How much snow does it take to shut down DIA? (Denver: airplanes, moving)

[Mike from back east]

Originally Posted by ucbedge

Thanks for the advice guys! That picture of DIA during the 06 blizzard is awesome! (I'm a weather nerd). Glad to know that the airport keeps running except during the horrible blizzards. I guess the worst part about flying during a snow storm is getting to/from the airport!

The December 2006 blizzards were awesome. We had drifts 4+ feet deep in front of my house in COLO SPGS. DIA was shut down for days, a bit of a scandal at the time.

[5280milehiguy]

Oh, I like the pic Mike, very cool. I remember 06, I drove out of the state just in time and could not get back to Colorado to see family during Christmas. DIA rarely shuts down, and weather forecasts can vary by place along the Front Range. Oct. and April storms usually have higher amounts to the south of Denver, Foothills, Jeff County, etc.

Soon I'll be back in CO full time, looking forward to it!!

[Kibbiekat]

The Dec 06 blizzards happened right after we decided to move to Denver. Our friends and fam thought we were crazy! In January 07 (first flight to visit DH after he moved) the airport "closed" for snow removal, but it only was for about 45 minutes I think. That flight was delayed for about 4 hours total. I would guess that for this week, you're likely to be delayed but not likely to be stranded for 2 days.

[suzco]

Originally Posted by rkb0305

The Dec 06 blizzards happened right after we decided to move to Denver. Our friends and fam thought we were crazy! In January 07 (first flight to visit DH after he moved) the airport "closed" for snow removal, but it only was for about 45 minutes I think. That flight was delayed for about 4 hours total. I would guess that for this week, you're likely to be delayed but not likely to be stranded for 2 days.

If your first winter here was 2006-2007 and you didn't run away screaming, you're a hardy soul.

[Kibbiekat]

Originally Posted by suzco

If your first winter here was 2006-2007 and you didn't run away screaming, you're a hardy soul.

Especially my husband! He moved out in Jan 07 with snow still piled high from the blizzards. The kids and I visited but weren't able to move out until that summer.

[preppyglam]

Im flying in on Wednesday and leaving (LAX) on Sat....hopefully all will be well! haha! GREAT photo of the airport during that last big blizzard! Amazing! Thanks for posting that, David!

[bluescreen73]

Pena Boulevard used to close long before DIA, so you'd have planes coming and going but nobody could get to or from the airport. That's what happens when you build the airport out in treeless, windswept BFE.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by bluescreen73

Pena Boulevard used to close long before DIA, so you'd have planes coming and going but nobody could get to or from the airport. That's what happens when you build the airport out in treeless, windswept BFE.

Pena Blvd is a mess, that's true. However, DIA is in the perfect location. Yes, it is time-consuming to get out to the terminal, but DIA doesn't have to worry about encroachment, they have huge amounts of space to install a solar farm and they lease land to farmers for hay. It is considered City of Denver property (and their employees work for the city too), but in this tough economy, it's still generating huge profits. It would be nicer to have an airport in the city for convenience, but speaking from experience, the airports who are "convenient" are also the ones who pay large fines for noise, safety, and their leaders have to attend nearly every city council meeting in order to halt developers from building huge neighborhoods that sit right across the street. Also, that blizzard in 2006 shut down most of Denver so even if the airport was in its old location, it still would have been a pain/impossible to get to.

BTW, 2 years ago, DIA bought 3 huge new snowplows specifically set aside for Pena Blvd. Last year, they kept that street flowing pretty well. The only time Pena Blvd has been closed down recently is for car accidents (and that DUI accident that killed those poor passengers).

As with everything in the Winter, plan on giving yourself about 20 minutes extra for driving when there's snow. That's a good way to do things, whether you're heading for work or going out to the airport. Trying to speed when there's snow on the ground is just asking to be shown as one of those idiot drivers who slide into the median. You will be laughed at.

[the3Ds]

Originally Posted by ucbedge

Thanks for the advice guys! That picture of DIA during the 06 blizzard is awesome! (I'm a weather nerd). Glad to know that the airport keeps running except during the horrible blizzards. I guess the worst part about flying during a snow storm is getting to/from the airport!

Since you're new to Denver, I'll just tell you that your first e-mail mentioning how surprised you were that winter comes so early here was funny because you sound just like I did a few years ago when we moved from Florida. This is not winter. It's the typical snow-in-October we have here. Last year, it was downright balmy on Halloween, but everyone kept saying it was surprising our first snowfall came "so late" in October (I think it snowed around the 20th).

Here's the deal with winter in Denver: It snows, the sun comes out, melts everything off, and then it snows again. Sometimes, you'll get a few snowfalls right after the other, so it gets icy underneath the snowpack and that's when you've got to be careful. There will be a serious blizzard every few years but for the most part, winter here is downright awesome. After you get "climatized" you will only need a jacket on some days.

And...take the weather warnings with a grain of salt. I will look out my window on the days they warn everyone to get up early because the "huge snowstorm" is going to make the morning commute a mess, and the streets are totally dry. Other times, it will be snowing for an hour and collecting on the street, and there's Becky Ditchfield talking about how there may or may not be snow later that day. The mountains here make weather reporting pretty difficult so that big snowstorm could get broken up by the time it reaches the metro area or could gain steam. My husband works at DIA and they will call a "snow alert" because their weather service has said a "big one" is coming and he ends up coming home early because nothing materialized. Other times, he will end up staying at the airport for 2 days but never got notice from the weather department.

Bottom line...it can and will snow in October and maybe into May (we had snow on Mother's Day last year). The snow really starts sticking in late November through March. But the good thing is that the air gets clean and there is nothing more beautiful than Pike's Peak and the Rockies when there's snow on them.

[Katarina Witt]

Originally Posted by Moonwalkr

Hmm, that link is showing 14.8" of snow for the next 3 days...

Well, yesterday it said 9.7.