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Heavy, wet snow brings much of Denver, foothills to a standstill. Unless you had a shovel. Or a sled.

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Heavy, wet snow brings much of Denver, foothills to a standstill. Unless you had a shovel. Or a sled.


After lulling Coloradans into visions of an early spring, the month of March worked hard Thursday to live up to its reputation as the state’s snowiest, dumping a foot and more of snow in the foothills and across metro Denver and closing schools, local government offices, businesses and roads.

Warmer, sunnier weather at the start of the week slid into cooler, stormier conditions. Starting Wednesday evening, rain and winds hit the mountains, turning into wet, heavy snow that then rolled across the Denver area. More than 2 feet of snow fell at higher elevations, reaching 36 inches in Conifer, nearly 24 inches in Golden and 9 inches in Denver.

Although the snow lightened throughout the day in many places, forecasters and state highway officials said the storm wasn’t over. National Weather Service meteorologist Russell Danielson in Boulder said 4 to 8 more inches could fall by Friday morning and the slightly above-freezing temperatures will drop, transforming slushy roads to icy ones.

The brunt of the storm was expected to ease by morning, the weather service said.

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School districts throughout metro Denver and northern Colorado canceled classes Thursday and some, including Denver Public Schools and the Douglas County School District, also canceled Friday classes.

Government offices from Boulder to Colorado Springs were closed due to snow. The Colorado General Assembly took a snow day, too.

In some cases, people who showed up to work got to leave early. Michelle Swaisgood was waiting outside her workplace, Athletic Lettering in Arvada, for her husband to pick her up. The business, which customizes letter jackets and other sports team apparel, closed before noon because of a power outage.

Swaisgood thought she would spend the rest of the snowy, work-free afternoon watching movies. “We already have our shoveling done because we are early rising people.”

The storm caused hundreds of scattered power outages across metro Denver as of Thursday evening, affecting a total of close to 82,000 customers stretching from Boulder to Castle Rock and from Aurora to Clear Creek County near Georgetown. Xcel Energy, the state’s largest electric utility, said nearly 345 crew members were working to restore power.

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Operations were normal at Denver International Airport, where only about an inch had fallen by  Thursday afternoon. However, more than 800 flights were canceled and another 245 were delayed, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Airport spokeswoman Stephanie Figueroa said nearly all the cancellations were made preemptively Wednesday evening.

Travel by ground remained hazardous in spots throughout Thursday. The Colorado Department of Transportation issued a travel alert around 12:35 p.m., asking travelers to be prepared for highway closures and extended delays and to have food, water, blankets and other items in their vehicles.

Jereme Koehler works to clear the walkways in front of his home early in the morning before starting work as a major snowstorm dumps snow in Lakewood on March 14, 2024. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)

Interstate 70 was closed between Denver and Silverthorne for part of Thursday. It was reopened to passenger vehicles in the afternoon but the eastbound lanes were closed again by evening after multiple accidents and slide-offs. The highway was to remain closed to commercial vehicles between Eagle/Vail and Morrison until noon Friday, CDOT said.

Interstate 25 over Monument Hill will likely be closed due to safety concerns through Thursday evening, according to CDOT.

A pedestrian makes their way across West Colfax Ave. as a major snowstorm dumps snow in Lakewood on March 14, 2024. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)
A pedestrian makes their way across West Colfax Ave. as a major snowstorm dumps snow in Lakewood on March 14, 2024. (Photo by RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post)

Despite city officials’ repeated urgings in the leadup to the storm to stay off the roads, spots were at a premium Thursday afternoon in the upper parking lot at Ruby Hill Park in west Denver. By 2 p.m., upwards of 100 people, ranging from young children towing sleds to 20-somethings strapping on ski and snowboarding boots, were swarming the spot known for its sledding hill and Ruby Hill Rail Yard skiing and snowboarding areas.

“When I-70 is closed there are only so many places you can go,” said Lane Parker as she stood at the top of the sledding hill alongside her sister-in-law Autumn Gardner.

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While activity was humming at Ruby Hill, traffic was light on South Broadway in Denver’s Baker neighborhood. Several businesses along the usually busy thoroughfare had “Closed” signs on their doors.

Benicio Barela, 6, goes sledding at Ruby Hill Park in Denver on Thursday, March 14, 2024. A major snowstorm arrived overnight Wednesday and has already dropped more than 2 feet of snow in some areas of the Front Range foothills. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)
Benicio Barela, 6, goes sledding at Ruby Hill Park in Denver on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post)

But coffee shops and restaurants on Broadway still attracted clientele. Ten minutes after opening, Postino Broadway had already seated two tables. At Snooze, a breakfast and brunch restaurant, eight tables were occupied and there was a slight wait at the host stand.

