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NOUS45 KBOU 030859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-032300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT MON AUG 3 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
2-3 IN 1876...FROM THE 2ND TO THE 3RD...GRASSHOPPERS WERE IN GREAT
ABUNDANCE IN THE CITY AND CAUSED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE TO
GARDENS AND TO CROPS IN THE SURROUNDING FARMS AND RANCHES.
IN 1951...FROM THE 2ND INTO THE 3RD...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS
RUMBLED ACROSS METRO DENVER THROUGH THE NIGHT. HEAVY RAIN
TOTALED 3.45 INCHES AT STAPLETON AIRPORT. THIS WAS THE
GREATEST 24-HOUR PRECIPITATION EVER RECORDED DURING THE
MONTH OF AUGUST IN DENVER.
IN 2007...FROM THE 2ND INTO THE 3RD...HEAVY RAIN CAUSED
LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING NEAR FT. LUPTON. UP TO 8 INCHES
OF WATER WAS REPORTED ACROSS COUNTY ROAD 18. IN ADDITION...
SEVERAL OTHER COUNTY ROADS IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA WERE
WASHED OUT.
3 IN 1878...THE HIGH TEMPERATURE CLIMBED TO 100 DEGREES IN
DOWNTOWN DENVER.
IN 1900...A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED WEST WINDS SUSTAINED TO
48 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 55 MPH...BUT ONLY A TRACE OF RAIN.
IN 1903...A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED A TRACE OF RAINFALL AND
NORTHWEST WINDS SUSTAINED TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH.
THE HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS 99 DEGREES.
IN 1927...A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED HAIL AND SUSTAINED NORTH
WINDS TO 22 MPH.
IN 1933...HEAVY CLOUDBURST RAINS CAUSED THE FAILURE OF THE
CASTLEWOOD DAM...WHICH RESULTED IN FLASH FLOODING ON CHERRY
CREEK...THE DEATHS OF 7 PEOPLE IN DENVER...AND FLOOD DAMAGE
ESTIMATED AT 1 MILLION DOLLARS. LOWER DENVER WAS FLOODED
DURING THE MORNING BY WATERS POURING DOWN CHERRY CREEK
AND ITS VALLEY FROM CASTLEWOOD DAM...WHICH HAD BROKEN
BETWEEN MIDNIGHT AND 2:00 AM. HEAVY RAIN OF 3 TO 9 INCHES
IN 9 HOURS IN THE WATERSHED ABOVE THE DAM RESULTED IN THE
FAILURE. AT 7:30 AM...THE FLOW IN CHERRY CREEK WAS REPORTED
AT 16 THOUSAND SECOND-FEET AS COMPARED WITH A PEAK FLOW OF
3 THOUSAND SECOND-FEET IN OTHER YEARS. THE FLOOD WATERS
RUINED HUNDREDS OF ACRES OF CROPS AND DROWNED SCORES OF
FARM ANIMALS. SIX BRIDGES IN DENVER WERE SWEPT AWAY.
GREAT DEPOSITS OF MUD WERE LEFT IN THE LOWER SECTIONS OF
THE CITY...INCLUDING HUNDREDS OF BASEMENTS AND LOWER FLOORS
OF BUILDINGS. AT THE END OF THE MONTH...A DEADLY STENCH
STILL ROSE FROM SWAMPY AREAS NEAR THE LOWER CITY LIMITS.
IN 1963...HEAVY THUNDERSTORM RAINS IN THE PARKER AREA CAUSED
CHERRY CREEK TO OVERFLOW...WHICH DAMAGED ROADS.
IN 1985...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY ABOUT 10 MILES
NORTHEAST OF PARKER. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.
IN 1991...UPSLOPE NORTHEAST WINDS PRODUCED CHILLY TEMPERATURE
READINGS AND HEAVY RAIN ACROSS METRO DENVER. RAINFALL...
WITH NO THUNDER...TOTALED 1.56 INCHES AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE THE HEAVY RAIN BRIEFLY REDUCED
THE SURFACE VISIBILITY TO 7/8 MILE. THE MERCURY CLIMBED TO
A HIGH OF ONLY 63 DEGREES.
IN 1992...A THUNDERSTORM WIND GUST TO 64 MPH WAS RECORDED IN
BRIGHTON. A WIND GUST TO 60 MPH WAS MEASURED NEAR THE
CONSTRUCTION SITE OF THE NEW DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
LIGHTNING STARTED A FIRE IN AN EVERGREEN CHURCH...CAUSING
OVER 75 THOUSAND DOLLARS IN DAMAGE.
IN 1998...3/4 INCH HAIL FELL IN JEFFERSON COUNTY 15 MILES
NORTHWEST OF ARVADA.
