary. Five of the six members of the group died as they were completely buried. The avalanche is the deadliest in Colorado since 1962 when seven people were killed when a slide buried residents at twin lakes near independence pass.

20-22

In 1957…strong and gusty south to southeast winds raked metro Denver each day. The strongest wind gust of 55 mph occurred on the 21st when blowing dust briefly reduced the visibility to 3/4 mile at Stapleton Airport.

20-23

In 1989…unusually warm weather resulted in several daily temperature records being broken in Denver. The high temperature of 89 degrees on the 21st exceeded the record maximum for the month at that time. Daily record high temperatures were either exceeded or equaled with 83 degrees on the 20th…88 degrees on the 22nd…and 85 degrees on the 23rd. The low temperature of 55 degrees on the 22nd equaled the record high minimum for the date.

21

In 1885…rain changed to snow during the early morning and was the heaviest snow of the season. Total snowfall was estimated at 8.0 inches over downtown Denver…but the snow melted rapidly on the ground as it fell. However… The weight of the snow…as well as northwest winds sustained to 29 mph downed telegraph and telephone wires. Several large branches of trees were also broken by the weight of the snow. Precipitation totaled 1.01 inches from the storm.

In 1887…west winds were sustained to 47 mph.

In 1932…the temperature dipped to a low of only 60 degrees… The all-time record high minimum for the month.

In 1988…a small tornado was observed by National Weather Service employees about 3 miles northwest of Thornton. It was on the ground for about 2 minutes. No damage was reported. Later…lightning struck two 14-year-old girls on a softball field in Westminster. One was killed…while the other suffered moderate injuries. Northwest winds gusted to 44 mph at Stapleton International Airport behind a cold front.

In 2010…severe thunderstorms produced large hail…strong winds and a tornado across parts of Adams…Arapahoe… Elbert…and weld counties. The hail…up to 1.50 inches in diameter…came down so heavy along parts of I-70 and I-76 that snowplows had to be called out to remove it. Numerous vehicles were damaged by hail. In weld County…very heavy rain and hail accompanied thunderstorm winds up to 75 mph. Hail up to 1.50 inches was reported near Bennett; 1.25 inches…5.3 miles east of Englewood; 1.0 inch size hail near Buckley Field; with 0.88 inch size hail near Boulder. A weak tornado touched down briefly in Elbert County…about 9 miles southwest of deer trail…but did no damage. Several minor accidents were reported with snowpacked and slick road conditions along with very low visibilities. Minor street flooding was reported in southeast Aurora. Denver International Airport recorded 0.30 inches of rainfall. Also…a peak wind gust to 36 mph from the southeast was observed at the airport.

21-22

In 1910…north winds were sustained to 45 mph behind a cold front. Rainfall totaled 0.63 inch.

In 1923…snowfall of 2.0 inches in the city was the only snow of the month and the last measurable snow of the season. Northwest winds were sustained to 25 mph on the 21st.

In 1952…heavy snowfall totaled 7.6 inches at Stapleton Airport. The storm was accompanied by north winds gusting to 33 mph.

In 2001…the second major snow storm in 11 days moved into metro Denver with blizzard conditions developing again across the plains to the northeast of Denver. Snowfall amounts ranged up to 9 inches in metro Denver with up to 23 inches in the foothills. Northwest winds were sustained at 20 to 30 mph with gusts as high as 36 mph at Denver International Airport which was again shut down for nearly an hour by power outages on the 22nd. The outages affected lighting in the concourses…train operations…de-icing and refueling operations…flight information displays…and security screenings. Navigational aids were also affected… Resulting in the cancellation of 58 arriving and departing flights which stranded about 5000 passengers. Across metro Denver storm totals included: 9 inches at Eldorado Springs; 7 inches in Boulder; 6 inches at Ken Caryl…Northglenn and near Sedalia; and 5 inches in Arvada and Morrison. Only 1.7 inches of snow were measured at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. In the foothills snow totals included: 23 inches near Fritz Peak south of Rollinsville…17 inches near Jamestown…16 inches near Blackhawk…14 inches in Coal Creek Canyon…13 inches at Idaho Springs and near Nederland…11 inches at Aspen Springs…and 10 inches near Bergen Park.

Continue reading April 20 to April 26: This Week in Denver Weather History →

April weather in Colorado can be ‘highly variable’ to say the least and that fact is showcased in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. While the calendar may say it is spring, wintry weather has pummeled the area in the past with heavy, wet snow. More traditional severe weather like hail, damaging wind and even tornadoes have also been seen.

