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NOUS45 KBOU 180859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-182300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT MON MAY 18 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
14-18 IN 1996...FROM THE 14TH TO THE 18TH...A PERIOD OF UNUSUALLY
WARM WEATHER RESULTED IN 4 RECORD MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES IN
5 DAYS. THE RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES WERE 87 DEGREES ON
THE 14TH...89 DEGREES ON THE 15TH...AND 93 DEGREES ON BOTH
THE 16TH AND 18TH. THE TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO ONLY 81
DEGREES ON THE 17TH WHICH WAS NOT A RECORD.
17-19 IN 2017...A STRONG SPRING STORM DROPPED ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN...
AND THEN MOVED EASTWARD ACROSS COLORADO. ISOLATED BUT STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS PRECEDED THE SYSTEM ON THE 17TH WITH HAIL UP
TO NICKEL SIZE NEAR BOULDER AIRPORT AND BRIGHTON. SIGNIFICANT
SNOW FELL ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS OVER
THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ALONG THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR...
RAIN TURNED TO SNOW ON THE MORNING OF THE 18TH...HEAVIEST FROM
AROUND BROOMFIELD NORTHWARD. THE HEAVY WET SNOW SNAPPED THE
LIMBS OF FULLY LEAVED TREES AND CAUSED SCATTERED POWER
OUTAGES. A BARNS COLLAPSED IN NORTHEAST LOVELAND. FIFTY-FIVE
HEAD OF CATTLE WERE INSIDE THE COLLAPSED BARN; THREE WERE
INJURED AND LATER EUTHANIZED. NUMEROUS BRANCHES AND TREES
SNAPPED IN THE FOOTHILLS. ELSEWHERE...SEVERAL SCATTERED
SMALLER POWER OUTAGES WERE REPORTED. THREE TO NEARLY FIVE
INCHES OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION OCCURRED...AS RAIN OR A MIX OF
RAIN AND SNOW...FELL AROUND GREELEY. STORM TOTALS IN THE FRONT
RANGE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS INCLUDED: 42.0 INCHES NEAR
ALLENSPARK...41.5 INCHES NEAR WARD...36 INCHES AT ESTES PARK...
32 INCHES NEAR PINECLIFFE...30.5 INCHES NORTHWEST OF GOLDEN...
30 INCHES NEAR NEDERLAND...26 INCHES NEAR BRECKENRIDGE...25
INCHES NEAR ASPEN SPRINGS AND BEAR LAKE STATE PARK...14
INCHES AT ASPEN SPRINGS...WITH 9.5 INCHES NEAR EVERGREEN.
ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR...STORM
TOTALS INCLUDED: 10 INCHES NEAR SUPERIOR AND LOUISVILLE...6
TO 8 INCHES IN AND AROUND FORT COLLINS...6 INCHES IN LAFAYETTE...
5 INCHES IN BROOMFIELD AND LOVELAND...AND 4 INCHES NEAR NIWOT.
18 IN 1864...HEAVY RAINS COMBINED WITH MELTING SNOW TO CAUSE MUCH
FLOODING ON NORTH CLEAR CREEK IN BLACKHAWK. MANY BRIDGES ON
THE ROAD TO DENVER WERE WASHED AWAY BY THE HIGH WATER ON
CLEAR CREEK.
IN 1893...NORTHWEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 56 MPH WITH AN
EXTREME VELOCITY TO 60 MPH.
IN 1960...LARGE HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER DAMAGED ROOFS AND
CARS IN METRO DENVER. HEAVY SNOW AND RAIN IN THE FOOTHILLS
CAUSED ROCK AND LANDSLIDES...WHICH BLOCKED SOME HIGHWAYS.
THERE WAS WIDESPREAD MINOR DAMAGE FROM LIGHTNING.
HAIL AS LARGE AS 1 1/8 INCH IN DIAMETER WAS MEASURED AT
STAPLETON AIRPORT WHERE WINDS GUSTED TO 44 MPH.
IN 1975...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY JUST SOUTH OF BUCKLEY
FIELD IN AURORA. A FEW MINUTES LATER THE SAME TORNADO
TOUCHED DOWN IN OPEN COUNTRY 8 MILES NORTHEAST OF
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.
IN 1985...3/4 INCH HAIL FELL JUST SOUTHEAST OF AURORA.
IN 1988...LIGHTNING STARTED A FIRE AT A HOME IN THE FOOTHILLS
WEST OF BOULDER...CAUSING 50 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DAMAGE.
