Monsoonal rain, dangerous lightning and large hail are all par for the course as we see in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. But, what about snow? Yes, you read that right. Denver did actually record snowfall on July 17, 1872 but because it occurred before official snowfall measurements began in the young Mile High City, it doesn’t count. See below for complete details.

From the National Weather Service:

1-18

In 1874…a streak of 18 consecutive days of 90 degrees tied for second with another streak that was later set in the summer of 1901. The record of 24 consecutive days was established in the summer of 2008.
1-31

In 2012…it was the hottest July on record in Denver since weather records began in 1872. The average temperature for the month was 78.9 degrees which was 4.7 degrees above normal. There were 27 days in which the high temperature equaled or exceeded 90 degrees…which established a new record. There were also 7 days in which the temperature equaled or exceeded 100 degrees which tied the record set in 2005.

6-23

In 1901…a streak of 18 consecutive days of 90 degrees tied for second with another streak set in the summer of 1874. The record of 24 consecutive days was established in the summer of 2008.

7-25

In 1934…a streak of 15 consecutive days of 90 degrees ranked 5th on the list of hot streaks. The record of 24 consecutive days was established in the summer of 2008.

13-5

In 2008…a streak of 24 consecutive days of 90 degrees shattered the previous record of 18 consecutive days established in 1901 and 1874. Ironically…no new single day record high temperatures were set in the month of July. In August however…a record of 104 degrees was set on the 1st…and another record of 103 degrees was set on the 2nd. In addition…a record low min of 70 degrees was set on August 2nd.

14

In 1878…the temperature reached a high of 100 degrees in downtown Denver.

In 1906…a thunderstorm produced north winds sustained to 52 mph and 0.53 inch of rain in 10 minutes.

In 1912…a heavy thunderstorm cloudburst in the late afternoon combined with a similar storm to the south of the city to produce widespread flooding on Cherry Creek in downtown Denver…which resulted in two deaths and several injuries. The flooding was the worst since 1864 and covered around 3 square miles of lower downtown. Bridges along Cherry Creek were washed out and water lapped at the floor of the Broadway bridge over the South Platte River…causing authorities to declare it unsafe except for pedestrians. By nightfall… Union Depot was under 2 to 3 feet of water…and railroad and street car traffic was stalled. Those forced from their homes by the surging flood waters took refuge in the Denver auditorium. The flood waters caused great damage to the sewerage system…parkways…bridges and residences and commercial warehouses near Cherry Creek in the wholesale district. Flood damage was estimated at several million dollars. Heavy thunderstorm rainfall of 2.00 inches…of which nearly 1.75 inch fell in 30 minutes in central Denver… Was accompanied by severe thunderstorm winds sustained to 55 mph with gusts as high as 74 mph.

In 1933…thunderstorm rainfall was only 0.01 inch…but northwest winds sustained to 37 mph with gusts to 47 mph produced a dust storm for about 10 minutes during the late afternoon.

In 1967…heavy rain flooded areas of north and west metro Denver…and high water closed street intersections in the city. Crops were damaged…and 200 chickens drowned by flooding northwest of Denver where farm buildings and irrigation facilities were also damaged.

In 1969…a thunderstorm wind gust to 51 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1975…heavy rains caused locally heavy flash flooding along Niver Creek south of Thornton and in other parts of north metro Denver. Over 40 thousand dollars in damage to public property was reported…and numerous homes and yards were damaged.

In 1986…thunderstorm winds blew down a power line in west- central Jefferson County. The storm…as it moved into Denver…snapped tree limbs and damaged a fence near Washington Park. Wind gusts in the area were estimated at 80 to 85 mph.

In 1990…thunderstorm wind gusts to 58 mph were recorded at Buckley Field in Aurora. No damage was reported. Winds gusted to 44 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1993…a severe thunderstorm moved across southern sections of metro Denver. Dime size hail fell in Lakewood…and hail up to one inch diameter was measured at Cherry Creek Reservoir. Later in the afternoon…hail to one inch diameter fell in Golden and Arvada.

In 1994…hail to 1 1/4 inches in diameter fell north of Bennett.

In 1998…dry microburst winds estimated to 70 mph snapped tree branches up to 4 inches in diameter in Brighton where some road signs were twisted and blown down. At Denver International Airport…dry microburst winds gusted to 61 mph.

