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NOUS45 KBOU 240859
PNSBOU
COZ030>051-242300-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER/BOULDER CO
259 AM MDT SUN MAY 24 2026
..TODAY IN METRO DENVER WEATHER HISTORY
18-26 IN 2023...SMOKE AND HAZE FROM MASSIVE WILDFIRES IN CANADA
SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED AIR QUALITY AND VISIBILITY ACROSS
DENVER AND THE REST OF NORTHEAST COLORADO.
20-27 IN 2002...LIGHTNING SPARKED A WILDFIRE NEAR DECKERS THE
CONTINUED FROM THE 20TH TO THE 27TH. EXTREMELY DRY
CONDITIONS AND VERY STRONG WINDS THE FOLLOWING DAY ALLOWED
THE FIRE...KNOWN AS THE SCHOONOVER...TO CONSUME 3850 ACRES
BEFORE IT COULD BE CONTAINED. THIRTEEN STRUCTURES WERE
DESTROYED...INCLUDING 4 HOMES...RESULTING IN 2.2 MILLION
DOLLARS IN DAMAGE.
23-24 IN 2002...FROM THE 23RD TO THE 24TH...A PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM
BROUGHT MUCH NEEDED SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS
WITH A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW ON THE PLAINS. THE MOST SNOW
FELL FROM CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY NORTHWARD. SNOW TOTALS
INCLUDED: 13 INCHES IN COAL CREEK CANYON...11 INCHES NEAR
EVERGREEN AND ATOP GOLD HILL...10 INCHES NEAR BLACKHAWK AND
CONIFER AND ATOP CROW HILL...9 INCHES NEAR ROLLINSVILLE...AND
8 INCHES NEAR GENESEE AND GOLDEN. RAIN WAS MIXED WITH SNOW
ACROSS THE CITY. PRECIPITATION TOTALED 0.61 INCH AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. SNOWFALL WAS LESS THAN AN INCH AT
THE SITE OF THE FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. THE
STORM BROUGHT UNSEASONABLY COLD AIR TO METRO DENVER. THREE
TEMPERATURE RECORDS WERE SET. LOW TEMPERATURE OF 31 DEGREES
ON THE 23RD WAS A RECORD MINIMUM FOR THE DATE...AS WAS THE
LOW OF 32 DEGREES ON THE 24TH. THE HIGH TEMPERATURE OF
ONLY 48 DEGREES EQUALED THE RECORD LOW MAXIMUM FOR THE DATE.
24 IN 1953...A MICROBURST CAUSED A BRIEF WIND GUST TO 55 MPH AT
STAPLETON AIRPORT.
IN 1957...WALNUT SIZE HAIL...1 1/2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...FELL IN
EAST DENVER. ONLY 1/4 INCH HAIL WAS MEASURED AT STAPLETON
AIRPORT.
IN 1958...RAINFALL TOTALED 1 TO 2 INCHES ACROSS METRO DENVER.
RAINFALL WAS ONLY 0.37 INCHES AT STAPLETON AIRPORT.
IN 1974...A TORNADO WAS OBSERVED BRIEFLY NEAR WATKINS. NO
DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.
IN 1980...STRONG GUSTY WINDS OF AT LEAST 60 MPH DAMAGED
BUILDINGS IN PARTS OF DENVER. SEVERAL BUILDINGS WERE
UNROOFED IN SHERIDAN. THE FLYING DEBRIS DAMAGED OTHER
STRUCTURES. STRONG MICROBURST WINDS GUSTED TO 52 MPH
AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
IN 1991...A TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN BRIEFLY IN OPEN COUNTRY NEAR
BENNETT. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED.
IN 1994...WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED 2 FUNNEL CLOUDS OVER
AURORA AND A SHORT-LIVED WATERSPOUT ON CHERRY CREEK
RESERVOIR.
IN 1997...HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER FELL IN BROOMFIELD
WITH 3/4 INCH HAIL MEASURED IN BOULDER.
IN 1998...A TORNADO STRUCK A WOODEN HANGAR AT THE AURORA
AIRPARK. THE HANGAR COLLAPSED...DAMAGING A CAR AND A
SINGLE ENGINE PLANE PARKED INSIDE. AN ADJACENT STEEL
HANGAR SUSTAINED ONLY MINOR DAMAGE. THE TORNADO MOVED
NORTHEAST...HOPPED I-70...AND TOUCHED DOWN AGAIN IN AN
OPEN FIELD. EARLIER...A WEAK TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN
BRIEFLY IN AN OPEN FIELD 10 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BUCKLEY
FIELD.
IN 2003...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED LARGE HAIL OVER
NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN METRO DENVER. HAIL AS LARGE AS
2 3/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER WAS MEASURED 10 MILES NORTHWEST
OF HUDSON AND TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER 10 MILES NORTHEAST
OF FORT LUPTON. ONE INCH DIAMETER HAIL FELL IN FORT
LUPTON. HAIL TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER FELL NEAR PARKER
AND TO 3/4 INCH NEAR FRANKTOWN.
IN 2004...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS MOVED ACROSS NORTHWEST AND
NORTH METRO DENVER. HAIL AS LARGE AS 1 INCH IN DIAMETER
FELL IN BROOMFIELD AND THORNTON WITH 3/4 INCH HAIL
MEASURED NEAR ARVADA AND HUDSON AND IN THE CITY OF
DENVER.
IN 2005...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCED HAIL AS LARGE AS
1 INCH IN DIAMETER IN ARVADA AND THE CITY OF DENVER.
IN 2014...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN LAKEWOOD PRODUCED HAIL...
UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER.
IN 2016...A LONG-LIVED SUPERCELL FORMED OVER SOUTH DENVER
AND TRACKED ACROSS NORTHEAST ADAMS AND CONTINUED TO
PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER AS INTO MOVED INTO YUMA COUNTY.
THE LENGTH OF ITS PATH WAS APPROXIMATELY 121 MILES.
THE STORM PRODUCED HAIL UP TO 1.5 INCHES IN DIAMETER IN
SOUTHEAST DENVER. AS IT MOVED ACROSS NORTHEAST ADAMS
COUNTY...SEVERAL POWER POLES WERE SHEARED OFF AT THE BASE
BY STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS TO 80 MPH SOUTHWEST OF LEADER.
THE DAMAGE PATH BECAME MORE EXTENSIVE AS THE STORM MOVED
INTO THE NORTHEAST PLAINS OF COLORADO. AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...1.15 INCHES OF PRECIPITATION
FELL WHICH SET A NEW DAILY PRECIPITATION RECORD. THE
STORM PRODUCED HEAVIER RAINFALL ON ONE TO TWO INCHES
EAST OF DENVER...WITH OVER 4 INCHES IN CENTRAL ARAPAHOE
COUNTY.
24-26 IN 1996...FROM THE 24TH TO THE 26TH...A LATE SPRING STORM
DUMPED 4 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW OVER THE FRONT RANGE
FOOTHILLS. CONIFER PICKED UP 10 INCHES OF NEW SNOW;
ASPEN SPRINGS...9 INCHES; AND CENTRAL CITY...8 INCHES.
THE STICKY...HEAVY SNOW CLUNG TO POWER LINES AND PULLED
TREE BRANCHES DOWN...CAUSING POWER OUTAGES TO ABOUT
1200 HOMES IN THE CONIFER AREA. IT TOOK
UP TO 6 HOURS TO RESTORE POWER TO SOME RESIDENCES.
LIGHTNING STRUCK A TELEPHONE DATA CABINET IN CONIFER ON
THE 25TH...WHICH KNOCKED OUT PHONE SERVICE TO ABOUT 1500
CUSTOMERS. WIDESPREAD RAIN FELL ACROSS METRO DENVER...
WHERE RAINFALL TOTALED 2.07 INCHES AT THE SITE OF THE
FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND 1.66 INCHES AT
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO
24 MPH ON THE 26TH.
IN 2010...FROM THE 24TH TO THE 26TH...HIGH WINDS PRECEDING A
COLD FRONT...SWEPT ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND
URBAN CORRIDOR. IN AURORA...THE WIND DAMAGED THE ROOF OF
RANGEVIEW HIGH SCHOOL. IN CONIFER AND DENVER...THE WIND
DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES AND CAUSED SEVERAL BRIEF
OUTAGES. THE DOWNED POWER LINES ALSO CAUSED SEVERAL CARS
TO CATCH FIRE IN THE VICINITY OF 1590 COOK ST. IN DENVER.
PEAK WIND GUSTS INCLUDED: 82 MPH AT HIGHLANDS RANCH...67
MPH...4 MILES EAST OF FRANKTOWN AND LONGMONT; 65 MPH IN
BOULDER...64 MPH IN CENTENNIAL AND DENVER INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT...62 MPH NEAR PARKER AND 60 MPH IN ARVADA.
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