Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MDT THU MAY 30 2024

...Today in metro Denver weather history...

26-31 In 1995...from the 26th through the 31st...a cool period
        with light morning showers and moderate to heavy
        afternoon showers and thunderstorms pushed rivers
        already swollen from mountain snow melt over their banks
        causing minor flooding.  Streams and rivers such as the
        South Platte and Boulder Creek flooded meadowlands...bike
        paths...roads near streams...and other low lying areas.
        No significant property damage was reported and crop
        damage was unknown.  Rainfall totaled 1.79 inches at the
        site of the former Stapleton International Airport and
        only 1.51 inches at Denver International Airport.
29-1  In 1894...from the 29th to the 1st of the month...heavy
        rain combined with snowmelt runoff caused widespread
        flooding over the South Platte River basin.
        Rainfall was heaviest in the foothills where 5 to 8
        inches were measured over the 4 days.  Heavy rainfall
        west of Boulder flooded mining towns and damaged mining
        properties.  In the canyons above Boulder...railroads
        and roads were washed out along with many bridges.  The
        floodwaters spread into central Boulder and covered a
        wide area from University Hill north to near Mapleton
        Hill to a maximum depth of 8 feet.  Many houses were
        swept away...and every bridge in Boulder was destroyed.
        A few people...trapped in their homes by the floodwaters...
        had to be rescued.  However...the gradual rise of the flood
        waters resulted in only one death.  Boulder Creek spread to
        a width of nearly one mile in the pasture land to the east
        of Boulder.  Extensive flooding on Left Hand Creek north
        of Boulder washed away railroad and wagon bridges.  The
        heavy cloudbursts caused flooding on Bear Creek...which
        washed away bridges...railroad tracks...and structures and
        destroyed the canyon roadway.  Morrison sustained the
        heaviest flood damage on Bear Creek.  In Denver...rainfall
        totaled only 1.50 inches on the 30th and 31st...but the
        heavy rainfall on upstream tributaries of the South Platte
        River caused the river to rise as much as 10 feet above the
        low water mark in the city...which caused some flooding of
        pasture land downstream to a depth of 6 feet near Brighton.
30    In 1875...a windstorm lasting almost all day produced
        sustained winds to 42 mph.
      In 1935...southeast winds sustained to 29 mph with gusts to
        34 mph produced a moderate duststorm during the afternoon.
      In 1938...heavy thunderstorm rain and hail pummeled downtown
        Denver during the evening hours.  Rainfall accumulated to
        1.63 inches.  Hail accumulated to a depth of 18 inches.
      In 1948...a localized thunderstorm caused flooding on Sand
        Creek in Aurora and northeast Denver.  Rainfall was only
        0.49 inch in downtown Denver where light hail also fell.
      In 1963...a golfer died of injuries received when struck
        by lightning on a golf course southwest of Denver.  A
        warehouse in Denver was damaged and its contents destroyed
        by a lightning-caused fire.
      In 1967...up to 4.00 inches of rain in Lakewood and Wheat
        Ridge caused flooding of roads and basements.  Water was
        several feet deep in some yards.  Many streets were
        temporarily closed.  Hail as large as 1 inch in diameter
        fell in Wheat Ridge.  Hail piled up to 2 feet deep in some
        low lying areas of east and southeast Denver.  Snowplows
        were employed to remove the hail.  Stapleton International
        Airport...where west winds gusted to 39 mph...received 1.51
        inches of rain and hail...which forced the closure of the
        runways for an hour.  Hail stones to 3/4 inch in diameter
        were measured at Buckley Field.  A funnel cloud was sighted
        near south Wadsworth Blvd. and Bear Creek.  A tornado
        touched down briefly in the vicinity of 60th and 62nd
        Avenues near north Washington Street.  The storm uprooted
        trees and damaged one building.  Doors were ripped from a
        business house...widely scattering irrigation pipe.  In
        addition...a total of 3 funnel clouds were sighted in that
        area.
      In 1970...hail up to 1 inch in diameter fell at Stapleton
        International Airport.
      In 1976...a single thunderstorm crossed south metro Denver
        producing a funnel cloud 2 miles south of Arapahoe Road
        and Broadway.  The storm moved over Buckley Field producing
        a funnel cloud and 1/2 inch diameter hail.  As the storm
        moved northeast of the city...a large tornado touched down
