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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
645 PM MDT SAT AUG 24 2024

...This week in metro Denver weather history...

19-30 In 1875...grasshoppers appeared in great numbers at 10:00 AM
        on the 19th and continued through the 30th.  Thousands
        landed on the ground.  The streets were literally covered
         with them.  Swarms of grasshoppers were seen on each day.
        All gardens in the city were devastated...and in the
        countryside the grasshoppers were very destructive to ripened
        grain.  On the 30th the grasshoppers were so numerous as to
        almost darken the sun.
24-26 In 1910...the lowest temperature ever recorded in August...40
        degrees...occurred on the 24th...25th and 26th...as well as on
        August 22...1904.  The unusually cold weather for so early in
        the season brought sub-freezing minimum temperatures to much
        of the Colorado northeastern plains.
25    In 1951...a microburst produced a southwest wind gust to 50
        mph at Stapleton Airport.  Only a trace of rain was
        observed.
      In 1964...thunderstorm winds gusted to 59 mph and caused
        some blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport.
      In 1994...lightning struck a power pole in Louisville and
        caused a two-hour power outage.
      In 2008...an unoccupied home was struck by lightning in Aurora...
        causing 75 thousand dollars in damage to the roof.
26    In 1944...one of the most destructive hailstorms in the city
        in a decade caused damage estimated at nearly one million
        dollars.  The storm occurred within a period of 10 to 30
        minutes...between 2:00 PM and 3:00 PM.  The hail varied in
        size from very small to as large as 1 1/2 inches in
        diameter.  Hail covered the ground to a depth of 5 to 6
        inches in some sections of the city.  Several people were
        cut by broken glass.  The hail and heavy rain flooded
        underpasses to a depth of 6 feet...and the occupants of
        stalled autos had to be rescued.  Sewers were unable to
        handle the sudden amount of water and water backed up
        and flooded a number of basements.  A few first floors of
        buildings were flooded.  The Water Department had a busy
        time replacing manhole covers that had been displaced by
        the water pressure.  Trees were stripped...one was severely
        broken...and telephone lines were downed.  Roofs...windows...
        automobiles...awnings...and gardens were severely damaged.
        Flowers and gardens in some sections of the city were a
        total loss.  Greenhouses were extensively broken with an
        estimated 20 carloads of glass shattered.  Vegetable and
        truck crops in and around the city were severely shredded.
        The next day the American Red Cross was designated by the
        War Agency to grant any and all priorities needed to obtain
        materials and supplies to replace and repair the damage.
        In downtown Denver...the thunderstorm produced 0.95 inch of
        rain and heavy hail along with sustained northwest winds to
        25 mph.
      In 1961...strong winds blew in the walls of a warehouse under
        construction in Denver.  Two workmen suffered a fractured
        foot and body bruises.
      In 2014...two men in central Denver were struck by lightning as
        they sat under a tree to avoid a heavy downpour. One of the
        men was unconscious and had no pulse when emergency
        responders arrived. He was immediately taken to Denver
        Health was listed in critical condition. The other victim
        suffered less severe injuries. He was treated at the scene
        and hospitalized...then released a few hours later.
26-27 In 1980...overnight from the 26th to the 27th...two strong
        thunderstorms hit Arvada and Westminster...dumping up to 1.50
        inches of rain in less than an hour.  At least two streets
        were washed out and a number of homes and cars were damaged
        when a creek flooded.  Three homes in Arvada sustained minor
        lightning damage.
27    In 1910...a thunderstorm produced south winds sustained to 40
        mph.
      In 1961...strong thunderstorm winds and heavy rain occurred at
        79th and Federal Blvd. in Westminster.  The strong winds
        blew the roofs off lumber sheds onto parked cars.
      In 1967...a young woman was killed by lightning while
        horseback riding in the suburbs just west of Denver.  Her
        horse died several hours after the incident.  A young man
        and another young woman were also knocked from their horses
        by the impact of the lightning and required hospitalization.
      In 1991...heavy thunderstorm rainfall totaled 0.91 inch at
        Stapleton International Airport...where 1/4 inch diameter
        hail was measured.
      In 1996...localized street flooding occurred in the Fort
        Lupton area when 2 to 3 inches of rain fell in 45 minutes.
        The roof of a community college began leaking...which caused
        damage to ceiling tiles.  The roof was under repair from
        hail damage which had occurred earlier in the summer.  A
        weak tornado (F0) was sighted near Fort Lupton.  No damage
        was reported.
      In 1999...a slow moving thunderstorm dumped 5 inches of rain
        in 2 hours near Dacono.  A severe thunderstorm produced
        3/4 inch diameter hail in Castle Rock.
      In 2002...severe thunderstorms spread large hail over metro
        Denver.  Hail as large as 2 inches in diameter fell in
        Jefferson County 5 to 11 miles northwest of Golden.  Other
        large hail reports included:  1 1/2 inches near Golden and
        in Lakewood; 1 1/4 inches in Nederland; 1 inch hail near
        Elizabeth...Louviers...Rollinsville...and Blackhawk; 7/8 inch
        hail near Acequia in Douglas County.  A thunderstorm
        produced a trace of rain and a microburst wind gust to
        52 mph at Denver International Airport.
      In 2003...lightning struck a house and sparked a fire in
        Arvada.  Damage to the roof and ceiling was extensive.