Those looking to enjoy the snow on the slopes had fewer choices Thursday. Eldora, Loveland, Arapahoe Basin and Echo Mountain ski areas announced closures for the day. Eldora reported 30 inches of snow overnight and snow slides on its access road, according to the ski area’s website.

People were advised to scratch any plans for camping Friday in Golden Gate Canyon State Park. Colorado Parks and Wildlife said on the social media platform X that the area west of Golden had gotten 36 inches of snow by Thursday morning.

“We won’t be dug out by tomorrow,” the CPW post said.

The arts also got snowed out. The Denver Art Museum was closed Thursday. All shows at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts were canceled. Cirque du Soleil’s show “Crystal” at Ball Arena was called off Thursday.

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A worker with a snow shovel negotiates heavy, wet snow in the University Hills King Soopers parking lot in Denver on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
A worker with a snow shovel negotiates heavy, wet snow in the University Hills King Soopers parking lot in Denver on Thursday, March 14, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)

A low-pressure system that stalled out unleashed the snow along the Front Range. March is historically Colorado’s snowiest month and it’s not unusual for the Denver area to be battered by big snow storms then. An average of 11.5 inches of snow falls in Denver in March, making up about 20% of the city’s average yearly cumulative snow total.

This week’s storm, though, stands out, Paul Schlatter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder, said.

“Normally the storm system will slowly move across the Colorado-New Mexico border and just kind of meander its way eastward there,” Schlatter said. “This one is actually diving straight south over Arizona.”

And a “really strong easterly upslope flow” is pulling moisture in from Iowa and Nebraska, he added. “Once the easterly flow gets to the mountains, the eastern slopes get dumped on.”

March snow storms are typically wet, but this one is packed with moisture, Schlatter said. When the numbers from an unusually moist snow in early February are added, he expects this to be the area’s second-wettest start of the year.

Because of the heavy, wet snow, many homeowners tried to get a jump on the accumulation by getting out to shovel for the first time early Thursday morning.

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In the Washington Park neighborhood, Ian Peterson was out and busy clearing the sidewalks around the block at Pearl Street and Fourth Avenue.

“I have this thing, so It’s easy,” Peterson said, pointing to his snow blower. Many residents who waited longer didn’t have the luxury of using snowblowers. The snow was too heavy by then.

Down the street from Peterson, Jenn Prileszky was watching as her three children were helping a neighbor build a snow fort. She said her kids heard the snow blower going and wanted to get outside.

“This is our first winter in Colorado so the snow is still kind of a novelty,” said Prileszky, whose family recently moved from Georgia.

Denver Post reporters Joe Rubino, Noelle Phillips, Katie Langford, Jacob Factor, Elizabeth Hernandez, John Wenzel, John Meyer and Megan Ulu-Lani Boyanton contributed to this report.

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Denver weather: More hot weather Sunday

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Denver weather: More hot weather Sunday


​​​​​​DENVER (KDVR) — After officially hitting 90 degrees for the first time this season, the Denver weather forecast features more hot weather Sunday and next week before temperatures begin to moderate.

Dry and breezy conditions will create fire danger concerns for parts of the northeastern plains.

Denver weather tonight: Another mild night

Mild weather overnight Saturday.

Skies will gradually clear overnight Saturday, but it’s still going to be mild with low temperatures falling into the middle and upper 50s around metro Denver. Some locations elsewhere may only cool to about 60 degrees.

Denver weather tomorrow: Temperatures in the 90s again

Mid-summer heat Sunday.

Sunday will be another hot day with widespread temperatures again in the 90s. Denver’s record high is 98 degrees, but we’ll stay well short of that. We’ll begin the day sunny, but clouds will steadily increase in the afternoon.

Mostly dry conditions are forecast but a stray pop-up storm may develop. Winds will turn to the northwest with gusts up to 20 miles per hour.

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Looking ahead: Hot, breezy, and mostly dry

We start next week with partly sunny conditions and temperatures “cooling” to the upper 80s in the afternoon, still above normal. Gusty winds will persist from the east-southeast. There will be a slightly better chance for isolated storm development in the afternoon.

Hot weather continues through Wednesday.

We’ll jump back to the 90s on Tuesday with wind gusts up to 35 miles per hour or higher possible.

Temperatures start to moderate Wednesday onward, starting with low 90s on Wednesday, then middle 80s Thursday into the weekend, closer to normal.

Overall, the forecast for most of next week looks predominantly dry, but rain chances do return for next weekend.