IN 1995...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS RUMBLED ACROSS METRO DENVER
DROPPING MAINLY PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL. HOWEVER...HAIL
STONES AS LARGE AS 1 1/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER FELL IN WHEAT
RIDGE AND DOWNTOWN DENVER. HAIL PILED UP TO 2 INCHES DEEP
IN WHEAT RIDGE AND NORTHWEST DENVER.
IN 1996...THE BUFFALO CREEK WILDFIRE STARTED AND SPREAD
RAPIDLY ON STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS AT 20 TO 30 MPH. DRY
WEATHER CONDITIONS CONTRIBUTED TO THE SPREAD OF THE FIRE...
WHICH BURNED NEARLY 12 THOUSAND ACRES AND DESTROYED 12
STRUCTURES INCLUDING SOME HOUSES.
IN 2001...A 19-YEAR-OLD MAN WAS STRUCK AND KILLED BY LIGHTNING
AS HE WAS WALKING ALONG THE SHOULDER OF U.S. HIGHWAY 36 IN
WESTMINSTER.
IN 2003...HAIL TO 3/4 INCH IN DIAMETER WAS MEASURED AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2010...A SMALL TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR FIRESTONE BUT DID
NO DAMAGE.
18-19 IN 2011...FROM THE 18TH TO THE 19TH...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN
CENTRAL ADAMS COUNTY PRODUCED LARGE HAIL AND HEAVY RAINFALL
ON THE 18TH. LARGE HAIL FROM 1 INCH TO 1 3/4 INCHES IN
DIAMETER...WAS REPORTED IN COMMERCE CITY...NEAR FEDERAL
HEIGHTS...NORTHGLENN...AND 2 MILES SOUTH OF THORNTON. IN
COMMERCE CITY...THE STORM UPROOTED TREES AND KNOCKED OUT
POWER LINES. A CARPORT WAS LIFTED OFF THE GROUND AND
STRUCK THE POWER LINES OVERHEAD. HEAVY RAIN...FROM 1.0 TO
1.5 INCHES FELL IN LESS THAN 2 HOURS IN COMMERCE CITY AND
NEAR BRIGHTON. THE COMBINATION OF HAIL AND STRONG WINDS
BROKE WINDOWS IN NORTHGLENN. IN THE FOOTHILLS...MODERATE TO
HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS DEVELOPED OVERNIGHT. STORM TOTALS
INCLUDED: 10.5 INCHES AT GOLD HILL...9.5 INCHES...3 MILES
WEST OF JAMESTOWN; 9 INCHES AT LAKE ELDORA; WITH 6 INCHES...
11 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GILPIN AND 4 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF
NEDERLAND. AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...TOTAL RAINFALL
OVER THE 2-DAY PERIOD TOTALED 1.71 INCHES. IN ADDITION...A
PEAK WIND GUST TO 37 MPH WAS RECORDED ON THE 18TH.
18-20 IN 1915...FROM THE 18TH TO THE 20TH...3.9 INCHES OF SNOW FELL
IN THE CITY. THE ESTIMATED AMOUNT OF SNOW THAT MELTED AS
IT FELL WAS 6.2 INCHES WHICH WOULD HAVE TOTALED AN
ESTIMATED 10.1 INCHES OF SNOWFALL. PRECIPITATION TOTALED
1.03 INCHES. NORTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 32 MPH ON THE
18TH. LOW TEMPERATURES DIPPED TO 25 DEGREES ON BOTH THE
18TH AND 20TH...ESTABLISHING RECORD MINIMUMS FOR BOTH DATES.
IN 1988...FROM THE 18TH TO THE 20TH...A PROLONGED HEAVY
RAINFALL DRENCHED METRO DENVER. THE EVENT BEGAN WHEN HEAVY
THUNDERSTORMS ON THE 18TH CAUSED SOME STREET FLOODING AND
POWER OUTAGES...FOLLOWED BY STEADY RAIN ON THE 19TH AND 20TH.
RAIN AMOUNTS ACROSS METRO DENVER TOTALED 3 TO 4 INCHES.
RAINFALL TOTALED 3.71 INCHES AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 39 MPH ON THE 20TH.
FOUR TO EIGHT INCHES OF SNOW FELL IN THE FOOTHILLS ABOVE 7
THOUSAND FEET.
18-26 IN 2023...SMOKE AND HAZE FROM MASSIVE WILDFIRES IN CANADA
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED AIR QUALITY AND VISIBILITY ACROSS
DENVER AND THE REST OF NORTHEAST COLORADO.
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