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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MDT SAT MAY 25 2024

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

18-26 In 2023...smoke and haze from massive wildfires in Canada
        significantly impacted air quality and visibility across
        Denver and the rest of northeast Colorado.
20-27 In 2002...lightning sparked a wildfire near Deckers the
        continued from the 20th to the 27th.  Extremely dry
        conditions and very strong winds the following day allowed
        the fire...known as the Schoonover...to consume 3850 acres
        before it could be contained.  Thirteen structures were
        destroyed...including 4 homes...resulting in 2.2 million
        dollars in damage.
24-26 In 1996...from the 24th to the 26th...a late spring storm
        dumped 4 to 10 inches of snow over the Front Range
        foothills.  Conifer picked up 10 inches of new snow;
        Aspen Springs...9 inches; and Central City...8 inches.
        The sticky...heavy snow clung to power lines and pulled
        tree branches down...causing power outages to about
        1200 homes in the Conifer area.  It took
        up to 6 hours to restore power to some residences.
        Lightning struck a telephone data cabinet in Conifer on
        the 25th...which knocked out phone service to about 1500
        customers.  Widespread rain fell across metro Denver...
        where rainfall totaled 2.07 inches at the site of the
        former Stapleton International Airport and 1.66 inches at
        Denver International Airport where north winds gusted to
        24 mph on the 26th.
      In 2010...from the 24th to the 26th...high winds preceding a
        cold front...swept across the Front Range Foothills and
        Urban Corridor.  In Aurora...the wind damaged the roof of
        Rangeview High School.  In Conifer and Denver...the wind
        downed trees and power lines and caused several brief
        outages.  The downed power lines also caused several cars
        to catch fire in the vicinity of 1590 Cook St. in Denver.
        Peak wind gusts included:  82 mph at Highlands Ranch...67
        mph...4 miles east of Franktown and Longmont; 65 mph in
        Boulder...64 mph in Centennial and Denver International
        Airport...62 mph near Parker and 60 mph in Arvada.
25    In 1877...lightning killed one person in west Denver and
        struck several houses.  The bolt struck the house of the
        "Home Laundry" stunning the occupants and killing a lady
        who was holding one of her grand children in her arms.
        The child escaped unhurt.  The lightning also struck the
        top of a tree in front of the house and partially peeled
        the bark off the tree.  Lightning struck a church in the
        Evans Addition and another tree in east Denver.  Lightning
        struck the switch room at the telegraph office where the
        operator saw small balls of lightning pass across the room
        to the stove.  The thunderstorm pelted the city with only
        pea size hail.  Precipitation from the storm totaled 0.40
        inch in downtown Denver.
      In 1880...light rain all afternoon totaled only 0.24 inch
        in the city...but was valuable to stockmen and farmers
        due to the very dry...parched weather conditions on the
        plains.
      In 1965...a tornado was sighted by a pilot 30 miles south
        southeast of Denver.   No damage was reported.  Another
        pilot reported 3/4 inch hail 30 miles east of Denver.  The
        State Patrol reported that a man was killed when a fierce
        gust of wind swept him from the back of a pick-up truck in
        northwest Douglas County.  The man was holding a mattress
        in the bed of the truck.
      In 1974...a microburst wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at
        Stapleton International Airport.  A pilot reported a tornado
        20 miles east of Denver.
      In 1976...lightning struck a home in Boulder...shattering 2
        large trees and damaging a television set.
      In 1997...hail as large as 1 3/4 inches in diameter fell near
        Watkins.  Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell in Broomfield
        and near Lochbuie.
      In 2000...3/4 inch diameter hail fell at Cherry Creek Reservoir
        in Aurora.  Thunderstorm winds gusted to 51 mph at Denver
        International Airport where small hail fell.
      In 2006...a severe thunderstorm produced an estimated wind gust
        to 70 mph in Hudson.  The strong winds damaged the roof of a
        home.  A thunderstorm produced southwest wind gusts to 54
        mph at Denver International Airport.
25-26 In 1950...from the 25th to the 26th...a major storm dumped 10.0
        inches of snowfall downtown and 10.7 inches at Stapleton
        Airport where northwest winds gusted to 30 mph on the 25th.
        The storm  caused extensive damage to utility wires and
        trees which were in full leaf.  A daily record minimum
        temperature of 31 degrees occurred on the 25th.  This was
        the coldest temperature on this date in 79 years and for so
        late in the season.
      In 1989...from the 25th to the 26th...a late season storm
        dropped snow as low as 6 thousand feet along the Front Range.
        Most places in the foothills had 2 to 5 inches of snow.
        Overnight rainfall totaled 0.33 inch at Stapleton
        International Airport where north winds gusted to 37 mph on
        the 25th.
      In 1994...overnight from the 25th to the 26th...lightning
        struck a television transmitter on Lookout Mountain near
        Golden and burned out a switcher...which disrupted cable
        service for 2 hours.

$$