Denver shivers in cold temperatures, snow

October weather in Colorado is going out like a lion as multiple snowstorms and bitter cold temperatures batter the state, and more wintry weather is in store Wednesday.

Denver broke a recordlow maximum temperature Tuesday with a high of only 18 degrees, according to the National Weather Service. The previous record for Oct. 29 was 25 degrees, set in 1993.

Along with the frigid cold, several snowstorms have rolled through Colorado since Sunday, fouling morning commutes for many motorists. Late Tuesday afternoon, Denver police said they had fielded 141 crash reports for the day, a number posted just prior to the evening’s snowy commute.

At Denver International Airport, airlines had delayed 490 flights and canceled 546 flights into or out of Denver as of 7 p.m., according to Emily Williams, a DIA spokeswoman. Most of the delays and cancellations were made in the morning and were “preemptive,” Williams said.

At noon Tuesday, DIA had recorded 5.9 inches of snow, followed by more snow Tuesday night. Denver’s high temperature Tuesday, 18 degrees, was at 6:33 a.m., according to the weather service. The normal temperature in

Denver on Oct. 29 is 60 degrees; the record-high temperature in the city for the date was 84 degrees, set in 1950.

As of 4:20 p.m. Tuesday, Arapahoe Park, just southeast of Denver, had received 12 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service. Strasburg, by about noon, had received 9 inches.

RTD on Tuesday afternoon said some buses were delayed up to 30 minutes, and trains up to 15 minutes, because of the weather.

A weather service forecast calling for another round of snow starting up late afternoon had schools, government offices and businesses closing early, allowing students, staffers and clients to avoid the afternoon rush hour. The Denver Zoo announced it was closed at about 11 a.m., the Children’s Museum of Denver shut down at 1 p.m. and the Denver Center for Performing Arts canceled a couple of night shows.

Overnight and early morning temperatures were expected to be in the single digits for many areas, including Denver, with a low of about 4 degrees. The record low in Denver on Oct. 30 is 7 degrees, set in 1991.

“The hazardous conditions could impact the morning commute” as temperatures, with wind chills, drop as low as 15 degrees below zero, the weather service said.