After the blizzard of 2003, 4,000 people were trapped at the partially collapsed Denver airport

This Day In Weather History is a daily podcast from Chris Mei of The Weather Network featuring stories about people, communities and events and their impact on the weather.

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The 2003 Blizzard began as an intense, moist, slow-moving Pacific system that moved into southeastern Colorado. Snow began falling in Colorado on Monday, March 17, 2003, and it didn’t stop for three days.

The Blizzard of 2003. Denver, Colorado. Courtesy of Saitor/Flickr

The blizzard was the second snowiest storm in Denver’s history. The record for the heaviest snowfall is still held by a 1913 storm with a total of 45 inches (116 cm).

The 2003 storm brought snow depths of up to 222 cm at Fritz Peak, 210 cm at Canin Creek, 139.7 cm at the Eldora ski area and 57 cm at Boulder. But the greater Denver area and Denver International Airport were not spared either.

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The airport was closed and 4,000 travelers were stranded. Not only were flights canceled, the weight of the snow also caused a 12-meter hole in the airport’s roof.

The massive amounts of snow were accompanied by wind speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, which created snow banks up to six feet high. The storm caused approximately $93 million in damage, making it the costliest snowstorm the region has ever recorded.

The Blizzard of 2003. Denver, Colorado. Courtesy of Saitor/Flickr

In Denver, 258 buildings were damaged, 135,000 people were without power and the National Guard deployed 40 soldiers to rescue stranded motorists.

In the snowy ski resort of Eldora, many roads had to be closed due to avalanches, stranding 270 skiers. A military helicopter had to deliver food to the resort until the ski area was open again.

Denver Mayor Wellington Webb said, “This is the storm of the century, a cruise destroyer, a record breaker, a roof breaker.”

To learn more about the blizzard of 2003, listen to today’s episode of This Day In Weather History.

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Thumbnail: Blizzard in Colorado 2003. Courtesy of flickr