In 1995…thunderstorm winds gusted to 62 mph near Strasburg.

In 2001…a severe thunderstorm dumped hail to 3/4 inch in diameter in the foothills about 10 miles northwest of Golden.

In 2011…severe thunderstorms in the Denver metropolitan area produced very heavy rain…large hail and damaging winds. The strong winds toppled a few trees and the heavy rain caused street flooding and minor flash flooding. Several cars were stranded at the intersection of Santa Fe Drive and Oxford…and near Broadway and U.S. Highway 285. A 16-yr old teenager was seriously injured when he tried to retrieve a ball along the banks of west toll gate creek. He was pulled from the swollen creek and died several days later. Hail up to one inch in diameter was reported around the area. The thunderstorms also produced frequent lightning. One strike sparked a fire at aspen academy…a private school in greenwood village. Most of the damage was confined to the roof and attic. In Englewood…a 40-ft tree was blown into a house and knocked down some power lines. At Denver International Airport…a severe thunderstorm produced sustained winds of 47 mph and a peak wind gust to 68 mph.

In 2019…a Denver man was killed and his wife injured after he was struck by lightning when they were hiking near the Bear Peak West Ridge Trail. The man was likely hit from a direct lightning strike to his upper body. His wife was not directly hit…but injured by the electrical current from the strike that hit her husband.

14-15

In 1985…thunderstorms dumped heavy rain and hail at numerous locations along the Front Range from Denver north. Some of the heaviest rain fell in northern and western suburbs of Denver. Up to 2.6 inches of rain drenched Arvada…and Thornton was soaked with 2 inches in 45 minutes. At least 5 homes in Arvada suffered extensive damage from water and mud…and many streets and basements were flooded.

In southern Jefferson County…11 homes were struck by lightning.

15

In 1879…a terrific hail storm occurred in the vicinity of Buffalo Station on the South Park Railroad in the South Platte River Canyon about 39 miles south of Denver. Stones as large as hen’s eggs fell thick and fast and broke nearly every pane of glass in the windows of the building. A “waterspout” or cloudburst caused much loss of property from flash flooding on a nearby gulch. The torrent of water caused a deafening roar as it uprooted trees and carried huge Boulders and other debris. It struck the house and sawmill simultaneously and carried them away like straws…leaving little behind. The water continued to rush down the gulch for several hours. Serious damage was done to the south park railroad. The track and roadbed were destroyed for several miles. At about the same time…heavy rains in the vicinity of the headwaters of Cherry Creek produced a rapid rise in the creek…which drowned a few head of cattle and washed away two footbridges and some fences. Only 0.10 inch of rainfall was recorded in Denver.

In 1896…a thunderstorm produced sustained southwest winds to 40 mph with gusts to 46 mph.

In 1902…the temperature reached a high of 100 degrees in downtown Denver…which was a record maximum for the date.

In 1929…a thunderstorm did considerable damage to property in the eastern portion of the city. Heavy hail ranging in size from 1/4 to 3/4 inch in diameter…severe lightning… And high winds accompanied the heavy rain. Basements were flooded…and streets were impassable in places for several hours due to the heavy rainfall. Lightning damaged several telephone poles. Hail did extensive damage to gardens and flowers. The hail was up to a foot deep in places. There was no estimate of damage from the storm. A thunderstorm produced only a trace of rain and east winds to 24 mph in downtown Denver.

In 1959…thunderstorm rain totaled 0.41 inch in 8 minutes and winds gusted to an estimated 50 mph near downtown Aurora where half inch diameter hail was also reported. After the storm moved to the east…complete double rainbows were observed from the weather bureau office at Stapleton Airport.

In 1962…hail pelted the area in Adams County around Henderson and Brighton…causing extensive damage to corn…grain… Beets…and row crops. Crop damage was estimated at 250 thousand dollars.

In 1963…a man received severe burns when struck by lightning while painting a building in south Denver.

In 1965…a state patrolman sighted a tornado near Bennett. It touched down over open ground…but caused no damage.

In 1967…heavy rains flooded streets and underpasses in south Denver. Heavy rain and minor wind damage were reported in Wheat Ridge…Aurora…Englewood…and Littleton. Basements were flooded and power disrupted. The clouds and rain resulted in a high temperature of only 72 degrees…which was a record low maximum for the date.

