


Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
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063 NOUS45 KBOU 150859 PNSBOU COZ030>051-152300- Public Information Statement National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 259 AM MDT WED OCT 15 2025 ...Today in metro Denver weather history... 13-16 In 1873...the 13th through the 16th...smoke from several large forest fires in the mountains made the air very hazy in the city. 15 In 1871...a terrible wind occurred during a snow storm in the foothills above Boulder. Damage was minor. In 1878...high winds reached sustained speeds of 60 mph at times. In 1911...post-frontal northwest winds were sustained to 41 mph with gusts to 43 mph. In 1948...strong winds struck the Boulder area. Winds averaged 50 mph at Valmont just east of Boulder. Wind gusts in excess of 60 mph were recorded at the Boulder airport. Wind gusts to 40 mph briefly reduced the visibility to 1 1/2 miles in blowing dust at Stapleton Airport. In 1980...a rare October tornado touched down in Boulder... damaging a vocational training building and throwing three nearby cars together damaging them extensively. A mile and half away several camper vehicles were thrown 200 feet. The storm also produced 1 inch diameter hail in the Boulder area. 15-16 In 1928...a thunderstorm produced hail shortly after midnight on the 15th. Rain changed to snow by evening. Through the afternoon of the 16th...the heavy snowfall totaled 7.3 inches in the city. North winds were sustained to 23 mph on the 15th. In 1984...the heaviest October snowstorm in several years hit eastern Colorado with a vengeance. The storm was known as the "Bronco Blizzard" since it occurred during a nationally televised Monday night football game in Denver; they held on and defeat Green Bay by a score of 17-14. One to two feet of snow fell near the foothills in west metro Denver with 2 to 3 feet in the foothills. Wind gusts up to 55 mph whipped the snow into drifts as high as 4 feet. The storm closed schools...roads...and airports. I-70 was closed both east and west of Denver. I-25 was closed south to Colorado Springs. Flights were delayed for several hours at Stapleton International Airport. Power outages were widespread. Snowfall totaled 9.2 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusting as high as 40 mph caused frequent surface visibilities of 1/4 to 1/2 mile in moderate to heavy snow and blowing snow overnight. The high temperature of only 35 degrees on the 15th was a record low maximum for the date. 15-17 In 1989...the 15th to the 17th...an autumn snowstorm hit metro Denver with 2 to 6 inches of snow. Snowfall totaled 4.4 inches at Stapleton International Airport where the maximum snow depth on the ground was only 3 inches due to melting and north winds gusted to 25 mph on the 15th. The heavy wet snow caused leafy branches to sag onto power lines...resulting in a number of power outages. Five thousand homes were blacked out in Boulder on the 16th. Up to a foot of snow fell in the higher foothills with 19 inches recorded at Echo Lake. $$