      In 2005...lightning struck an unoccupied home in Parker.
        The resulting fire damaged the roof...attic...and second
        floor bedroom.  Damage was estimated at 15 thousand
        dollars.
27-28 In 2004...a brief chilly spell resulted in three temperature
        records.  The high temperature of 55 degrees on the 27th
        was a record low maximum for the date.  The low temperature
        of 48 degrees on the 27th equaled the record minimum for
        the date.  The low temperature of 42 degrees on the 28th
        was a record minimum for the date.
28    In 1887...a dry thunderstorm produced north winds to 48 mph
        but only a trace of rainfall.
      In 1968...one man was seriously injured by lightning while
        riding on a roller coaster at a Denver amusement park.  An
        airline employee was injured when lightning struck a
        jetliner he was servicing at Stapleton International
        Airport.  A lightning-caused fire did extensive damage to
        one house and minor damage to several others in the City of
        Denver.
      In 1970...a microburst wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at
        Stapleton International Airport.
      In 2002...a severe thunderstorm produced 3/4 inch diameter
        hail near Parker.
      In 2005...lightning sparked a small fire near Jamestown.  The
        blaze was quickly contained and consumed less than an acre.
29    In 1876...after the passage of a gentle rain shower to the east
        during the late evening hours...the moon shone brightly and
        a remarkably bright lunar rainbow appeared.
      In 1910...an apparent cold front produced sustained northeast
        winds to 40 mph.
      In 1946...the high temperature warmed to only 55 degrees...the
        record low maximum for the month.
      In 1989...a spectacular lightning display knocked out power to
        300 blocks in southeast Denver.  One bolt started a fire in
        a lumber yard in the northeast part of the city...and the
        attic of a home in the same area was set ablaze by a
        lightning bolt.
      In 1996...3/4 inch diameter hail was measured in Parker.
      In 2000...lightning struck two homes in Thornton.  The extent
        of damage was unknown.
      In 2002...two small tornadoes caused damage in southeast metro
        Denver.  The first tornado...associated with a multi-vortex
        storm...touched down briefly near E-470 and South Jordan
        Road.  Some fences were damaged...and a few trees were blown
        down.  A few of the homes also sustained minor roof damage.
        Damage from this storm totaled 100 thousand dollars.  The
        second tornado associated with the storm touched down in a
        subdivision that was under construction at Gartrell and
        Arapahoe roads.  Four large condominiums under construction
        were destroyed.  The most heavily damaged portions of the
        structures were still in the framing stages.  Adjacent
        sections where enclosed walls were in place were not
        destroyed.  A man suffered 4 broken ribs and several cuts
        and bruises when the trailer he sought shelter in was
        flipped three times and torn apart by the twister.  Damage
        from this storm totaled 6 million dollars. A severe
        thunderstorm produced 1 inch diameter hail near Evergreen.
      In 2006...severe thunderstorms produced large hail in the
        foothills west of Denver.  Hail to 1 inch in diameter fell
        near Blackhawk.  Hail as large as 7/8 inch was measured
        near Idaho Springs...along with 3/4 inch hail near Nederland
        and Conifer.
30    In 1981...60 mph winds were reported in Boulder.
      In 2004...a severe thunderstorm produced hail as large as
        1 inch in diameter in south Aurora near Cherry Creek.
      In 2016...an intense thunderstorm produced very heavy rain
        and hail in Westminster...where radar estimated up to 3.6
        inches of rainfall. Several vehicles were stranded in 2 to
        3 feet of moving water at the intersection of 72nd Ave. and
        Pecos St. Street flooding was also reported on U.S. 36 at
        Pecos St.
31    In 1951...hail as large as 1 3/4 inches in diameter caused
        an estimated 300 thousand dollars damage in metro Denver.
        Hail as large as 1 1/2 inches in diameter was measured
        at Stapleton Airport.
      In 1978...strong thunderstorm winds tore the roof off an
        apartment building in Aurora...downed trees...and damaged
        windows in Denver.  A microburst wind gust to 58 mph was
        recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
      In 1985...a thunderstorm wind gust to 60 mph was clocked at
        Buckley Field in Aurora.
      In 1997...hail to 1 1/4 inches in diameter was measured in
        Aurora.
      In 2006...a female postal worker was struck and injured by
        lightning while delivering mail in Westminster.
      In 2008...lightning struck a home in Brighton...damaging the
        roof and a bedroom.  The damaged totaled 20 thousand
        dollars.
      In 2020...a worsening drought that started in the spring
        of 2020...continued through August. The month of August
        tied with 2011 for the warmest August on record.  It
        also occurred in the middle of the second warmest
        summer on record. The combination of hot and
        dry conditions...in addition to critically dry fuels
        from years of beetle kill...resulted massive wildfires.
        The Cameron Peak fire...which became the largest
        wildfire in the state`s history started on August
        13th and continued to burn into October. Smoke from
        this wildfire in addition to several other large
        wildfires in Colorado and the West resulted in
        multiple days of extremely poor air quality. In
        addition...the air quality in Denver and the entire
        Front Range had deteriorated severely due to the
        very warm temperatures and high ozone content...
        which had spiked significantly.  In August...26
        days in the month equaled or exceeded 90 degrees.

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