In 1974…a severe lightning storm damaged several homes and caused a number of power outages in both Denver and western Arapahoe counties.

In 1975…lightning killed a girl west of Boulder.

In 1982…winds gusted to 60 mph at Stapleton International Airport…and strong winds blew down walls at a construction site in Aurora where a nearby tree was uprooted.

In 1985…0.79 inch of rain fell in 30 minutes at Castle Rock. Much of the town lost power when lightning struck the town’s transformer.

In 1992…a man was struck by lightning while horseback riding near Castle Rock. Two people were struck by lightning near Highlands Ranch in south metro Denver. A man was struck by lightning while riding in the back of a pick-up truck in Franktown. All received minor injuries. Strong thunderstorms moved through east metro Denver…producing large hail and flash flooding. Hail up to 1 1/4 inches in diameter fell near Buckley Air National Guard base. Rainfall of 1 to 3 inches fell in Aurora in less than an hour…leaving water up to 18 inches deep in some areas. Thunderstorm rainfall was measured at 0.97 inch at Stapleton International Airport…where 3/8th inch diameter hail fell and south winds gusted to 44 mph.

In 1993…dime size hail fell in Golden. National weather service observers at Stapleton International Airport sighted a small rope-like funnel overhead for about 3 minutes before it dissipated.

In 1994…a small…short-lived tornado caused damage to a house under construction in Parker.

In 1995…thunderstorm winds of unknown strength downed trees and branches…damaging a porch and nearby cars in Denver.

In 1998…hail to 7/8 inch in diameter fell near Keenesburg.

In 2000…this date marked the end of a near record hot streak for metro Denver. The high temperature at Denver International Airport equaled or exceeded the 90-degree mark for 17 consecutive days…from June 29th. This was one day short of equaling the all-time record. The record of 18 consecutive days was set in two different years…July 1st-18th…1874 and July 6th-23rd…1901.

In 2005…severe thunderstorms produced large hail over southeast metro Denver. Hail as large as 1.75 inches in diameter fell in southwest Aurora along with 7/8 inch hail in Centennial. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter was measured near Centennial Airport and near Watkins.

In 2015…A severe thunderstorm produced a peak wind gust to 60 mph from the northwest at Denver International Airport. In addition…0.06 inches of rainfall was also observed.

In 2016…large hail ranging in size from 1 to 2 inches in diameter struck Aurora…Castle Rock…Centennial…Greenwood Village and southeast Denver. The hail shattered windshields and caused extensive damage to vehicles.

15-16

In 2006…a brief mid-July hot spell resulted in two 100 plus degree high temperatures and two daily maximum temperature records. The high temperature climbed to 101 degrees on the 15th and 103 degrees on the 16th at Denver International Airport.

16

In 1911…thunderstorm winds were sustained to 44 mph from the northwest.

In 1959…a thunderstorm produced 3/8 inch diameter hail and a wind gust to 60 mph at Stapleton Airport.

In 1972…two tornadoes were sighted by the public to the southeast of Aurora. No damage was reported.

In 1978…a thunderstorm wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1980…a severe thunderstorm ripped through metro Denver… Producing torrential rain…large hail…and strong winds. In Aurora…winds gusted to 65 mph with hail up to 1 1/2 inches in diameter and half an inch of rain in just 10 minutes. Stapleton International Airport was closed for an hour. Large hail also fell in southeast Denver…Lakewood…Parker… And Castle Rock. Up to 1 1/2 inches of rain fell in just 40 minutes. Heavy rains in Wheat Ridge flooded a shopping center…breaking windows and doors…while causing 100 thousand dollars in damage. Some roofs and windows were damaged throughout metro Denver. At Stapleton International Airport where west winds gusted to 49 mph…1/4 inch hail and 0.77 inch of rain fell.

In 1983…severe thunderstorms dumped large hail over much of metro Denver. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell in Littleton and Northglenn…with 3/4 to 1 inch hail in Arvada…1 to 1 1/2 inch hail in extreme northwest Denver…1 3/4 inch hail in Lakewood…1 1/2 inch hail in south Arvada and just northeast of Aurora…and 1 5/8 inch hail on green mountain.

In 1994…spotters reported a brief tornado touchdown in an open field just north of Fort Lupton. No damage or injuries were reported.

