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NOUS45 KBOU 310859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-312300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT SUN MAY 31 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
26-31 IN 1995...FROM THE 26TH THROUGH THE 31ST...A COOL PERIOD
WITH LIGHT MORNING SHOWERS AND MODERATE TO HEAVY
AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS PUSHED RIVERS
ALREADY SWOLLEN FROM MOUNTAIN SNOW MELT OVER THEIR BANKS
CAUSING MINOR FLOODING. STREAMS AND RIVERS SUCH AS THE
SOUTH PLATTE AND BOULDER CREEK FLOODED MEADOWLANDS...BIKE
PATHS...ROADS NEAR STREAMS...AND OTHER LOW LYING AREAS.
NO SIGNIFICANT PROPERTY DAMAGE WAS REPORTED AND CROP
DAMAGE WAS UNKNOWN. RAINFALL TOTALED 1.79 INCHES AT THE
SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND
ONLY 1.51 INCHES AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
29-1 IN 1894...FROM THE 29TH TO THE 1ST OF THE MONTH...HEAVY
RAIN COMBINED WITH SNOWMELT RUNOFF CAUSED WIDESPREAD
FLOODING OVER THE SOUTH PLATTE RIVER BASIN.
RAINFALL WAS HEAVIEST IN THE FOOTHILLS WHERE 5 TO 8
INCHES WERE MEASURED OVER THE 4 DAYS. HEAVY RAINFALL
WEST OF BOULDER FLOODED MINING TOWNS AND DAMAGED MINING
PROPERTIES. IN THE CANYONS ABOVE BOULDER...RAILROADS
AND ROADS WERE WASHED OUT ALONG WITH MANY BRIDGES. THE
FLOODWATERS SPREAD INTO CENTRAL BOULDER AND COVERED A
WIDE AREA FROM UNIVERSITY HILL NORTH TO NEAR MAPLETON
HILL TO A MAXIMUM DEPTH OF 8 FEET. MANY HOUSES WERE
SWEPT AWAY...AND EVERY BRIDGE IN BOULDER WAS DESTROYED.
A FEW PEOPLE...TRAPPED IN THEIR HOMES BY THE FLOODWATERS...
HAD TO BE RESCUED. HOWEVER...THE GRADUAL RISE OF THE FLOOD
WATERS RESULTED IN ONLY ONE DEATH. BOULDER CREEK SPREAD TO
A WIDTH OF NEARLY ONE MILE IN THE PASTURE LAND TO THE EAST
OF BOULDER. EXTENSIVE FLOODING ON LEFT HAND CREEK NORTH
OF BOULDER WASHED AWAY RAILROAD AND WAGON BRIDGES. THE
HEAVY CLOUDBURSTS CAUSED FLOODING ON BEAR CREEK...WHICH
WASHED AWAY BRIDGES...RAILROAD TRACKS...AND STRUCTURES AND
DESTROYED THE CANYON ROADWAY. MORRISON SUSTAINED THE
HEAVIEST FLOOD DAMAGE ON BEAR CREEK. IN DENVER...RAINFALL
TOTALED ONLY 1.50 INCHES ON THE 30TH AND 31ST...BUT THE
HEAVY RAINFALL ON UPSTREAM TRIBUTARIES OF THE SOUTH PLATTE
RIVER CAUSED THE RIVER TO RISE AS MUCH AS 10 FEET ABOVE THE
LOW WATER MARK IN THE CITY...WHICH CAUSED SOME FLOODING OF
PASTURE LAND DOWNSTREAM TO A DEPTH OF 6 FEET NEAR BRIGHTON.
30-31 IN 1935...FROM THE 30TH TO THE 31ST...HEAVY THUNDERSTORM RAINS
OVERNIGHT CAUSED FLASH FLOODING EAST OF THE CITY ON BOTH
KIOWA AND BIJOU CREEKS...RESULTING IN A TOTAL OF 9 DEATHS.
MOST OF THE DAMAGE WAS ON KIOWA CREEK WHERE THERE WERE MORE
STRUCTURES. THE WATER ROSE RAPIDLY DURING THE STORM...
RIPPING HOUSES AND STORES FROM THEIR FOUNDATIONS AND
SWEEPING THEM DOWNSTREAM. PRECIPITATION IN DENVER TOTALED
ONLY 0.01 INCH. HAIL FELL IN THE CITY FOR A SHORT TIME. THE
HAIL WAS VERY SMALL AND CAUSED NO DAMAGE.
