821
NOUS45 KBOU 290859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-292300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT FRI MAY 29 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 IN 1934...THE LOW TEMPERATURE DIPPED TO ONLY 66 DEGREES...THE
ALL-TIME RECORD HIGHEST MINIMUM TEMPERATURE FOR THE MONTH
OF MAY.
IN 1958...A MICROBURST CAUSED A BRIEF WIND GUST TO 56 MPH AT
STAPLETON AIRPORT.
IN 1964...HEAVY RAIN CAUSED FLOODING IN THE HARVEY GULCH
AREA OF SOUTHEAST DENVER. THE HIGH WATER DAMAGED HOMES...
BUSINESSES...STREETS...AND BRIDGES. AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...1.33 INCHES OF RAIN WERE MEASURED
WITH 1.76 INCHES TOTAL RAINFALL ON THE 29TH AND 30TH. THE
HEAVY RAIN DURING THE LAST WEEK OF THE MONTH WAS THE FIRST
SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION SINCE APRIL 3RD.
IN 1967...3/4 TO 1 INCH DIAMETER HAIL STONES FELL IN THE CITY
OF DENVER...BUT CAUSED NO REPORTED DAMAGE. HAIL AS LARGE AS
3/4 INCH WAS MEASURED AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1975...THE HEAVIEST LAST SNOWFALL OF THE SEASON OCCURRED
WHEN 5.6 INCHES OF SNOW WERE MEASURED AT STAPLETON
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. RAIN ALL DAY ON THE 28TH CHANGED
TO SNOW ON THE 29TH AND ACCUMULATED TO A DEPTH OF 4 INCHES
ON THE GROUND. NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 31 MPH.
PRECIPITATION (RAIN AND MELTED SNOW) ON THE 28TH AND 29TH
TOTALED 1.48 INCHES.
IN 1982...ONE MAN WAS KILLED AND TWO OTHERS INJURED BY A
LIGHTNING STRIKE AS THEY STOOD UNDER A TREE IN THE CITY OF
DENVER'S WASHINGTON PARK.
IN 1987...7/8 INCH DIAMETER HAIL FELL NEAR CASTLE ROCK.
IN 1990...THUNDERSTORMS OVER METRO DENVER PRODUCED SEVERAL
SMALL FUNNEL CLOUDS AND TWO SMALL TORNADOES. THE FIRST
TORNADO (F0) TOUCHED DOWN IN NORTHWEST DENVER AND CAUSED
ROOF DAMAGE TO A HOUSE AND SNAPPED OFF THE TOPS OF SEVERAL
TREES. A SECOND TORNADO (F1) TOUCHED DOWN IN NORTHGLENN
AND MOVED INTO THORNTON DAMAGING A GROUP OF SELF STORAGE
GARAGES...SEVERAL VEHICLES...A WOODEN FENCE...SEVERAL TREES...
AND THE ROOF OF AN AUTO PARTS STORE. NO INJURIES WERE
REPORTED. THE STORMS ALSO CAUSED MINOR STREET FLOODING
ACROSS NORTHERN AND WESTERN SECTIONS OF METRO DENVER.
RAINFALL TOTALS RANGED FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES. LIGHTNING
STARTED A SMALL FIRE AT A HOME IN NORTHWEST DENVER. THE
FIRE WAS CONFINED TO THE FRONT ROOMS AND WAS QUICKLY
EXTINGUISHED. SNOW PLOWS WERE USED TO CLEAR 2 TO 4 INCHES
OF PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL FROM A STRETCH OF U.S. HIGHWAY
285 IN TURKEY CREEK CANYON. LIGHTNING FELLED A TREE IN
NORTHEAST DENVER...WHILE STRONG WINDS SNAPPED OFF SEVERAL
LARGE TREE LIMBS IN THE SAME AREA. THUNDERSTORM RAINFALL
TOTALED 0.82 INCH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
WHERE SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 30 MPH.
IN 1991...LIGHTNING STRUCK A 13 YEAR OLD BOY IN A FIELD IN
FORT LUPTON. THE BOY WAS IN CRITICAL CONDITION IN AN AREA
HOSPITAL FOR 2 DAYS BEFORE RECOVERING.
IN 1995...LIGHTNING STRUCK A SOCCER GOAL POST AND INJURED
6 ADULTS VIEWING A SOCCER GAME IN ARVADA. ALTHOUGH NO
ONE RECEIVED A DIRECT HIT FROM THE LIGHTNING...ALL ESCAPED
WITH ONLY MINOR INJURIES...EXCEPT ONE WOMAN WHO WAS
HOSPITALIZED.
IN 1996...LARGE HAIL...3/4 TO 1 1/2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...
STRUCK LAKEWOOD AND WEST DENVER. LIGHTNING SPARKED A
SMALL FIRE WHEN IT STRUCK AN OIL STORAGE TANK 5 MILES
WEST OF BRIGHTON.
IN 2001...LIGHTNING SPARKED A FIRE IN AN APARTMENT COMPLEX IN
AURORA...FORCING THE EVACUATION OF 24 UNITS. MOST OF THE
FIRE DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO THE ATTIC. DAMAGE WAS
ESTIMATED AT 100 THOUSAND DOLLARS.
IN 2004...A MAN AND HIS SON WERE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING WHILE
PRACTICING ON THE DRIVING RANGE AT THE MEADOWS GOLF CLUB
IN SOUTHWEST METRO DENVER. THE FATHER WAS KILLED BY THE
BOLT...AND HIS 16 YEAR OLD SON SERIOUSLY INJURED. THREE
OTHER PEOPLE STANDING NEARBY RECEIVED ONLY MINOR INJURIES.
IN 2010...HAIL UP TO 7/8 INCH IN DIAMETER WAS REPORTED IN
BROOMFIELD.
IN 2017...AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED HAIL UP TO 7/8
INCH IN DIAMETER NEAR CENTENNIAL.
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.
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