        near East 59th Ave and Tower Road and was on the ground for
        20 minutes.  It demolished a 60-foot-long cinderblock cow
        shed...tore a wall from a machinery shed...tore shingles off
        the roof of a farmhouse nearby...and felled 12 trees on one
        farm.  A boy in a feed shed 20 feet from a destroyed
        building was not injured.
      In 1977...3/4 to 1 inch diameter hail fell at or near
        Stapleton International Airport.  One inch to baseball
        size hail fell in south Denver...damaging some homes and
        extensively damaging some airplanes at Arapahoe County
        Airport...now Centennial Airport.  Hail covered highways
        to a depth of 6 to 8 inches in south Denver.
      In 1978...two funnel clouds were sighted 5 miles south of
        Stapleton International Airport.  Hail up to 1 1/4 inches in
        diameter was reported in Wheat Ridge and northwest Denver.
        Only 1/2 inch diameter hail fell at Stapleton International
        Airport.
      In 1989...golf ball size hail fell at the junction of I-25 and
        I-225.  One inch diameter hail fell in Littleton.
      In 1990...a line of severe thunderstorms crossed metro Denver...
        producing wind gusts to 60 mph and scattered areas of
        pea to marble size hail.  Small trees and branches were
        blown down by the strong thunderstorm winds...which also
        caused minor power outages across southern and eastern
        sections of metro Denver.  The strong winds uprooted a 25-
        to 30-foot tree in the Acres Green subdivision of northern
        Douglas County.  The tree blocked a busy street for several
        hours.  A pilot reported hail as large as 1 1/2 inches in
        diameter covering the ground near the north end of a runway
        at Stapleton International Airport.  Heavy rain caused a
        rock and mud slide that partially closed the Boulder Canyon
        highway 10 miles west of Boulder.  Thunderstorm winds gusted
        to 41 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
      In 2001...lightning ignited a fire which destroyed a luxury
        home on Bear Mountain near Evergreen.  Estimated damage
        was set at 1 million dollars.
      In 2003...flash flooding occurred in the Hayman Fire burn area
        after as much as 1 inch of rain fell in 30 minutes.  The
        heavy rainfall washed out many access roads and closed State
        Highway 67 between Deckers and West Creek.  A 3-foot wall of
        water ran down Fourmile Creek from the YMCA Camp at Shady
        Brook...damaging one building in the camp and flooding roads.
        Hail as large as 3/4 inch in diameter fell near Roggen in
        Weld County.
      In 2005...lightning struck as least 20 homes in Westminster.
        Only minor damage was reported.  Severe thunderstorms
        produced hail as large as 1.25 inches in and near Fort
        Lupton and hail to 3/4 inch near Indian Hills in Jefferson
        County.
      In 2014...heavy rainfall...nearly 1.2 inches in 30 minutes...
        produced localized street flooding in Boulder. The heavy
        rain coupled with the already swollen creeks from the spring
        runoff along Boulder Creek resulted in the flooding. Street
        flooding was reported at 6th St and Canyon Blvd and at
        Baseline Road. Some cars were stranded in the high water in
        low lying areas and one person reported being trapped in his
        vehicle.
30-31 In 1935...from the 30th to the 31st...heavy thunderstorm rains
        overnight caused flash flooding east of the city on both
        Kiowa and Bijou creeks...resulting in a total of 9 deaths.
        Most of the damage was on Kiowa Creek where there were more
        structures.  The water rose rapidly during the storm...
        ripping houses and stores from their foundations and
        sweeping them downstream. Precipitation in Denver totaled
        only 0.01 inch.  Hail fell in the city for a short time. The
        hail was very small and caused no damage.
      In 1983...from the 30th to the 31st...a late storm of rain and
        snow hit the Front Range.  Over an inch of rain fell at some
        spots...and above 7 thousand feet...1 to 5 inches of snow
        whitened the ground.  Some snow flakes even fell in the
        western suburbs of metro Denver on the night of the 30th.
      In 2002...from the 30th to the 31st...unseasonably warm weather
        at the end of the month resulted in 3 temperature records.
        High temperature of 91 degrees on the 30th equaled the
        record maximum for the date.  Low temperature of 61 degrees
        on the 31st was a record high minimum for the date.  High
        temperature of 93 degrees on the 31st was a record maximum
        for the date.

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