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Happy anniversary of Denver's biggest snowstorm on record

Sure, it was 73 in Denver this Dec. 1. But 108 years ago, the weather was slightly different.

DENVER — Sure, this Dec. 1 felt a little bit unusual. Temperatures soared into the low 70s in Denver on Wednesday, nearly 30 degrees above the average. It tied a new daily record, and it also marked Denver's warmest December temperature in 41 years.

But 108 years ago, things were wildly different.

On Dec. 1, 1913, Denver's biggest snowstorm on record first started up. In all, the legendary storm would dump a whopping 45.7 inches of total snowfall over five days, or nearly four feet.

The storm remains Denver's biggest snowstorm on record to this day, and it's not particularly close, either.

The second-biggest snowstorm in Denver recorded history was the 31.8-inch, March 2003 blizzard. The 1913 storm beats the second-placed 2003 storm by more than a foot.

Credit: Denver Public Library
Pedestrians trudge through snow on Welton and Sixteenth streets in the snowstorm of 1913 in Denver .

The snow started on Dec. 1, 1913, and it wouldn't stop for nearly a week. While 'only' 4.2 inches of snow fell on Dec. 1, it really ramped up on Dec. 4 and 5, when a combined 37.4 inches fell on those two days, clinching an epic snowstorm that snarled the city for several days.

Credit: Denver Public Library
A man skis in a downtown Denver street in the snowstorm of 1913 in Colorado

Meanwhile, it still hasn't snowed in Denver, making it by far the city's latest first measurable snowfall on record. Unfortunately, there's no snow in the forecast through this upcoming weekend, though there is at least the chance for some on Tuesday of next week.

That's only slightly different from what Denver saw 108 years ago.

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