Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
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374 NOUS45 KBOU 070859 PNSBOU COZ030>051-072300- Public Information Statement National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 259 AM MDT FRI JUN 7 2024 ...Today in metro Denver weather history... 2-7 In 1921...heavy rainfall for nearly a week...from the 2nd to the 7th...on top of streams already swollen by mountain snowmelt...produced widespread flooding over the South Platte River basin...including the tributaries through the canyons to the west and southwest of Denver. Heavy rainfall over the 6-day period totaled 3.36 inches in Boulder...4.98 inches in Morrison...4.27 inches in Castle Rock...and 2.94 inches in the City of Denver. Rainfall amounts in the foothills were estimated between 3 and 6 inches. The narrow-gage tracks of the Colorado and Southern Railroad were destroyed in the Platte canyon. From the mouth of the canyon through the city to near Brighton... the river spread from 1/2 to nearly 1 1/2 miles wide... flooding farm and pasture land and destroying or damaging many bridges. In the city...many businesses along with as many as 500 homes were inundated...forcing their evacuation. Bridges were swept away. The high waters flooded the rail yards and stock yards in lower downtown...closing three adjacent packing houses. The heavy rains also caused flooding on Boulder Creek in Boulder on the 6th. 6-7 In 2004...from the 6th to the 7th...a brief hot spell produced 3 temperature records. High temperatures of 95 degrees on the 6th and 98 degrees on the 7th were record maximum temperatures for the dates. Low temperature of 68 degrees on the 7th was a record high minimum for the date. In 2007...from the 6th to the 7th...an unusually strong storm system brought very strong winds to the Front Range Foothills and Urban Corridor. Peak gusts included: 92 mph at Boulder...85 mph...2 miles southwest of Boulder...83 mph... 10 miles south of Boulder and 55 mph at Denver International Airport. High winds forced the closure of Mt. Evans Road and Trail Ridge Road. Several trees were uprooted across the Urban Corridor. In Aurora...the driver of a car was injured when some building material blew off the Fitzsimmons Complex. The debris landed on the car and knocked the driver unconcious. The wind forced the cancellation of 60 flights at Denver International Airport. Xcel reported outages in Boulder...Denver...Lakewood and Longmont. 7 In 1904...a thunderstorm produced south winds to 40 mph with gusts to 50 mph...but only a trace of rain. In 1942...heavy thunderstorm rainfall in south Denver caused flooding of shops...stalled motorists...and halted tramway service temporarily. Lightning damaged houses...but there was no loss of life. Precipitation totaled 0.53 inch in downtown Denver. In 1951...a 24x65 foot roof of a cow barn was lifted off the building and blown to the ground by a "twister" near Fort Lupton. In 1961...small hail and heavy rain damaged property and crops in southwest metro Denver...including the southwest section of the city...Lakewood...and Littleton. Precipitation totaled 1.20 inch...11 miles southwest of Stapleton Airport. Complete primary and secondary rainbows were sighted by National Weather Service observers at Stapleton Airport. In 1968...severe thunderstorms moving to the northeast through sections of Denver caused local flooding of streets and damage to trees and gardens from hail 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter. One man was killed and 2 were injured at the Wellshire golf course when lightning struck a tree under which they had taken shelter. At another golf course... a man was mortally injured by lightning. Marble to golf ball size hail fell over downtown Denver. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter was measured in Westminster. In 1975...hail up to 3/4 inch diameter fell in Boulder. In 1978...a man standing under a tree on a golf course in Denver was struck in the arm by lightning. Wind gusts to 60 mph and golf ball size hail pelted west and south Denver. In 1986...7/8 inch hail was measured in Lafayette. In 1990...a thin...rope-shaped tornado touched down east of the intersection of State Highway 2 and 96th Avenue just north of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. No damage was reported. In 1992...a thunderstorm wind gust to 60 mph was recorded in Boulder. A funnel cloud was sighted by a Highway Patrol Officer just northwest of Stapleton International Airport where thunderstorm winds gusted to 51 mph. Spotters and State Patrol Officers reported funnel clouds in the northwestern part of metro Denver...near Golden...and 7 miles northwest of Stapleton International Airport. In 1993...non-convective high winds pummeled the Front Range foothills during the late morning and afternoon. Speeds of 60 to 80 mph were common. The winds caused several power outages as well as uprooting trees. In Lafayette...a 4-year- old boy was slightly injured while standing on the roots of a large tree which was toppled by the winds. The boy fell 10 feet to the ground and was bruised and scraped. A tree fell onto a parked car in Boulder...causing about 35 hundred dollars in damage. West wind gusts to 41 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport where a thunderstorm produced 