The Biggest Snowfalls in Fort Collins History

Ah, Colorado. The Centennial State — known for the Rocky Mountains, legal marijuana, and ever-changing weather.

When I moved to Colorado in 2008, my middle-school peers made sure to warn me about the desolate winters I was about to encounter. They told me tall tales of six-foot snowdrifts and bone-chilling days at recess.

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What they did not know is that I came to Colorado from North Dakota, which is basically a frozen tundra from September until May. Colorado's winters barely hold up to the -3° Januarys I used to endure.

Still, this isn't to say that our state doesn't have its fair share of bad weather. Northern Colorado is kicking off this year with a so-called "arctic blast" — and we all remember the wrath of 2021's winter storm Xylia.

PHOTOS: Winter Storm "Xylia" Hits Northern Colorado

Fort Collins even occasionally sees snow as late as June. But does the Choice City really experience the nasty winter weather natives told me so much about? Thanks to CSU's Colorado Climate Center, we can take a look.

 The Biggest Fort Collins Snowfalls in History

1907 — 11.8 inches on April 19

1908 — 11.5 inches on May 4

1911 — 12 inches of Feb. 27

1913 — 15 inches on Dec. 1

1913 — 11.5 inches on Dec. 4

1918 — 14 inches on Feb. 27

1920 — 11 inches on April 11

1945 — 10.2 inches on April 2

1945 — 10.8 inches on April 14

1958 — 11.5 inches on Dec. 12

1962 — 13 inches on Jan. 8

1964 — 10.5 inches on April 3

1970 — 12.8 inches on March 30

1971 — 14.5 inches on Jan. 2

1971 — 13 inches on Sept. 17

1975 — 11 inches on Dec. 31

1978 — 11.6 inches on May 5

1978 — 15.9 inches on May 6

1979 — 21 inches on Nov. 20

1979 — 11.2 inches on Dec. 27

1981 — 10.2 inches on Jan. 16

1988 — 16.7 inches on March 31

1988 — 11 inches on Dec. 7

1990 — 12.4 inches on March 6

2009 — 17.5 inches on Oct. 28

2013 — 12.8 inches on May 1

2016 — 13.4 inches on March 23

2019 — 11.6 inches on Nov. 26

2020 — 12.3 inches on April 16

2020 — 13.2 inches on Oct. 25

2021 — 16.8 inches on March 14