Snow removal in 1913 at Civic Center open space. (Denver Public Library Western History Department)
Denver has had its fair share of record snowfalls during the last 100 years, but three of them certainly stand out.
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In the first week of December 1913, 45.7 inches of snow buried the city, making snow removal a terrible challenge. The open space in front of the state capitol building, now Civic Center Park, was the destination of hundreds and hundreds of horse-drawn wagonloads of snow.
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A memorable blizzard descended on the city on Christmas Eve in 1982 and dumped almost two feet of snow over the following day, virtually closing the city. People unable to get to holiday celebrations or work found a challenging environment awaited when they ventured out. They were seen breaking trails on city streets on horseback, skis and snowshoes. Drivers of four-wheel-drive vehicles were requested to ferry patients and staff to hospitals in emergency situations.
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In the heaviest snowfall since 1913, a mid-March blizzard in 2003 dropped 31.8 inches in Denver, making it one of the costliest storms to address, at a whopping $33.6 million, based on insurance claims.
Here is the complete breakdown of the top 18 historic snowfalls in the Denver metro area as corroborated between NOAA and newspaper reports:
45.8 inches
December 1-5, 1913
This photo, taken the morning of Dec. 6, 1913, during the great snowstorm of 1913 shows people trudging through snow at 16th Street and Welton Street. The City Tramway trolley car is hindered by the piles of snow in the street. (Denver Public Library Western History Department)
31.8 inches
March 17-19, 2003
A team of four snowplows clears Welton Street as Denver digs out of the blizzard after snowfall subsided early Wednesday, March 18, 2003. (Denver Post file)
30.4 inches
November 2-4, 1946
Even the worst snowstorm in Denver in 33 years didn’t stop Jerry Harrison from covering his Denver Post delivery route on Nov. 5, 1946. Deep snow made his bicycle almost useless except to tote his newspaper bag. (Associated Press file)
23.8 inches
December 24, 1982
Amy Prieto enjoys climbing a huge snow drift in front of her home during the Christmas blizzard of 1982. (Denver Post file)
23.0 inches
April 23, 1885
22.7 inches
October 20-23, 1906
21.9 inches
October 24-25, 1997
21.5 inches
November 26-27, 1983
20.7 inches
December 20-21, 2006
Bill and Sandy Davis of Broomfield make the best of the blizzard on Thursday, Dec. 21, 2006, and get some exercise telemark skiing in front of stranded cars along Highway 287 in Broomfield. “It’s easier to ski than drive, ” Sandy Davis said. (Glenn Asakawa, The Denver Post)
19.5 inches
March 23, 2016
Matt Campagnoli rides a Burton powder snurfer in front of the Colorado State Capitol on Wednesday, March 23, 2016. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)
19.3 inches
January 29-31, 1883
19.0 inches
April 24-25, 1935
18.7 inches
March 5-6, 1983
18.5 inches
March 20-22, 1944
18.2 inches
April 17-19, 1920
18.0 inches
March 19-20, 1907
18.0 inches
March 31-April 1, 1891
17.7 inches
November 19-21, 1979
Three people were slightly injured around 9:55 a.n. on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 1979, when two RTD buses — one on a local route and another arriving in Denver from Longmont — collided at the intersection of 20th and Stout streets. Driver Jerry Worrell said his westbound bus on 20th “took off like a toboggan as he attempted to stop at the intersection sliding through it and slamming into the side of an eastbound local bus on Stout. A window on the second bus was broken and its back door damaged. (Denver Post file)
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