In 2000…very moist and unstable weather conditions…along with low level upslope flow during the late afternoon and evening…combined to produce heavy thunderstorm rainfall… Which caused urban and small stream flooding across metro Denver. Rainfall amounts generally ranged from 1 to 3 inches with the heaviest rainfall occurring during the evening hours. Two miles east of white ranch in northern Jefferson County… An automated rain gage measured 3.86 inches of rain. Since the rain fell in a relatively open area…no flood damage was reported. However…in greenwood village near the intersection of Peoria and Belleview…the streets were closed for several hours with as much as 2 feet of standing water covering the roadways. Two campers near Mt. Evans were injured by lightning and stranded overnight by the inclement weather. Both received minor injuries.

In 2003…the high temperature of 101 degrees was a record maximum temperature for the date.

In 2004…locally heavy rainfall of unknown amount caused parts of the Virginia Canyon road near Idaho Springs to wash out. The road had to be closed temporarily.

In 2005…the temperature climbed to a high of 102 degrees at Denver International Airport. This was a new record maximum temperature for the date at the time.
16-18 in 1997…an extended hot spell resulted in 3 temperature records being set. The maximum temperature reached 98 degrees on each of the days…setting records on the 16th and 18th. The low temperature of 71 degrees on the 17th was a record high minimum for the date. The high temperature reached 100 degrees on the 17th at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

17

In 1872…the U.S. Army Signal Service weather observer recorded snowfall during the early morning hours in the hand written daily weather journal: “rain commenced at 1:30 a.m. changing about 3 a.m. to snow & in about half an hour to rain again; it continued until 6 a.m.” This is the only recorded occurrence of snowfall in Denver in July…but this report is not included in the “official” station snowfall records…which did not begin in Denver until January 1…1882. The low temperature on this morning was 45 degrees…which is sufficiently cold for the occurrence of light stratiform snowfall.

In 1918…a thunderstorm produced hail to an inch in depth on the ground. The stones varied in size from a small cherry stone to nearly 1/2 inch in diameter. Not much permanent damage was done to crops. Precipitation totaled 0.40 inch…and northeast winds were sustained to 25 mph with gusts to 28 mph.

In 1971…the temperature reached a high of 101 degrees at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1983…3/4 inch diameter hail fell at Lafayette…while golf ball size hail pelted Brighton and Northglenn where funnel clouds were also sighted.

In 1986…1 1/2 inches of rain fell in an hour and 15 minutes in southeastern Aurora. Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 0.89 inches at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1987…a small tornado was sighted near Watkins…in the vicinity of Front Range airport.

In 1997…lightning ignited an oil well tank holding 10 thousand gallons of oil…16 miles northwest of Bennett. About 200 acres of grassland burned before the fire could be extinguished. A dry microburst produced a wind gust to 52 mph at Denver International Airport.

In 2000…an estimated 2 inches of rain fell in less than an hour…causing two secondary roads in Buck and Miller gulches in the Hi Meadows fire burn area to wash out. Water also covered Jefferson County road 68 which connects to Bailey. Homeowners in Pine Valley Estates attempted to divert some of the runoff by piling stacks of hay on the hillside above their homes. Torrential rainfall…up to 3.50 inches an hour…caused flash flooding along whiskey gulch near Elizabeth. Several roads were washed out and basements flooded during the storm. Along County road 13… About 6 miles north-northwest of Elizabeth…rushing water washed away a 15-foot section of the road. The floodwaters forced debris and mud into four huge culverts…sending water over the road. At Denver International Airport…a United Airlines ground crew worker was struck by lightning as she was loading a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The woman was injured when lightning either hit the jet or the loading equipment that she was working near. The 25-year-old woman received only minor injuries.

In 2006…outflow from severe thunderstorms to the southeast of metro Denver produced southeast sustained winds to 35 mph with gusts as high as 52 mph at Denver International Airport during the late evening.

In 2011…a deluge of heavy rain occurred in and around Nederland when the storm dumped nearly 2 inches of rain in 30 minutes. The heavy rainfall washed out hillsides and dirt roads. In Nederland…a culvert became blocked with debris and forced the water to spread into a nearby bookstore. The rainfall also damaged several residential roads in the Sunnyside subdivision and Navajo Road became impassable. Several homes suffered flood damage as the runoff from a nearby Beaver Creek jumped its banks and flooded garages…living rooms and bedrooms of nearby houses.