IN 2006...HEAVY THUNDERSTORM RAINFALL CAUSED FLASH FLOODING
ALONG LEYDEN CREEK IN UNINCORPORATED JEFFERSON COUNTY.
AN AUTOMATED RAIN GAUGE ON UPPER LEYDEN CREEK...6 MILES
NORTHWEST OF ARVADA...MEASURED 2.68 INCHES OF RAINFALL IN
LESS THAN 2 HOURS. TWO TO THREE FEET OF WATER COVERED THE
ROADWAY AT THE INTERSECTION OF 82ND AND QUAKER STREET.
IN 2009...A WOMAN RIDING HER BIKE...IN TRAINING FOR AN IRONMAN
TRIATHOLON...WAS STRUCK BY LIGHTNING IN BOULDER. SHE WAS IN
THE 78TH MILE OF A 100-MILE TRAINING RIDE WHEN SHE WAS
HIT. THE WOMAN LOST HER VISION INITIALLY AND COULDN'T
MOVE HER ARMS. AFTER A SHORT STAY IN THE HOSPITAL...SHE
MADE OF COMPLETE RECOVERY.
IN 2013...SEVERE WET MICROBURST THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED
DAMAGING WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAIN IN AND AROUND BUCKLEY
AIR FORCE BASE...ERIE AND LAFAYETTE. PEAK GUSTS INCLUDED:
68 MPH IN ERIE...61 MPH AT BUCKLEY AFB...AND 60 MPH IN
BROOMFIELD...4 MILES EAST-SOUTHEAST OF ERIE AND LAFAYETTE.
IN ERIE...A VELODROM UNDER CONSTRUCTION WAS HEAVILY DAMAGED
BY HEAVY RAIN AND HIGH WINDS. THE WIND TOPPLED THE EASTERN
THIRD OF THE 250-METER CYCLING TRACK. BOLTS MEASURING
ONE-HALF-INCH THICK BY 7 1/2 INCHES IN LENGTH WERE RIPPED OUT
OF CONCRETE FOOTERS WHILE 16-INCH-WIDE TRUSSES...COLLAPSED
UNDER THE FORCE OF THE WIND. IN TOWN...HEAVY RAIN...AROUND
2.5 INCHES IN LESS THAN ONE HOUR...CAUSED EXTENSIVE STREET
FLOODING. THE INTENSE WIND ALSO DOWNED TREES WHICH RESULTED
IN LOCALIZED POWER OUTAGES. IN ADDITION...AN EMPTY SEMI-TRAILER
WAS BLOWN ON ITS SIDE. A WEAK NON SUPERCELL TORNADO TOUCHED
DOWN BRIEFLY IN AN OPEN FIELD...7 MILES NORTHWEST OF HUDSON.
THE STORM FORCED SEVEN INCOMING FLIGHTS AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT TO BE DIVERTED AND CONTRIBUTED TO
45-MINUTE DELAYS FOR OTHERS. AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT...A PEAK WIND GUST OF 55 MPH WAS OBSERVED FROM THE
NORTHEAST...WITH 0.66 INCHES OF RAINFALL RECORDED. THE VERY
HEAVY RAIN PRODUCED FLASH FLOODING IN PART OF AURORA. ROAD
CLOSURES WERE SET UP IN BOTH DIRECTIONS ON BOTH PICADILLY ROAD
AND GUN CLUB ROAD...JUST NORTH OF BUCKLEY AFB. A MAN HAD TO BE
RESCUED WHEN HIS CAR WAS TRAPPED IN FLOOD WATERS AT THE
INTERSECTION OF 6TH AVE. AND PICADILLY ROAD. FLASH FLOODING
WAS ALSO OBSERVED AT THE JUNCTION OF E-470 AND I-70 WITH WATER
RUNNING OVER THE ROAD.
IN 2018...A GUST FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH A DISSIPATING THUNDERSTORM
MOVED OUT OF THE FOOTHILLS OF BOULDER AND NORTHERN JEFFERSON
COUNTIES CONTINUED TO PUSH EASTWARD INTO DENVER. THE STORM
KNOCKED DOWN TREES AND BRANCHES. POWER LINES WERE ALSO DAMAGED
WHICH PRODUCED SCATTERED OUTAGES. PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDED:
67 MPH NEAR GOLD HILL...64 MPH IN SOUTH BOULDER...62 MPH AT
ROCKY MOUNTAIN METROPOLITAIN AIRPORT...AND 60 MPH AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
3-4 IN 1988...OVERNIGHT FROM THE 3RD TO THE 4TH...TWO INCHES OF RAIN
FELL IN 3 HOURS AT BOTH MORRISON AND WHEAT RIDGE. THUNDERSTORM
RAINFALL TOTALED 0.80 INCH OVERNIGHT AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT.
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