DENVER — Colorado’s Front Range is in the midst of a “bomb cyclone” blizzard, dumping several inches of snow and causing major disruptions to travel and power. Up to 18 inches of snow is expected to fall in parts before the storm moves out.
Colorado is no stranger to snowstorms. Wednesday’s blizzard, while considered one of the most powerful to hit the state in years, pales in comparison to some of the worst storms to hit the Denver area.
Here are the 10 worst snowstorms in Denver, according to the National Weather Service:
- Dec 1-5, 1913: 45.7 inches of snow
- Mar 17-19, 2003: 31.8 inches of snow
- Nov 2-4, 1946: 30.4 inches of snow
- Dec 24, 1982: 23.8 inches of snow
- Apr 23, 1885: 23 inches of snow
- Oct 20-23, 1906: 22.7 inches of snow
- Oct 24-25, 1997: 21.9 inches of snow
- Nov 26-27, 1983: 21.5 inches of snow
- Dec 20-21, 2006: 20.7 inches of snow
- Jan 29-31, 1883: 19.3 inches of snow
In December of 1913, the Denver area was walloped with several days of snowfall. After everything was said and done, the city was buried in 45.7 inches of snow. It was the largest amount of snowfall from a single storm in Denver, according to records obtained from the National Weather Service.
Pictures of the event, courtesy of the Denver Library’s digital archive, showed buried cable cars, roads and sidewalks. The storm essentially shuttered the city for days.
But not everyone was having a miserable time. Denver children were seen in photos sledding down the steep streets of Capitol Hill.
“Turning Eighth Avenue, below, into a snow run for sledders and a reminder for us that monstrous snowstorms are nothing new in Denver,” read the photo's caption.
Here are photos of the 1913 snow event, courtesy of the Denver Library:
