Denver airport prepares for winter, shows off snow removal equipment

DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver International Airport is looking ahead and preparing for winter even though the leaves have just started to change colors in Colorado.

The airport hosted its annual “Snow and Tell” event Tuesday, showing the snow-clearing equipment they are geared up with for this winter.

The technologically advanced equipment allows crews to clear every single runway at the airport in under 20 minutes, airport officials said.

Here is some of the equipment that the airport showed off at the event on Tuesday:

Kyle Lester, senior vice president of maintenance for the Denver International Airport, said the airport is working to make sure they have appropriate staffing levels and training ahead of the season.

During the snow season, Lester said the staff prepares for snow events starting about 72 hours in advance.

“As the snow comes in, teams are activated. They show up here, work, and are on constant alert,” Lester said.

Lester said the crews at DIA can clear a runway in one pass.

“FAA requirements basically say the standard is about 30 minutes. DEN, we have a superior snow removal team and we typically hit the standard anywhere from 13 to 17 minutes on a runway,” Lester said.

Lester described the snow removal process as “impressive.” He said there are about 48 pieces of equipment that go out when clearing runways.

It’s possible that Denver could see snow in September . In fact, the National Weather Service reports that the Denver International Airport on average sees an inch of snow in September.

The snowiest month for the airport , according to the NWS, is March with an average of 11.4 inches of snow. From November to April, the airport typically sees six to nine inches of snow each month.

Throughout an average season, the airport typically sees 47 inches of snow , according to NWS records.

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