725
NOUS45 KBOU 310859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-312300-

Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MDT SAT AUG 31 2024

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

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.

$$