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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MDT THU JUN 6 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.
5-6   In 1977...from the 5th to the 6th...lightning caused several
        power outages and moderate damage to a railroad building.
6     In 1954...thunderstorm winds at speeds of 50 mph with gusts as
        high as 59 mph briefly reduced the visibility to 1 mile in
        blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.
      In 1967...the public reported golf ball to 1 3/4 inch diameter
        hail in the city...3 miles west-southwest of Stapleton
        International Airport.  The amount of damage was unknown.
        Thunderstorm winds gusted to 46 mph at Stapleton
        International Airport.
      In 1981...hail to 3/4 inch in diameter was reported in east
        Denver.
      In 1990...golf ball size hail was reported near Strasburg on
        I-70 east of Denver.
      In 1991...a tornado was spotted by National Weather Service
        personnel and weather spotters...14 to 17 miles northeast of
        Stapleton International Airport.  A funnel cloud was sighted
        over south Aurora just east of Buckley Field...and a tornado
        was spotted just east of Watkins.  No damage was reported.
        Thunderstorms moved through Aurora and dropped hail up to
        1 inch in diameter.  The storms also produced heavy rain...
        up to 1 inch in 30 minutes...causing flooding of streets.
        Water was reported hood deep...stranding motorists.  Water
        covered fire hydrants at some intersections.
      In 1995...a waterspout sighted over Standley Lake in northern
        Jefferson County...quickly dissipated once it reached shore.
        A brief tornado...which was momentarily visible by a dust
        debris cloud on the ground...damaged the roof of a house in
        Westminster.  A funnel cloud was sighted just south of
        Lafayette.  Hail from 3/4 to 1 1/4 inches in diameter fell
        over north Boulder.  Thunderstorm outflow produced north
        wind gusts to 44 mph at Denver International Airport.
      In 1997...a tornado touched down near Baseline Reservoir just
        east of Boulder.  The tornado struck a home...tearing off
        part of the roof.  A storage building nearby was nearly
        leveled and 5 trees were uprooted.  The twister then moved
        onto Baseline Reservoir...forming a huge waterspout.  Several
        recreational vehicles and a boat dock were also damaged.
        A nearly stationary line of thunderstorms dumped 4.60 inches
        of rain on portions of Thornton.  Extensive flooding of
        streets and underpasses and other low lying areas was
        reported.  Several businesses were flooded and basements
        in the area were damaged.  Rainfall totaled 1.02 inches at
        Denver International Airport and 1.24 inches at the site of
        the former Stapleton International Airport.  Large hail...up
        to 1 3/4 inches in diameter...fell over the City of Denver
        with 3/4 inch hail measured in Littleton and near Henderson.
      In 1999...high winds developed for a brief time in and near the
        foothills of Boulder.  The Gamow Tower on the University of
        Colorado campus recorded a wind gust to 87 mph.  Winds
        peaked to 71 mph atop Niwot Ridge near the Continental
        Divide west of Boulder.
      In 2003...a small tornado touched down near Strasburg...but did
        no damage.
      In 2012...severe thunderstorms broke late in the evening...
        striking areas hardest from Denver southward. Locations
        impacted by the storms included but were not limited to:
        Aurora...Castle Rock...Centennial...Highlands Ranch...Lone Tree...
        Parker and Surrey Ridge. The storms produced a barrage of
        large hail...damaging straight line winds...flash flooding
        and several short lived tornadoes. The hail ranged in size
        from 1 to 2 inches in diameter...and caused extensive damage
        to homes and automobiles. The hail inundated the roadways
        with several inches of hail in Douglas County. Consequently...
        snow plows had to be called out to clear the roadways.
        The combination of torrential hail and heavy rain produced
        flash flooding in parts of Elbert...Douglas and Arapahoe
        Counties...as thunderstorms brought up to 3.35 inches of rain
        to some areas within 90 minutes. In Aurora...Picadilly Road
        was closed from flooding north of 6th Avenue. A water rescue
        took place on South Gun Club Road in Arapahoe County...where
        floodwaters were rushing to depth of 3 feet. Flash flooding
        forced the closure of several streets and roads from Parker
        south to The Pinery...where the floodwaters inundated the
        roadway with up to 2 feet in several locations.  At
        Centennial Airport...a historic B-17 Flying Fortress suffered
        extensive damage as hailstones as large as ping pong balls
        struck the aircraft. Although the airframe itself did not
        require repair...the fabric-covered ailerons and elevators
        were extensively damaged. The hail came straight down and
        punched holes in the fabric-covered control surfaces. The
        aircraft landed just hours before the storm hit to
        participate in a weekend tour stop.  Lightning also struck
        two homes...one in Lakewood and the other in Parker.
        Straight line winds downed trees and power lines in Aurora.
        As a result...scattered electrical outages affected around
        five thousand residents.  At Denver International Airport...
        0.61 inches rainfall was recorded along with a peak wind
        gust of 41 mph.
      In 2016...powerful thunderstorms fired up along the Urban
        Corridor and produced damaging hail...strong outflow winds...
        heavy rain and lightning. Golf-ball size hail in Highlands
        Ranch caused extensive damage including broken windows on
        homes and windshields on vehicles. Heavy rainfall...also
        produced street flooding. In and around Highlands Ranch...
        anywhere from 2.3 to 2.8 inches of rainfall was observed...
        with 1.0 to 1.5 inches around metro Denver.  At Denver
        International Airport...0.38 inches of rainfall was
        recorded.
      In 2020...a combination of an upper level trough moving
        northwest across the state...coupled with a strong surface
        pressure gradient...led to numerous reports of high wind
        gusts across the Denver the surrounding region. Most of
        the wind damage occurred with the passage of a rare
        derecho; a large fast-moving complex of thunderstorms with
        powerful straight-line winds. In addition...strong wind
        gusts from 59 to 71 mph not associated with the derecho...
        occurred prior to and following the passage of this system.
        By midday the derecho...moved over the mountains...and then
        rapidly northeast across the I-25 corridor by mid afternoon.
        Wind gusts from 60 to 80 mph were common with a few gusts
        exceeding 90 mph. The highest gust observed was 110 mph...at
        the Winter Park Ski area...around 12000 feet. Xcel Energy
        reported more than 208000 customers lost power because of
        the storm statewide. Widespread tree damage was reported.
        The intense wind toppled a billboard that crashed onto
        Denver bakery. Two delivery trucks parked nearby were
        heavily damaged. Two injuries occurred in Denver...one
        seriously. A man and his nine-year-old daughter were
        injured by a fallen tree. They were standing in front of a
        family members house when the incident occurred. The tree
        impaled the father through his back and he required several
        surgeries. His daughter sustained cuts and bruises that
        required stitches.  Southwest winds gusted to 78 mph at
        Denver International Airport...with a peak gust to 76 mph
        at Centennial Airport.
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.

$$