From the National Weather Service:

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.

11-13

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.

12-13

In 1922…post-frontal rain changed to heavy snow…which totaled 7.0 inches in downtown Denver. This was the second snow in 3 days. North winds were sustained to 29 mph with gusts to 31 mph on the 12th.

In 1993…heavy snow occurred in the foothills northwest of Denver with 21 inches recorded at the Eldora Ski Area. Only 1.9 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where northeast winds gusted to 32 mph on the 13th. Most of the precipitation from the storm fell as rain across the city with 0.62 inch of precipitation measured at Stapleton International Airport.

12-14

In 1933…heavy snowfall of 5.6 inches occurred in downtown Denver on the 12th and 13th behind a vigorous cold front… Which presented an awe-inspiring spectacle as it approached the station during the late afternoon of the 12th. Brilliant white wind-torn cumulus clouds were sandwiched by a brownish- tan dust cloud at the surface and dark blue cumulus clouds above. The dust cloud storm rapidly enveloped the station with northeast winds sustained to 38 mph and gusts to 44 mph producing much blowing dust…which was accompanied by rapidly falling temperatures and rising pressure. Moist snowfall started in about an hour and continued to midday on the 13th. Record low temperatures of 17 and 15 degrees occurred on the 13th and 14th respectively. The high temperature of only 27 degrees on the 13th was a record low maximum for the date.

12-15

In 1927…snowfall totaled 8.5 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow fell on the 14th. Northwest winds were sustained to 27 mph during the storm.

13

In 1873…heavy snow started with fresh and brisk north winds around 9:00 am…and continued heavy until 2:00 pm and lightly until 7:00 pm. Temperatures were below freezing for most of the day…but the snow melted almost as fast as it fell. Precipitation from the melted snow totaled 0.70 inches. This would be around 7.0 inches of estimated snowfall.

In 1912…a severe wind and dust storm struck the city. West winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 42 mph.

In 1967…a late season snow storm affected areas along the eastern foothills from Denver south. Snowfall between 2 and 3 feet closed I-25 between Denver and Colorado springs. In Denver…snowfall was only 3.6 inches…but precipitation from the storm totaled 3.25 inches…the greatest 24-hour precipitation ever recorded during the month of April. North winds gusted to 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport. Temperatures across the city were in the 30’s most of the day.

In 1974…a major spring snow storm dumped 8.5 inches of heavy wet snow at Stapleton International Airport where north wind gusts to 38 mph produced some blowing snow. The storm caused minor damage to public utilities.

In 1986…strong winds howled across metro Denver. Boulder reported a peak gust of 79 mph. Wind gusts of 55 to 60 mph were common across all of metro Denver. There were power outages. The wind toppled a brick wall under construction in Arvada…and also damaged luxury sky boxes under construction atop mile high stadium in Denver. Road signs in Arvada were damaged. West winds gusted to 56 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 2014…a storm system brought heavy snow to areas in and near the Front Range Foothills. Storm totals included: 13 inches near Conifer; 12.5 inches near Ward; 11.5 inches near Nederland; 10 inches near Allenspark…Golden and Gold Hill; with 8.5 inches at Roxborough State Park.

13-14

In 1968…high winds struck Boulder. Sustained winds of 50 mph with gusts as high as 102 mph were recorded at the National Center for Atmospheric Research…while in downtown Boulder winds peaked to 73 mph. The winds damaged a building under construction and some homes in south Boulder. Northwest winds gusted to 35 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 13th.

In 1996…a potent spring storm strengthened just east of Denver. Blizzard conditions developed over eastern Adams and eastern Arapahoe counties. Strong northerly winds ranging from 25 to 50 mph…cold temperatures…and heavy snowfall combined to create very hazardous conditions. The strong winds whipped snow in drifts 3 to 4 feet high. High winds and heavy wet snow downed power lines and caused traffic accidents. Some roads were closed. Snowfall totaled 15 inches at Strasburg…while only 2.1 inches of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. North winds gusted to 40 mph at Denver International Airport on the 13th.

