741
NOUS45 KBOU 150859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-152300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT MON JUN 15 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 IN 1907...SOUTH WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 40 MPH. THE WINDS
WERE STRONG ALL DAY.
IN 1908...THE HAIL STORM WAS UNUSUALLY SEVERE. HEAVY CLOUDS
MOVED OVER THE CITY FROM THE NORTH AND NORTHWEST...AND BY
LATE MORNING THE WEATHER HAD BECOME VERY THREATENING.
HEAVY RAIN WITH INTERMITTENT HAIL FROM PEA TO 3/4 INCH
IN DIAMETER FELL NEAR NOON. THE FALL OF RAIN AND HAIL
TOTALED 0.68 INCH OF PRECIPITATION WITH 0.35 INCH IN JUST
5 MINUTES. THE TEMPERATURE FELL FROM 71 DEGREES TO 51
DEGREES DURING THE STORM. THE HAIL DID CONSIDERABLE
DAMAGE TO TREES...GARDENS...AND HOT HOUSES. ON SIDEWALKS
WITH NORTHERN EXPOSURES...THE HAIL RANGED IN DEPTH FROM
2 TO 6 INCHES. WEST WINDS WERE SUSTAINED TO 29 MPH DURING
THE STORM.
IN 1956...STRONG SOUTHEAST WINDS RAKED METRO DENVER ALL DAY.
SUSTAINED WINDS AT 44 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 61 MPH WERE
RECORDED AT STAPLETON AIRPORT WHERE BLOWING DUST BRIEFLY
REDUCED THE VISIBILITY TO 2 MILES.
IN 1984...GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL PELTED SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL
AURORA. RAINFALL OF 2.06 INCHES OVER CENTRAL AURORA IN
JUST OVER AN HOUR PRODUCED LOCAL STREET FLOODING.
IN 1987...GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL FELL IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF
LAKEWOOD.
IN 1988...SEVERAL TORNADOES DEVELOPED ACROSS METRO DENVER.
ONE TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN JUST NORTHEAST OF THE ROCKY
MOUNTAIN ARSENAL. THE TWISTER MOVED VERY SLOWLY AND DID NO
DAMAGE...EXCEPT TO DEMOLISH A SMALL ELECTRICAL SUBSTATION...
EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ON THE GROUND FOR NEARLY 30 MINUTES.
LATER...ANOTHER TORNADO WAS SIGHTED EAST OF BRIGHTON ABOUT
2 MILES NORTH OF BARR LAKE. AN F2 TORNADO CUT A SWATH
THROUGH NORTHEAST DENVER. THE MAIN PATH WENT THROUGH A
THICKLY WOODED AREA FOR ABOUT 6 BLOCKS AND UPROOTED ABOUT
500 CITY OWNED TREES...MANY OF THEM LARGE ELMS 75 TO 100
YEARS OLD. HUNDREDS OF PRIVATELY OWNED TREES WERE ALSO
SUCKED FROM THE GROUND BY THE SLOW MOVING TWISTER...WHICH WAS
FILMED BY A NEWS TEAM IN A HELICOPTER AS IT UPROOTED TREES.
THE REPLACEMENT COST TO THE CITY OWNED TREES WAS ESTIMATED
AT 1.5 MILLION DOLLARS. THE TWISTER DID LITTLE DAMAGE TO
BUILDINGS. SOME HOMES SUFFERED ROOF AND CHIMNEY DAMAGE...A
GAS MAIN WAS RUPTURED...AND SOME CARS WERE DAMAGED BY
FALLING TREES. THE UPROOTED TREES ALSO CAUSED CURB AND
SIDEWALK DAMAGE AND CUT SOME ELECTRICAL WIRES. THE FUNNEL
CLOUD PASSED CLOSE TO STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS WERE SHUT DOWN...AND THE TOWER WAS
EVACUATED. THE TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR ALMOST 25
MINUTES. AN F3 TORNADO CUT AN ERRATIC PATH THROUGH SOUTH
DENVER FOR ABOUT 25 MINUTES...CAUSING EXTENSIVE DAMAGE IN
AT LEAST 3 AREAS. THE TWISTER DAMAGED ABOUT 85 BUILDINGS...
20 SEVERELY; THE TOTAL LOSS WAS ESTIMATED AT 5 TO 10
MILLION DOLLARS. MANY CARS WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED; AT
LEAST 15 VEHICLES WERE OVERTURNED. ONE TRAILER WAS LIFTED
ONTO THE TOP OF A BUILDING THAT HAD JUST BEEN UNROOFED;
NUMEROUS ANTIQUE CARS INSIDE THE BUILDING WERE DAMAGED.
A FORD BRONCO WAS BLOWN OVER A CHURCH...AND LANDED 100 YARDS
AWAY. A METAL STORAGE SHED WAS DEPOSITED FAR ABOVE THE
GROUND IN SOME POWER LINES. THE TORNADO UPROOTED MANY
TREES ON A GOLF COURSE. NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY HURT...ALTHOUGH
SEVEN PEOPLE SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES FROM FLYING DEBRIS.
A GOLFER WAS THROWN 40 FEET...BUT WAS NOT HURT; A MAN
CLINGING TO A TELEPHONE POLE WAS UNSCATHED...BUT LOST BOTH
SHOES...A SOCK...AND BUTTONS OFF HIS SHIRT. A WOMAN HOLDING
A BABY WAS SUCKED THROUGH A BROKEN CONVENIENCE STORE WINDOW...
BUT WAS UNHURT. A DOG...TETHERED TO THE GROUND BY ITS LEASH...
WAS SUSPENDED IN THE AIR BY THE TWISTER. UPROOTED TREES
CRUSHED CARS AND DAMAGED CURBS AND SIDEWALKS. PEOPLE IN
DOWNTOWN DENVER COULD SEE THREE TORNADOES OCCURRING
SIMULTANEOUSLY. HAIL AS LARGE AS 1 3/8 INCHES IN DIAMETER
FELL IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST AURORA.
IN 1997...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY AT THE COLORADO
NATIONAL SPEEDWAY NEAR DACONO NORTH OF DENVER. THE
TORNADO RIPPED THROUGH THE SOUTH GRANDSTAND CAUSING AT
LEAST 50 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DAMAGE TO A SHED...KIOSK...
BLEACHERS...AND SEVERAL CONCESSION STANDS.
IN 2004...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY NEAR CASTLE ROCK
AND BLEW THE ROOF OFF A MACHINE SHOP. A TORNADO NEAR
ELIZABETH DESTROYED A BARN AND CAUSED ROOF DAMAGE TO A
HOME. TWO OTHER BARNS ON NEARBY PROPERTIES WERE DAMAGED
EXTENSIVELY. THE TWISTER ALSO CAUSED WIDESPREAD TREE
DAMAGE IN THE AREA. A TORNADO ALSO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR
BENNETT AND STRASBURG...BUT DID NO DAMAGE.
IN 2009...THUNDERSTORM WINDS KNOCKED A TREE ON TO TWO
VEHICLES IN BOULDER. ONE OF THE DRIVERS WAS INJURED
WHEN THE TREE SMASHED INTO THE WINDSHIELD OF HER CAR.
IN 2012...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED HAIL FROM QUARTER TO
HALF DOLLAR SIZE NEAR LITTLETON AND HIGHLANDS RANCH. A
WEAK SHORT LIVED TORNADO (EF0) ALSO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR
BENNETT.
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.
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