In 2016…a severe thunderstorm produced hail up to one inch in diameter near Buckley Air Force Base.

18

In 1874…the temperature climbed to 90 degrees or more for the 18th consecutive day…setting a record. The record was equaled from July 6th through the 23rd in 1901.

In 1902…a thunderstorm produced northwest winds sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 48 mph along with rain and hail. Total precipitation was 0.53 inch.

In 1911…a shower produced north winds sustained to 44 mph.

In 1958…1 1/2 inch diameter hail fell 9 miles west-southwest of Stapleton Airport.

In 1981…a thunderstorm bombed Evergreen with about 2 inches of rain in 45 minutes. A heavy hailstorm left 5 to 7 inches of hail on the ground in some places and stopped the Colorado Open Golf Tournament at Hiwan.

In 1985…over 2 inches of rain doused the southwest suburbs of Denver. Street flooding occurred in the Montbello area of northeast Denver.

In 1992…nickel size hail fell across central Douglas County near Castle Rock and Sedalia. One inch diameter hail fell in Castle Rock.

In 1993…thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 mph at Strasburg east of Denver.

In 2004…heavy thunderstorm rainfall caused flooding over parts of the Virginia Canyon Road near Idaho Springs. Several sections of the roadway were washed out. The road was closed temporarily for repairs.

18-19

In 2003…heavy rain producing thunderstorms caused flash flooding across southern metro Denver. Automated rain gages measured 2 to 3 inches of rain in less than an hour. The heavy rainfall caused many intersections and underpasses to flood…stranding motorists. Sections of I-25 and I-225 were closed due to the high water.

18-2

In 1987…a streak of 16 consecutive days of 90 degrees ranked 4th on the list of hot streaks. The record of 24 consecutive days was established in the summer of 2008.

19

In 1875…recent heavy rains produced high waters on many creeks and rivers in the area…which threatened the destruction of property at some locations. Cherry Creek in the city was running the highest in 10 years. Heavy rain in the mining regions over the last 2 days resulted in water running “everywhere” and the suspension of some work.

In 1881…a thunderstorm passing across the city produced lightning with no rain. A woman was seriously injured when struck by lightning several blocks from the weather office in downtown Denver.

In 1934…the temperature reached a high of 100 degrees in downtown Denver.

In 1965…hail…rain…and lightning hit west metro Denver. Hail stones as large as 1 1/2 inches in diameter accumulated to a depth of 2 inches in Evergreen where 2.95 inches of rain in 2 hours caused some flooding in the business section of the town. Lightning caused some power outages.

In 1973…two funnel clouds were observed 5 miles southeast of Littleton. The same funnel clouds were observed for 20 minutes…5 miles west and 5 miles west-southwest of Arapahoe County airport…now Centennial Airport.

In 1975…lightning injured a man in Denver and caused power outages in Aurora…Lakewood…Westminster…and west Denver.

In 1984…strong thunderstorm winds gusting to 45 mph shattered 7 large plate glass windows at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1985…a tornado touched down in the Surrey Ridge area of northern Douglas County…just west of I-25. Ten homes were damaged; one under construction was nearly destroyed. Two vehicles were thrown off I-25 injuring three people. A pick-up truck was thrown 50 feet by the twister. In addition…a cluster of severe thunderstorms pounded all of metro Denver with torrential rain…hail…and wind. The heaviest rain fell in Aurora where one location reported 2.37 inches in just 40 minutes. One location in northeast Aurora received a total of 4.30 inches from the storm. There was extensive street and basement flooding…and a number of roads were damaged or washed out. An Aurora boy suffered minor injuries when he was washed into a drainage ditch. Golf ball size hail in Aurora piled up to 5 inches deep. An inch of rain fell in 20 minutes at Stapleton International Airport…closing it to air traffic for an hour. Up to 1 1/2 inches of rain fell in just 15 minutes over central Denver with the high water closing I-25. The water was so deep on the freeway…that one vehicle was completely submerged and people were diving into the water from the freeway overpass. Three homes in Littleton were damaged by lightning. Wind blew out several windows from a high rise apartment building in southeast Denver. Rainfall totaled 1.51 inches at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1997…torrential rain and damaging hail pummeled eastern sections of metro Denver. Hail up to 1.25 inches in diameter fell at the national weather service office on the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. The hail continued for about 15 minutes and accumulated to a depth of 2 to 3 inches…causing extensive damage to cars in the area. Heavy rainfall totaled 3.83 inches in about an hour from the nearly stationary thunderstorm. Numerous cars stalled along I-70…and several homes were flooded in east Denver. The roof of a building collapsed under the weight of the water. The next day several “fatalities” were discovered near the National Weather Service office; two prairie dogs were found dead along with three rabbits that either drowned or were killed by the large hail.