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My Morning Jacket, Death Cab For Cutie, Tash Sultana Elevate Denver’s Outside Days Festival

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My Morning Jacket, Death Cab For Cutie, Tash Sultana Elevate Denver’s Outside Days Festival


Sometimes, music can be an awesome addendum to other activities without being the whole raison d’etre for a festival.

In 2019, Amazon put together a spectacular lineup for Intersect—with Foo Fighters, Beck, and Kacey Musgraves among the biggest names—which was essentially an extension of the e-commerce giant’s company conference in Las Vegas. In Arizona, Innings Festival and Extra Innings Festival have emerged as tentpole events in the desert by using live music to draw in baseball fans visiting the area for spring training. In Las Vegas, SEMA Fest has treated motorsports lovers to large-scale rock concerts, in between thrilling scenes of car and bike stunts.

Over the last three years, Outside Days has begun to make its mark in the category of not-just-a-music-festival festivals. In this case, the three-day event is built on top of Outside Magazine’s professional conference, which brings together brands and companies from the outdoors industry with active-lifestyle enthusiasts and those either working therein or looking to break into the field.

This year, all of those same brands—from REI and The North Face to Capital One, Jeep and many more—got additional exposure via marketing activations and booths spread across Auraria Campus in downtown Denver, while the previous location (Civic Center Park) underwent renovations.

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Though film screenings and panel discussions were also part of the proceedings, the vast majority of the 30,000 attendees seemed rightly focused on the acts performing on the stage that dominated the Tivoli Quad at Metropolitan State University of Denver. From one day to the next, there were no misses; only superb sets played (nearly) perfectly for a citizenry that’s turned Denver into one of America’s great hubs for live music.

Friday’s lineup brought more of an indie bent to the air, thanks in no small part to Death Cab For Cutie. Ben Gibbard and company leaned into their new album, I Built You A Tower, with an opener of “Riptide” and the live debut of “Trap Door.” Those songs, as well as “Punching The Flowers,” “Stone Over Water,” and the title track from their latest release, fit seamlessly alongside tried-and-true Death Cab classics like “The New Year,” “I Will Follow You Into The Dark,” “Crooked Teeth” and “Soul Meets Body.”

Japanese Breakfast and Goth Babe both did their part to warm up the crowd for DCFC. The former peppered the populace with indie pop favorites like “Paprika,” “Picture Window,” “Everybody Wants To Love You” and “Be Sweet.” The latter followed that up with feel-good songs like “Mexico,” “Encinitas” and “Weekend Friend,” as well as a cover of Weezer’s “Undone – The Sweater Song.” That is, when they weren’t busy encouraging fans to crowd surf on camping mattresses or doling out household appliances as prizes for cheering.

Saturday took a decisive turn toward jams—a prime pivot, given the Mile High City’s proclivities for musical improv. My Morning Jacket certainly seemed to understand that assignment. The outfit’s sprawling, two-hour set incorporated seemingly every highlight from their discography, starting with “Wordless Chorus” and ending with “Touch Me I’m Going to Scream Pt. 2.” In between, the Louisville-based group broke into “Off The Record,” “Anytime,” “Gideon,” “One Big Holiday,” “Circuital”, “Victory Dance,” and a version of “Spring (Among The Living)” that included a sprinkling of The Beatles’ “Dear Prudence.” Even with a setlist so jam-packed, lead singer and guitarist Jim James managed to squeeze in not one, but two callouts of the full moon that was on brilliant display in the Denver sky.

That all came as a thrilling finale to a day that saw Karina Rykman take her bass out for much more than a walk in the park, Eggy egg on the jams with “Laurel,” “Waiting Game” and “Through The Mist;” and Dawes put an L.A.-style spin on jam rock with “Time Spent in Los Angeles,” “When My Time Comes,” “Most People” and “All Your Favorite Bands.”

The only fly in the ointment on Saturday showed up at the start of The Flaming Lips’ allotted time. Lead singer Wayne Coyne announced that a piece of the band’s equipment had blown out, prompting a 15-minute delay. That didn’t stop them from pulling out most of their usual theatrical stops, from the towering inflatable robots for both parts of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” and giant eyes and lips for “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song (With All Your Power)” to an American flag cape for a cover of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” a blowup rainbow during “Do You Realize??”, a bubble for Wayne on “A Spoonful Weighs a Ton,” and various other stage toys along the way.

(Perhaps, though, the technical difficulties were a bad omen for The Flaming Lips’ hometown team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, whose NBA title defense came to an end that night, while most of the band wore the team’s jerseys onstage.)