IN 1983...FROM THE 30TH TO THE 31ST...A LATE STORM OF RAIN AND
SNOW HIT THE FRONT RANGE. OVER AN INCH OF RAIN FELL AT SOME
SPOTS...AND ABOVE 7 THOUSAND FEET...1 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW
WHITENED THE GROUND. SOME SNOW FLAKES EVEN FELL IN THE
WESTERN SUBURBS OF METRO DENVER ON THE NIGHT OF THE 30TH.
IN 2002...FROM THE 30TH TO THE 31ST...UNSEASONABLY WARM WEATHER
AT THE END OF THE MONTH RESULTED IN 3 TEMPERATURE RECORDS.
HIGH TEMPERATURE OF 91 DEGREES ON THE 30TH EQUALED THE
RECORD MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE. LOW TEMPERATURE OF 61 DEGREES
ON THE 31ST WAS A RECORD HIGH MINIMUM FOR THE DATE. HIGH
TEMPERATURE OF 93 DEGREES ON THE 31ST WAS A RECORD MAXIMUM
FOR THE DATE.
31 IN 1917...RAINFALL TOTALED 0.55 INCH AND WAS MIXED BRIEFLY
WITH SNOW AROUND MIDDAY. ONLY A TRACE OF SNOW FELL. COLD
TEMPERATURES DURING THE DAY RESULTED IN A HIGH OF 44 DEGREES
AND A LOW OF 35 DEGREES. THE MONTH CLOSED AS THE COLDEST MAY
ON RECORD WITH A MEAN TEMPERATURE OF ONLY 48.7 DEGREES...
ABOUT 8 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. THE COLD TEMPERATURES DURING
THE MONTH HAD A MARKED EFFECT ON SHADE TREES AND SHRUBS IN
THE CITY. ELMS WERE JUST STARTING TO LEAF. LEAVES ON
COTTONWOODS AND MAPLES WERE ONLY HALF FORMED. LILACS WERE
JUST BLOOMING...AND SNOWBALL CLUSTERS WOULD NOT BLOOM FOR DAYS.
IN 1959...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO BRIEFLY TOUCHING THE
GROUND 10 MILES SOUTH OF STAPLETON AIRPORT. NO DAMAGE
WAS REPORTED.
IN 1984...A THUNDERSTORM MICROBURST PRODUCED A WIND GUST TO 67
MPH...7 MILES EAST OF BOULDER.
IN 1991...HAIL TO GOLF BALL SIZE PUMMELED SOUTHERN AND
SOUTHEASTERN SECTIONS OF METRO DENVER AND CONTINUED ON EAST
TO WATKINS. SEVERAL HOUSES AND CARS WERE DAMAGED. LATER...
THUNDERSTORMS DUMPED HEAVY RAIN ACROSS THE CITY OF DENVER...
CAUSING STREET FLOODING IN AN AREA JUST SOUTH OF DOWNTOWN
AND JUST NORTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN. WATER WAS UP TO 10 INCHES
DEEP OVER NORTHWEST DENVER. A BRIEF TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN
CASTLE ROCK WHERE 3/4 INCH DIAMETER HAIL ALSO FELL.
IN 1993...THUNDERSTORMS DROPPED DIME SIZE HAIL IN COMMERCE
CITY.
IN 1994...LIGHTNING STRUCK AN APARTMENT IN LOUISVILLE AND
DAMAGED ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT...INCLUDING A COMPUTER.
IN 2006...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED 1 INCH DIAMETER
HAIL NEAR BOULDER.
IN 2022...MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL IMPACTED THE FRONT RANGE
MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. ABOVE 8 THOUSAND FEET...STORM TOTALS
GENERALLY RANGED FROM 4 TO 9 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY HIGHER
AMOUNTS. THE BIG WINNER IN THE EVENT WAS NEAR BLUE VALLEY SOUTH
OF IDAHO SPRINGS...WHICH PICKED UP 16 INCHES OF SNOW. SEVERAL
BRIEF ROAD CLOSURES OCCURRED ALONG WESTBOUND I-70...FROM FLOYD
HILL TO SILVERTHORNE. ALONG THE URBAN CORRIDOR AND IN THE
FOOTHILLS BELOW 8 THOUSAND FEET...MUCH NEEDED RAINFALL UP TO 1.5
INCHES WAS OBSERVED. THE OFFICIAL RAINFALL MEASUREMENT AT
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WAS 0.71 INCH.
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