In 1999…lightning struck two residences in Littleton…but caused only minor damage. Lightning triggered a fire at a residence in cherry hills village. A small portion of the roof and ceiling were damaged before the fire could be extinguished.

In 2000…hail as large as 1.25 inches in diameter fell near Roggen northeast of Denver.

In 2004…heavy rainfall caused flooding on the Virginia Canyon Road near Idaho Springs…which had to be closed for repairs.

In 2006…the temperature climbed to a high of 100 degrees. The high temperature was not a record maximum for the date.

In 2007…a severe thunderstorm produced large hail…up to 1 inch in diameter…about 6 miles north of Northglenn.

In 2016…two men at the Indian Tree Golf Course in Arvada were struck by lightning when they sought shelter from a rapidly developing thunderstorm under a tree. One man died from his injuries while the other suffered minor injuries. Very heavy rainfall was observed across central and southern parts of Denver. The storm dropped around 1.5 inches of rainfall in 30 minutes and caused minor street flooding. Nickel size hail was reported west of Pine in central Jefferson County.

19-23

In 2005…the high temperature climbed above 100 degrees on each of the 5 days with readings of 101 on the 19th…105 on the 20th…104 on the 21st…and 102 on both the 22nd and 23rd. A new record maximum temperature for the month of July of 105 degrees was set on the 20th…which also equaled the all-time record maximum for Denver of 105 degrees first set on August 8th in 1878. Daily maximum temperature records were set on each day…and the 5 day period equaled the record for the most consecutive days of 100 degrees or more first set from July 4th through 8th in 1989. The intense heat resulted in a high use of electricity for cooling purposes. The demand for electric power exceeded the supply and rolling black-outs… Each lasting about an hour…were scheduled across metro Denver during the afternoons and early evenings.

20

In 1898…an apparent thunderstorm produced sustained northwest winds to 45 mph with gusts to 51 mph.

In 1939…the high temperature reached 102 degrees in downtown Denver. This was the highest temperature recorded since August 8…1878…a period of 61 years…and the third highest temperature of record at the time. Six miles to the east… At Denver municipal airport…the maximum temperature reached 104 degrees. A dry period during mid-July…combined with low relative humidities…resulted in an unusually large number of forest fires in the mountains west of Denver.

In 1941…an afternoon thunderstorm caused two lightning deaths. The men were struck by lightning near the Denver airport.

In 1951…a thunderstorm wind gust to 54 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport.

In 1965…heavy rain west of Denver damaged roads and bridges. Two bridges in Golden were washed out. Lightning in Denver caused some power failures and fires…mostly in the northeast section of the city. Heavy rain caused street flooding in the city of Denver. Hail as large as 1/2 inch in diameter and 0.40 inch of rain in 5 minutes were measured at Stapleton International Airport where precipitation totaled 1.09 inches. Lightning damaged a house in Littleton…and caused a power outage in Idaho Springs.

In 1973…lightning damage was reported west of Arvada.

In 1975…heavy rains caused flash flooding across metro Denver…resulting in the closing of several streets and damage to numerous homes and businesses. Hail 1/2 to 3/4 inch in diameter was reported.

In 1976…heavy thunderstorms caused flooding of streets in southeast Denver and western Arapahoe counties. A total of 3.35 inches of rain was measured at Kassler southwest of Littleton.

In 1978…a girl was injured by lightning at a country club southwest of Denver.

In 1984…heavy rain was reported just east of Buckley Field in Aurora where 1.15 inches fell in just 45 minutes.

