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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MDT WED MAY 29 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    In 1934...the low temperature dipped to only 66 degrees...the
        all-time record highest minimum temperature for the month
        of May.
      In 1958...a microburst caused a brief wind gust to 56 mph at
        Stapleton Airport.
      In 1964...heavy rain caused flooding in the Harvey Gulch
        area of southeast Denver.  The high water damaged homes...
        businesses...streets...and bridges.  At Stapleton
        International Airport...1.33 inches of rain were measured
        with 1.76 inches total rainfall on the 29th and 30th.  The
        heavy rain during the last week of the month was the first
        significant precipitation since April 3rd.
      In 1967...3/4 to 1 inch diameter hail stones fell in the City
        of Denver...but caused no reported damage.  Hail as large as
        3/4 inch was measured at Stapleton International Airport.
      In 1975...the heaviest last snowfall of the season occurred
        when 5.6 inches of snow were measured at Stapleton
        International Airport.  Rain all day on the 28th changed
        to snow on the 29th and accumulated to a depth of 4 inches
        on the ground.  Northwest winds gusted to 31 mph.
        Precipitation (rain and melted snow) on the 28th and 29th
        totaled 1.48 inches.
      In 1982...one man was killed and two others injured by a
        lightning strike as they stood under a tree in the City of
        Denver`s Washington Park.
      In 1987...7/8 inch diameter hail fell near Castle Rock.
      In 1990...thunderstorms over metro Denver produced several
        small funnel clouds and two small tornadoes.  The first
        tornado (F0) touched down in northwest Denver and caused
        roof damage to a house and snapped off the tops of several
        trees.  A second tornado (F1) touched down in Northglenn
        and moved into Thornton damaging a group of self storage
        garages...several vehicles...a wooden fence...several trees...
        and the roof of an auto parts store.  No injuries were
        reported.  The storms also caused minor street flooding
        across northern and western sections of metro Denver.
        Rainfall totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches.  Lightning
        started a small fire at a home in northwest Denver.  The
        fire was confined to the front rooms and was quickly
        extinguished.  Snow plows were used to clear 2 to 4 inches
        of pea to marble size hail from a stretch of U.S. Highway
        285 in Turkey Creek Canyon.  Lightning felled a tree in
        northeast Denver...while strong winds snapped off several
        large tree limbs in the same area.  Thunderstorm rainfall
        totaled 0.82 inch at Stapleton International Airport
        where southwest winds gusted to 30 mph.
      In 1991...lightning struck a 13 year old boy in a field in
        Fort Lupton.  The boy was in critical condition in an area
        hospital for 2 days before recovering.
      In 1995...lightning struck a soccer goal post and injured
        6 adults viewing a soccer game in Arvada.  Although no
        one received a direct hit from the lightning...all escaped
        with only minor injuries...except one woman who was
        hospitalized.
      In 1996...large hail...3/4 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter...
        struck Lakewood and west Denver.  Lightning sparked a
        small fire when it struck an oil storage tank 5 miles
        west of Brighton.
      In 2001...lightning sparked a fire in an apartment complex in
        Aurora...forcing the evacuation of 24 units.  Most of the
        fire damage was confined to the attic.  Damage was
        estimated at 100 thousand dollars.
      In 2004...a man and his son were struck by lightning while
        practicing on the driving range at the Meadows Golf Club
        in southwest metro Denver.  The father was killed by the
        bolt...and his 16 year old son seriously injured.  Three
        other people standing nearby received only minor injuries.
      In 2010...hail up to 7/8 inch in diameter was reported in
        Broomfield.
      In 2017...an isolated thunderstorm produced hail up to 7/8
        inch in diameter near Centennial.
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.

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