In 2011…a potent spring snowstorm brought heavy snow to Front Range mountains and foothills. Storm totals included: 16.5 inches near Blackhawk; 16 inches at Nederland; 15.5 inches at Coal Creek Canyon and 5 miles northeast of Ward; 15 inches at Allenspark; 12.5 inches… 5 miles northwest of Idaho Springs; 12 inches at Echo Mountain Ski Area; and 10.5 inches near Georgetown.

Continue reading April 13 to April 19: This Week in Denver Weather History →

Spring snowstorms can pack more of a wallop than those in other seasons due to the heavy, wet snow they bring. Our look back at this week in Denver weather history shows numerous snow events that have had significant impacts on northeastern Colorado.

From the National Weather Service:

3-6

In 1898…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…a prolonged heavy snow storm 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.

4-7

In 1909…post-frontal rain changed to heavy snow on the afternoon of the 4th and continued through mid-morning of the 7th. Total snowfall was 18.7 inches…but most of the snow…14.0 inches…fell from 6:00 pm on the 4th to 6:00 pm on the 5th. North to northeast winds were sustained to 32 mph on the 4th and to 30 mph on the 7th. Total precipitation from the storm was 1.78 inches.

5-6

In 1939…3.0 inches of snow fell in downtown Denver. North winds were sustained to 34 mph on the 5th and to 26 mph on the 6th. The strong winds caused considerable drifting of snow. Several highways leading into the city were closed during the height of the storm due to poor visibility. Streets and highways became coated with ice in places. The temperature dipped to 11 degrees early on the 6th. This was the coldest reading of the month that year. Most vegetation was not far enough advanced to be injured by the cold temperatures…although a few buds froze on early shrubbery.

In 1949…strong winds in Boulder caused limited minor damage. West-northwest winds were sustained to 24 mph with some higher gusts at Stapleton Airport.

5-7

In 1916…rain changed to snow behind a cold front on the 5th and totaled 4.5 inches in the city. A thunderstorm produced snow on the 6th. North winds were sustained to 35 mph with gusts to 38 mph on the 7th.

6

In 1904…northwest winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 48 mph.

In 1919…post-frontal rain changed to snow but totaled only 0.1 inch. However…north winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 44 mph in the city.

In 1954…a vigorous cold front produced northeast winds at 38 mph with gusts as high as 50 mph. The strong winds briefly reduced visibility to 1 1/2 miles in blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.

In 1972…wind gusts to 68 mph were recorded at the National Bureau of Standards in Boulder. Winds peaked to 54 mph in downtown Boulder. Minor damage was reported. Northwest winds gusted to 44 mph at Stapleton International Airport where the strong Chinook winds warmed the temperature to a high of 80 degrees…equaling the record maximum for the date.

6-7

In 1872…rain changed to snow overnight. Snow with high north winds continued all day on the 7th. Precipitation (rain and melted snow) totaled 0.50 inch. Due to problems on the lines…the morning weather report was not sent by telegraph until 3:10 pm and the midnight report was not sent at all.

In 1957…heavy snowfall totaled 6.6 inches at Stapleton Airport where north winds gusted to 46 mph. This was the second heavy snow event in less than 4 days.

In 1969…winds gusting as high as 50 to 60 mph caused only light damage along the eastern foothills. The strong winds contributed to the spread of a forest fire near Boulder. Sustained winds of 25 mph with gusts to 53 mph were recorded in Boulder. Southwest winds gusted to 38 mph on the 6th and 44 mph on the 7th at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1980…high winds howled along the foothills each day. A wind gust to 72 mph was recorded in Lakewood. The strong winds blew a camper top off a pickup truck in Denver. At Stapleton International Airport…west winds gusted to 41 mph on both days.

In 1998…a spring storm brought a mix of snow and thunder to metro Denver…the foothills…and Palmer Divide. Conifer and Elizabeth both measured 4 inches of new snow. On the 6th…only 0.1 inch of snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport where thunder was heard on both days. Precipitation totaled 0.60 inch at Denver International Airport where west winds gusted to 43 mph on the 6th.

6-8

In 1973…a major spring snow storm dumped 11.6 inches of snowfall over metro Denver. North wind gusts of 30 to 35 mph produced some blowing snow. Most of the heavy wet snow… 10.1 inches…fell on the 7th when temperatures remained in the 20’s. Snow accumulated on the ground to a maximum depth of 9 inches. Low temperature of 5 degrees on the 8th was a new record minimum for the date and the lowest for so late in the season.

Continue reading April 6 to April 12: This Week in Denver Weather History →