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NOUS45 KBOU 160859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-162300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT TUE JUN 16 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
12-17 IN 2000...TWO LARGE WILDFIRES DEVELOPED IN THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS ON THE 12TH AND CONTINUED THROUGH THE 17TH...AS
CARELESS CAMPERS AND VERY DRY CONDITIONS PROVED TO BE A
DANGEROUS COMBINATION. STRONG WINDS GUSTING IN EXCESS OF
60 MPH ON THE 13TH FANNED THE FLAMES...SPREADING BOTH
WILDFIRES OUT OF CONTROL. WINDS GUSTED TO 78 MPH ATOP
NIWOT RIDGE NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WEST OF BOULDER.
THE HI MEADOWS WILDFIRE...ABOUT 35 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DENVER...
CONSUMED NEARLY 11 THOUSAND ACRES AND 80 STRUCTURES...MOSTLY
HIGH PRICED HOMES. THE BOBCAT WILDFIRE...LOCATED ABOUT 12
MILES SOUTHWEST OF FORT COLLINS...CONSUMED NEARLY 11
THOUSAND ACRES AND 22 STRUCTURES. LATE ON THE 16TH...A
STRONG COLD FRONT MOVED SOUTH OVER THE GREAT PLAINS INTO
NORTHEASTERN COLORADO. LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE DEVELOPED IN
THE WAKE OF THE FRONT...PRODUCING 2 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOWFALL
OVERNIGHT AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 8 THOUSAND FEET.
FIREFIGHTERS WERE ABLE TO CONTAIN BOTH FIRES SHORTLY
THEREAFTER.
15-16 IN 1963...HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL RAVAGED METRO DENVER. IN
SOUTHEAST DENVER...HEAVY RAIN FLOODED HOMES AND STREETS.
HAIL TO A DEPTH OF 4 INCHES ON THE GROUND STRIPPED TREES
AND PLANTS AND DRIFTED TO DEPTHS OF 3 TO 4 FEET IN SOME
AREAS. FLOOD WATERS ON THE VALLEY HIGHWAY WERE 19 FEET
DEEP IN PLACES...TRAPPING MANY CARS. MANY CREEKS WERE
RUNNING OVER THEIR BANKS. ON THE 15TH...THE MAIN
THUNDERSTORM CELL PASSED OVER SOUTH DENVER...DUMPING AS
MUCH AS 4 INCHES OF RAIN IN 90 MINUTES. PRECIPITATION
AT STAPLETON AIRPORT TOTALED 0.91 INCH ON THE 15TH AND
1.31 INCHES ON THE 16TH. A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS SIGHTED
BRIEFLY 4 MILES TO THE SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF STAPLETON
AIRPORT ON THE 15TH. DAMAGE FROM HAIL AND FLOODING
AMOUNTED TO NEAR A MILLION DOLLARS.
15-17 IN 2021...THE TEMPERATURE IN DENVER REACHED 100 DEGREES FOR
THREE CONSECUTIVE DAYS: 101...100...100 RESPECTIVELY. EACH
ESTABLISHED A NEW RECORD HIGH FOR THE DAY. IT WAS ALSO THE
EARLIEST OCCURRENCE OF SUCH A STREAK. A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM
OF 68 ALSO OCCURRED ON THE 17TH.
16 IN 1950...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL STORMS IN SOUTHWEST DENVER
CAUSED AN ESTIMATED 750 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN HAIL AND FLOOD
DAMAGE. THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED 2.06 INCHES OF RAIN AT
STAPLETON AIRPORT WITH 2.23 INCHES OF RAIN MEASURED IN
DOWNTOWN DENVER.
IN 1965...A TORNADO...15 MILES SOUTH-SOUTHEAST OF DENVER...
TOUCHED DOWN AND DAMAGED TWO HOUSES IN NORTHERN DOUGLAS
COUNTY. THREE GOLFERS AT A COUNTRY CLUB AND A WOMEN WHO
LIVED NORTH OF CASTLE ROCK WERE INJURED BY FALLING
STRUCTURES.
IN 1983...A MICROBURST WIND GUST TO 54 MPH WAS RECORDED AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1984...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY IN PARKER. NO DAMAGE
WAS REPORTED.
IN 1986...LIGHTNING INJURED 5 PEOPLE JUST NORTH OF THE DENVER
CITY LIMITS IN ADAMS COUNTY. THE VICTIMS WERE MEMBERS OF
A DRUM AND BUGLE CORPS AND WERE STANDING NEAR A METAL
SCAFFOLD. HEAVY RAIN FROM THE STORM ALSO CAUSED STREET
FLOODING IN THE METRO AREA.
IN 1991...HAIL TO GOLF BALL SIZE FELL AT CONIFER.
IN 1992...A RARE MID-JUNE HIGH WIND EVENT WRECKED HAVOC
OVER METRO DENVER WHEN A PACIFIC COLD FRONT MOVED ACROSS
THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. STRONG WINDS AT SPEEDS OF 40 TO 50
MPH WERE COMMON ALONG THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. WINDS
REACHING 107 MPH IN THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF DENVER AND 79 MPH
AT LONGMONT...CAUSED DAMAGE RANGING FROM TREES BEING TOPPLED
TO LARGE TRUCKS BEING ROLLED OVER. STRONG WINDS ESTIMATED
AT 75 MPH ROLLED A 35-FOOT TRUCK CARRYING BUILDING SUPPLIES
ON U.S. HIGHWAY 36 NORTH OF BOULDER. THE TRUCK DRIVER AND
A PASSENGER AS WELL AS THE DRIVER OF ANOTHER CAR WERE
SLIGHTLY INJURED. THE WINDS DOWNED POWER LINES. THE
GAMBLING TOWNS OF CENTRAL CITY AND BLACKHAWK WERE WITHOUT
POWER FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. WEST WINDS REACHED 43 MPH AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1996...A SMALL TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN THE FOOTHILLS
SOUTHWEST OF BOULDER NEAR PINECLIFFE...KNOCKING DOWN
50 TO 100 LARGE PINE TREES. A HOUSE NEARBY SUSTAINED
DAMAGE WHEN SHINGLES WERE RIPPED FROM THE ROOF. THE TORNADO
ALSO PICKED UP A 17-FOOT SAILBOAT WITH ATTACHED TRAILER AND
CARRIED IT 25 FEET INTO A NEARBY TREE. IN ADDITION...
THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 46 MPH WERE MEASURED AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 2004...HAIL AS LARGE AS 1 INCH IN DIAMETER FELL NEAR CASTLE
ROCK. HAIL TO 3/4 INCH WAS MEASURED NEAR BENNETT.
IN 2005...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED HAIL AS LARGE AS 1 INCH
IN DIAMETER IN CENTENNIAL.
IN 2011...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED AND DAMAGING ACROSS
PARTS OF METROPOLITAN DENVER. IN LAKEWOOD...A TREE BLEW DOWN
AND LANDED ON AT LEAST FIVE CARS. AT CENTENNIEL AIRPORT...A
SECTION OF A ROOF ON A HANGAR WAS RIPPED OFF THE STRONG
WINDS. A PEAK WIND GUST OF 46 MPH WAS RECORDED AT
CENTENNIEL AIRPORT AND DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN
THE EVENING.
IN 2022...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED LARGE HAIL ACROSS
PARTS OF BOULDER AND WELD COUNTIES. THE HAIL RANGED FROM
1 TO 1 1/2 INCHES AT ALLENSPARK...FT. LUPTON...HUDSON AND
LOCHBUIE.
16-17 IN 1965...ON THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING OF THE 16TH...VIOLENT
THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED EXTREMELY HEAVY CLOUDBURSTS OF RAIN
OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE AND SENT A WALL OF WATER AS HIGH AS
20 FEET DOWN BOTH BRANCHES OF PLUM CREEK INTO THE SOUTH
PLATTE RIVER AND THROUGH METRO DENVER. THE HEAVY RAINFALL
PRODUCED THE MOST DEVASTATING FLOOD IN THE HISTORY OF
DENVER. RAINFALL TOTALED 14.0 INCHES IN 3 HOURS AT BOTH
LARKSPUR AND PALMER LAKE WITH 12.0 INCHES RECORDED IN CASTLE
ROCK. THE FLOOD WATERS CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO ROADS AND
BRIDGES IN LARKSPUR...CASTLE ROCK...AND SEDALIA...INCLUDING
WASHING OUT THE I-25 BRIDGE OVER EAST PLUM CREEK IN CASTLE
ROCK. THE CITIZENS OF METRO DENVER RECEIVED REPORTS OF THE
FLOODING TO THE SOUTH AND HAD A FEW HOURS TO INITIATE
EVACUATION PROCEDURES ALONG THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER...GREATLY
LIMITING THE LOSS OF LIFE. BY EVENING...THE FLOOD REACHED
LITTLETON WHERE AN HEROIC EFFORT WAS MADE TO SAVE NEARLY
150 HORSES AT THE CENTENNIAL RACETRACK...WHICH WAS
COMPLETELY INUNDATED BY THE FLOOD WATERS. AS THE FLOOD
PROCEEDED THROUGH THE CITY OF DENVER...THE RIVER BECAME MORE
THAN 1/2 MILE WIDE AND DESTROYED ALL HOMES...TRAILER COURTS...
AND BUSINESSES IN ITS PATH. THE WATERS CONTAINED DEBRIS
RANGING FROM REFRIGERATORS TO OLD CARS. AS MANY AS 26
BRIDGES WERE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED...INCLUDING THE 6TH AVENUE
FREEWAY BRIDGE ACROSS THE SOUTH PLATTE. BOTH PUBLIC SERVICE
COMPANY POWER PLANTS WERE SHUT DOWN BY THE FLOOD. THE KING
SOOPERS GROCERY CHAIN BAKERY WAS INUNDATED. ABOUT MIDNIGHT...
THE TORRENT CRESTED AT 25 FEET ABOVE NORMAL WITH FLOW
EXCEEDING 40 TIMES NORMAL AND IS THE RECORD FLOOD ON THE
SOUTH PLATTE AND MANY OF ITS TRIBUTARIES. THE FLOOD CAUSED
230 MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE AND 8 DEATHS ALONG THE ENTIRE
SOUTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN. THE INTENSE RAIN ALSO CAUSED
FLOODING ALONG CHERRY CREEK IN DENVER...ON TOLL GATE AND SAND
CREEKS IN EAST METRO DENVER...AND ON KIOWA AND BIJOU CREEKS
TO THE EAST OF DENVER. THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER FLOOD CLOSED
NEARLY EVERY MAJOR EAST-WEST HIGHWAY INTO DENVER...NEARLY
ISOLATING THE CITY. THE FLOOD CAUSED HEAVY DAMAGE TO STATE
AND COUNTY ROADS IN THE AREA. RAILROADS WERE ALSO HARD HIT
WITH THE MAIN YARDS IN LOWER DOWNTOWN INUNDATED. SEWERAGE...
WATER SUPPLY FACILITIES...AND IRRIGATION WORKS ALSO RECEIVED
HEAVY FLOOD DAMAGE. THE FLOOD CREST DID NOT REACH NEBRASKA
UNTIL THE 20TH.
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