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Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
259 AM MDT MON AUG 17 2026

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

16-19 In 1979...heavy thunderstorm rains on each of 4 consecutive
        days...the 16th through the 19th...dumped a total of 2.62
        inches of rain on Stapleton International Airport.  The
        heaviest rain...1.05 inches...on the 19th was accompanied by
        1/4 inch diameter hail.
17    In 1953...a tornado was sighted 8 miles east of Castle Rock.
        An unconfirmed tornado was sighted between Denver and
        Strasburg.  No damage was reported.
      In 1963...heavy rain in southeast Denver...Englewood...and
        Littleton caused flooding of basements and streets.  Over
        3 inches of rain fell at Cherry Creek Dam.  Lightning
        caused power failures.  The hardest hit areas were in north-
        central Denver.  A 12-year-old boy was swept into a conduit
        by a 3-foot high crest of water.  He was carried 125 feet
        through the waterway...but was unhurt.  Thunderstorm
        rainfall totaled only 0.24 inch at Stapleton Airport.
      In 1972...a thunderstorm wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at
        Stapleton International Airport.  Strong winds also occurred
        in the Littleton area where several trees and utility poles
        were blown over and a number of windows broken.
      In 1978...1 3/4 inch diameter hail was reported in Thornton.
      In 1982...heavy rain occurred in the foothills southwest of
        Denver where 4.50 inches fell in 75 minutes between
        Evergreen and Conifer.  Nearby...2.66 inches of rain
        drenched the North Turkey Creek Canyon area in just 15
        minutes.
      In 1984...scattered slow moving thunderstorms dumped heavy
        rain across southern metro Denver.  The heavy rain caused
        some road washouts in Jefferson and Douglas Counties.  A
        bridge was washed out in Douglas County.  Three inches of
        rain fell in just an hour at Castle Rock...causing heavy
        silt damage to a home and to nearby drainage ditches.
      In 1988...a thunderstorm dumped 2 to 3 inches of rain in
        southeast Denver and adjacent areas of Arapahoe County
        in less than 90 minutes.  There was widespread street
        flooding...and I-25 was closed by 4 feet of water near its
        intersection with I-225 just south of Denver.  A flood
        control project in Arapahoe County at Greenwood Village
        sustained over 10 thousand dollars damage.  Up to 4 feet
        of water flooded some basements in the area.  Only 0.44
        inch of rain fell at Stapleton International Airport.
      In 1990...heavy thunderstorm rains over the Boulder Creek
        and St. Vrain Creek drainage basins caused many creeks and
        drainage ditches to rise in eastern Boulder and southwest
        Weld counties.  The high waters punched three 30-foot holes
        in the embankment of a drainage ditch...which traversed
        through the town of Firestone...20 miles north of Denver.
        A sheet of water 2 to 3 feet deep rushed out onto the
        streets of Firestone...forcing the evacuation of a trailer
        park and residents from 50 neighboring homes.  No injuries
        or serious damage occurred except for mud and water damage.
        Lightning struck and injured 4 construction workers
        standing in an Aurora field.  They received treatment for
        minor injuries at a local hospital.  Lightning also
        struck the roof of a Methodist Church in central Denver...
        knocking down the highest peak of the steeple.  A half
        dozen people were in the building...but no one was injured.
        Slow moving thunderstorms dumped 2 to 3 inches of rain over
        southeast Aurora in 90 minutes.  The heavy rain accumulated
        on the roof of a condominium clubhouse...causing the roof to
        collapse under the weight of the water.  Nearly 300
        residents were evacuated from the 200-unit complex because
        of the structural damage.  The residents were allowed to
        return to their homes when it was determined the damage was
        confined to the clubhouse.  No injuries were reported.
      In 1993...just west of Fort Lupton...thunderstorm winds blew
        the tin roof off a cattle shelter into a mobile home...
        causing considerable damage to the mobile home.
      In 1997...lightning struck a home in Castle Rock sparking a
        fire.  Damage was estimated at 20 thousand dollars.
      In 2000...thunderstorms producing very heavy rain...up to 3.5
        inches in spots...caused flooding and flash flooding across
        metro Denver.  In Commerce City...a 37-year-old firefighter
        drowned while attempting to rescue a stranded motorist on
        a flooded street.  The firefighter was wading through the
        water when he lost his footing and was sucked into a 10
        foot deep culvert.  He was swept away before anyone could
        reach him.  Extensive flooding was also reported throughout
        Littleton and north Denver.

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