In 1986…thunderstorms dumped heavy rain across metro Denver causing extensive street flooding…power outages…and basement flooding. The greatest recorded rainfall was 4.39 inches in Lakewood. In extreme northwest Denver…2.29 inches of rain fell in just 20 minutes. Arvada was drenched with 2.60 inches of rain…and over an inch fell in southeast Denver and adjacent sections of Aurora.

In 1990…heavy thunderstorm rains caused flash flooding in sections of Littleton where 1.20 inches of rain fell in less than 30 minutes. The deluge caused dry creek to jump its banks…causing damage to residential streets…curbs…and sidewalks. Nearly 100 vehicles were stranded for a time in fender-deep water when sewers and drainage ditches became choked with debris. The heavy runoff submerged many Littleton streets and intersections.

In 1992…strong thunderstorms moved slowly through east metro Denver…producing rainfall up to 2.50 inches in a short time. Weather spotters reported 0.75 to 1.00 inch of rain in less than 30 minutes. Many areas of southeast Denver were flooded…including I-25 where up to 6 feet of water filled some underpasses. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell in Aurora.

In 1995…a tornado touched down briefly in an open field near Strasburg. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 58 mph at Centennial Airport.

In 1996…strong thunderstorm winds damaged the building of a telephone installation company in the city of Denver.

In 1998…the high temperature reached 100 degrees at Denver International Airport.

In 2006…heavy rainfall in the overland wildfire burn area caused minor flash flooding in Jamestown. The roads behind the Jamestown fire hall were washed out…when a culvert was blocked by debris. A rockslide was also reported in town.

In 2009…a severe thunderstorm produced damaging winds…large hail and very heavy rain across the western and southern suburbs of Denver. Widespread damage was observed in the cities of Arvada…Lakewood and Wheat Ridge. The intense straightline winds were the result of a wet microburst which downed hundreds of trees and snapped power poles. Wind gusts to 80 mph were reported along with hail up to 1 3/4 inches in diameter. The combination of wind and hail caused widespread damage to homes and vehicles. The damage claim estimates totaled 350 million dollars; about 32900 claims were filed for homes…while another 19500 claims were filed for vehicles. As many as 90000 homes and businesses were left without power. In some areas it took up to 3 days to completely restore electrical service. Minor injuries were reported from broken glass during the storm…but no one was hospitalized. The storm crippled the computers at the Colorado crime information center in Lakewood for nearly 3 hours. One weak tornado touched down near Parker but did no damage. In southern weld County… Severe thunderstorms produced widespread damage over 150 square miles of farmland. In all…400 farms were directly impacted by severe weather. Damage to crops alone was estimated to 3 million dollars. At Denver International Airport…a peak wind gust to 48 mph was observed from the northeast. In addition…1.01 inches was measured at the airport.

In 2013…severe thunderstorms produced large hail…ranging in size from nickel to golfball…across portions of Arapahoe… Denver…Elbert and Weld Counties. In addition…damaging wind gusts to 60 mph snapped large tree branches in Thornton and 3 miles west-southwest of Buckley AFB. In Bennett…hail up to 1 1/2 inches in diameter was reported. At Denver International Airport…a peak wind gust to 58 mph was recorded from the northeast.

In 2017…a severe thunderstorm north of Elizabeth produced hail up to 1 inch in diameter. The hail completely covered the ground.

In 2019…a severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 60 mph at Centennial Airport. A thunderstorms produced a flash flood in southern Jefferson and southwest Denver counties. The flooding was particularly bad on southbound I-25 near 6th Avenue. One woman was rescued by a passerby in Lakewood when floodwaters began pouring into her car near Casa Bonita. Standing water up to 3 feet deep was observed on other streets in Lakewood. A homeless woman drowned near West 12th Avenue and Miller Street when she was swept away in the floodwaters. Her body was recovered the following day.

20-23

In 1961…unusually cool weather for July resulted in several temperature records. Record minimum temperatures were set or equaled on each day with readings of 51…51…49… And 49 degrees. High temperature of only 64 degrees on the 21st was a record low maximum for the date.

20-25

In 1965…heavy showers and thunderstorms doused metro Denver with significant rain each day. Rainfall for the six days totaled 5.16 inches at Stapleton International Airport. Massive rainfall occurred on the 20th…21st…and 25th… Flooding streets and basements and causing streams to overflow. The heaviest rainfall…2.05 inches…at Stapleton International Airport occurred on the 25th.