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Sunday at Outside Days was tailor-made for those seeking an edgier approach to rock music. Girl Tones gave the audience an early taste of Bowling Green, Kentucky’s punk spirit, courtesy of sisters Kenzie and Laila Crowe. GROUPLOVE infused the day with a bit of pop sensibility by way of a well-tested combination of “Tongue Tied” into a Beatles-esque cover of The Top Notes’ “Twist and Shout.”

Tash Sultana stepped up as, arguably, the single most talented musician to take the stage at Outside Days. The Australian multi-instrumentalist emerged with a full band for a cover of The Wailers’ “I Shot The Sheriff” before eventually shifting toward their usual solo show, with loops of drums, keys, bass and synths laid behind vocals, guitar riffs, bits of trumpet and saxophone to form songs like “Milk & Honey,” “Notion,” and “Jungle.” At one point, Tash took a moment to acknowledge a rainbow in the distance, speaking about it as a sign of her recently departed dog looking out from the heavens.

As much as Outside Days knocked it out of the proverbial park with marquee acts, the festival and its organizers also did well to create time and space for local artists and bands. On Friday, that slot fell to Wildermiss, a Phantogram-esque indie rock band led by Emma Cole on vocals and synth bass, Joshua Hester on guitar, and Caleb Thoemke on drums. Saturday saw The Brothers of Brass—who bill themselves as Denver’s only New Orleans-style brass band—add to the ambiance with brassy covers of Michael Jackson’s “Rock With You,” Bill Withers’ “Just The Two of Us,” Aaliyah’s “Try Again” and Destiny Child’s “Survivor,” both onstage during their main set and during some interstitial busking on the festival grounds. Come Sunday, the lineup included spots for both the indie rock of The Mañanas and the edgy pop provisioned by N3ptune.

Those acts, in particular, lent additional heart and soul to an event that, while very much corporate in nature, didn’t leave attendees drowning in a sea of brand marketing. If anything, the music of it all made it more than held its own as the strongest gravitational force on the grounds. (Save for, perhaps, the Cotopaxi booth and the Capital One lounge, both of which had perpetual lines that seemingly extended into infinity.)

Still, in the grand scheme, it was impressive to see Outside Days not only put together a top-flight event in just its third year, but also draw such a substantial crowd given the competition in town—between Morgan Wallen at Empower Field and FAN EXPO Denver at the Colorado Convention Center.

With any luck, Outside Days will continue to grow in both scope and lineup strength in the years to come. And even if it doesn’t, it’s always worthy of being a staple on anyone’s live music calendar, especially for those who call the Rocky Mountains home.

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Below, check out a selection of photos from the 2026 edition of Outside Days via Josh Martin.





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Denver weather: Near-record heat Saturday

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Denver weather: Near-record heat Saturday


​​​​​​DENVER (KDVR) — The first weekend of June features high summer heat with record warm temperatures possible Saturday in the Denver weather forecast.

Other regions in northeast Colorado will come close to hitting record high temperatures Saturday, with some towns in Weld County potentially nearing 100 degrees. That said, any clouds may provide just enough shade to keep temperatures in check.

Record high temperatures are possible for some Eastern Colorado communities Saturday.

Denver weather tonight: Very mild

Very mild temperatures are expected overnight Friday.

Skies will be mostly clear to partly cloudy overnight Friday.

Temperatures will also be quite mild in metro Denver with highs in the upper 50s to low 60s. Winds will be a bit breezy from the south with gusts up to 20 miles per hour possible.

Denver weather tomorrow: Record high watch

The hottest day of 2026 is expected Saturday with some communities reaching nearly 100 degrees.

Denver’s average high Saturday is 80 degrees, but middle 90s are forecast. It’ll be close to tying that record in the afternoon.

Mostly dry weather is in the forecast, but a couple isolated storms may form east of metro Denver in the late afternoon. It’ll remain breezy with southerly winds gusting up to 30 miles per hour.

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Looking ahead: Staying hot

The record high temperature in Denver is 98 degrees in 2006, but it’s unlikely it will be that warm with another day in the middle 90s expected.

It will remain breezy with wind gusts up to 30 miles per hour again. Rain is unlikely.

Temperatures briefly dip to the upper 80s Monday with a slightly better chance for some pop-up showers and storms.

Very hot temperatures are expected for most of the next week.

It will stay hot most of next week. Temperatures will be in the mid-90s Tuesday and Wednesday and possibly Thursday. Winds will help mix up the air, but gusts of 30-35 miles per hour will persist.

It’s early, but there are some early indications that it’ll cool back to seasonal heat Friday into next weekend.

Denver, Colorado weather resources

Stay prepared for storms and forecast changes, a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day and other important weather information:

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The Pinpoint Weather team will continue to update the forecast multiple times each day.



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