1/8 inch hail at daybreak. In 1995...severe thunderstorms produced large hail across west and north metro Denver from Golden to Westminster and Fort Lupton. Hail ranged in size from 3/4 to 2 inches in diameter. The largest hail fell in Fort Lupton. A weak tornado produced a brief dust and debris cloud in a corn field 3 miles northeast of Hudson. In 1997...two plumbers were injured...one critically...when lightning struck a pipe on which they were working in an apartment building under construction in Denver. The bolt apparently hit one man in the hand...passed through his chest...and struck the other worker. The critically injured man...died a few days later. Lightning also injured a man...while he was talking on a telephone in Ward. The bolt passed through the phone line burning his ear. In 2001...hail as large as 7/8 inch in diameter fell in Westminster. In 2009...severe thunderstorms in Denver and the surrounding metropolitan area produced five tornadoes... large hail...up to 3 inches in diameter...and damaging thunderstorm winds. The tornado that produced the most significant damage touched down in southeast Aurora... south of Buckley Airport; it moved south-southeast across open fields...some residential areas and damaged Southlands Mall. It was 100 yards wide with a storm track of approximately 5 1/2 miles. Southlands Mall had some roof and window damage...as well as wall damage to one of its resturants. South of the mall...Lowe`s received some roof damage; lightweight sheds and other structures were also destroyed. Numerous homes and apartments suffered window damage...minor roof damage and there were a few broken garage doors. One resident...north of the mall...was injured when he was swept off his porch while attempting to photograph the tornado. He was found unconcious and bleeding in his front yard...with a dislocated shoulder...an injured neck...and numerous other injuries. In addition...the tornado flipped a trailer home. A man inside the trailer suffered minor injuries. In parts of Aurora and Centenniel...thunderstorm winds blew down power lines and caused electrical outages. Approximately 8000 homes and businesses were without power for nearly two hours. Earlier in the day...a tornado touched down about 6 miles northwest of Northglenn and caused minor damage. It`s path covered approximately 1/2 mile. Several trees were downed in an open field. The tornado also damaged a metal fence and caused minor roof damage to a nearby residence. The third tornado touched down 7 miles east-northeast of Buckley Air Field and flipped a semi-trailer as it passed over Interstate 70. Lastly... two tornadoes touched down in northwest Elbert County. One tornado damaged several outbuildings...a residence...and downed several trees. In addition... several horses were injured by flying metal debris. The other tornado touched down in open country. This day was the first in the series of eight to cause damage along the Urban Corridor. Damage to homes and property along the Front Range totaled $161 million during the 8-day span. The majority of the property damage was caused by hail; 21000 automobile claims and 13000 homeowner claims were filed. In 2012...severe thunderstorms brought damaging wind and hail...heavy rain and flash flooding. The storms produced hail from 1.5 to 2.5 inches in diameter. In addition to the large hail...heavy rain from 1 to 2 inches also accompanied the storms. The combination of hail and heavy rain caused extensive street flooding across Aurora...Castle Rock...Centennial...Cherry Creek... Englewood...South Denver...Highlands Ranch...Lakewood and Littleton. The hail was reportedly "knee deep" in several areas making roads impassable. As a result... snow plows had to be summoned to clear the streets. In Castle Rock...a King Soopers supermarket sustained extensive damage when roof partially collapsed under the weight of the hail. At Denver International Airport...0.61 inches of rainfall was again recorded along with a peak wind gust of 40 mph. Total property damage estimates along the Front Range for the 6th and 7th combined was 321.1 million dollars. In 2016...large hail up to 1 inch in diameter was observed in Castle Rock. In 2021...a landspout tornado developed in southwest Weld County...2 miles northeast of Firestone. The tornado traveled north-northeast...and ended 3 miles northwest of Platteville. The tornado reached an intensity of EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita scale...with estimated wind speeds of 99 mph. There were no injuries...but at least two calves were killed...and several chickens. Other damage included a home located at Highway 66 and Weld County Road 21 that caught fire due to downed power lines. Downed power lines led to a closure of Weld County Road 21 between State Highway 66 and Weld County Road 32.5. The landspout was more than 10000 feet high...and could be seen by spotters as far as 40 miles away. It was on the ground for 35 minutes; it was estimated to be 50 yards wide and traveled a distance of 7.5 miles. 7-9 In 1979...rain...at times with thunder on the 7th...fell almost continuously through the morning of the 9th. Rainfall totaled 2.28 inches at Stapleton International Airport over the 3 days. High temperature of only 49 degrees on the 8th was a record low maximum for the date. $$