Severe weather is a fact of life in Colorado during the summer months and while August is historically relatively calm, that isn’t always the case. In our look back at this week in Denver weather history we see the dangers of lightning, incidents of large hail and flooding rains and even a tornado.
From the National Weather Service:
8-13
In 1875…clouds of grasshoppers were seen flying through the air on the prevailing winds during each day.
12-13
In 1975…heavy rains caused flash flooding along the foothills from Denver north. Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 1.56 inches at Stapleton International Airport.
In 2004…a brief cool spell resulted in two daily temperature records. The low temperature of 49 degrees was a record minimum for the 12th…as was the low temperature of 48 degrees on the 13th.
13
In 1959…thunderstorm winds gusted to 53 mph at Stapleton Airport.
In 1983…thunderstorms dumped torrential rain in Northglenn… Thornton…and Broomfield. Northglenn was drenched with 1.72 inches in 30 minutes. Street flooding was widespread. Hail…as large as 3/4 inch in diameter…was reported 7 miles northeast of Boulder along with heavy rain which caused some street flooding.
In 2000…lightning sparked 3 small grass fires near Golden. The fires were quickly contained. Hail as large as 3/4 inch in diameter fell in Castle Rock.
14
In 1960…a bolt of lightning struck a man in Henderson… Causing serious burns.
In 1962…the temperature climbed to a high of 100 degrees at Stapleton Airport.
In 1968…a young man on a golf course in Denver was injured when lightning struck a tree under which he was standing. Lightning caused minor damage to a house in Denver. Heavy thunderstorm rain caused local street flooding. One inch diameter hail fell at Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield.
In 1973…winds as high as 85 mph damaged 20 aircraft at the Arapahoe County airport…now centennial airport.
In 1977…three tornadoes were sighted in Bennett. A man suffered a broken leg when hit by a flying board. He was outside his camper home…which was destroyed. All windows were broken in a near-by farmhouse where some shingles were ripped off and a 2 car garage was knocked down. Several vehicles were damaged and a cat…some rabbits…and chickens were killed. A broken oar from a boat was driven into the side of a house. A mobile home was overturned. One old barn was destroyed. Half a dozen homes and several agricultural buildings were damaged just west of State Highway 79.
In 1978…high winds produced much blowing dust…causing many traffic accidents in the Denver-Boulder area. Winds gusts of 70 to 101 mph were recorded. Northwest winds gusted to 44 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1980…lightning hit two power poles in Littleton…causing 400 dollars in damage. Rainfall of 1.23 inches in a short time caused minor flooding…which included damage to a ground floor apartment and partially submerging a few vehicles in water. Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 0.98 inch at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1983…2.10 inches of rain drenched Golden in an hour with similar amounts in Lakewood and Boulder. Over ten thousand dollars worth of plants were washed away at a nursery in Lakewood.
In 1997…twelve motorists were injured in a multi-car accident when strong microburst winds estimated to 50 mph blew blinding dust across I-70 near Bennett.
In 1998…lightning struck a hydro-electric plant in Nederland… Causing a power outage. Residents in the foothills west of Boulder…including Nederland…Ward…Eldora…Jamestown… And Gold Hill…were without power for about an hour.
In 2006…heavy thunderstorm rainfall near Deckers washed away some the banks along State Highway 67 between Deckers and Westcreek. Several driveways on both sides of the highway were also damaged.
15
In 1899…a thunderstorm produced southwest sustained winds to 43 mph with gusts to 46 mph.
In 1972…a pilot reported a funnel cloud briefly touching the ground in open fields…17 miles east-northeast of Stapleton International Airport.
In 1980…thunderstorm winds gusted to 55 mph in Boulder.
In 1982…brief heavy rain and winds estimated as high as 70 mph occurred in the conifer-Evergreen area. No damage was reported.
In 1990…lightning triggered a small attic fire in a house near Sedalia…20 miles south of Denver. A furious lightning storm caused widespread power outages across southern sections of metro Denver. One lightning bolt knocked out an electrical substation…causing a 90-minute blackout in southeast Denver affecting nearly 10 thousand homes and businesses.
In 2007…severe thunderstorms produced large hail…up to 2 inches in diameter…near larkspur. Extensive damage to vehicles in the area was reported.
In Parker…lightning struck a residence. The ensuing fire damaged the attic and top floor; causing $100000 in property damage.
In 2008…at least three homes were hit by lightning during the early morning hours in Arapahoe County. Lightning also struck two homes in Castle Rock…damaging the roofs.
16
In 1902…a thunderstorm produced west winds sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 60 mph…but only a trace of rain.
In 1952…a thunderstorm wind gust to 50 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport.
In 1960…lightning struck a warehouse in central Denver… Causing 8 thousand dollars in damage to the building and stored electrical equipment.
In 1975…large hail…1 1/2 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter…fell about 4 miles north of Castle Rock. Hail caused some minor damage in Aurora. A funnel cloud was reported 25 miles east of Denver near Bennett.
In 1981…a tornado touched down briefly in open country just to the east of Aurora. No damage was reported.
In 1982…a thunderstorm wind gust to 61 mph was recorded at Buckley Field in Aurora. At the same time almost an inch of rain flooded and closed streets in south Aurora. A women was hit by lightning just north of Denver. A house in the area was also struck.
In 1985…a thunderstorm produced strong wind gusts over southern metro Denver. One strong wind gust hit Cheery Creek Reservoir…capsizing a boat and drowning a man. The wind gusts…clocked as high as 50 mph…also downed a few trees.
In 1989…1 3/4 inch diameter hail fell at Intercanyon in the foothills of Jefferson County.
In 1990…lightning caused minor damage to a south Aurora home. No injuries were reported.
In 1994…strong thunderstorm winds caused damage in southern weld County near Hudson and Fort Lupton. Two mobile homes were destroyed and a few lost their roofs. Up to 20 downed power poles and the destruction of two 115 thousand-volt towers caused widespread power outages. Thunderstorm gust front winds from the north gusted to 48 mph at Stapleton International Airport.
In 2000…lightning ripped most of the roof from a home in southeast Aurora. The bolt sparked a fire which destroyed the residence. Damage was estimated at 250 thousand dollars.
In 2002…the temperature climbed to a maximum of 100 degrees setting a new record high for the date.
In 2003…a teenager was injured when he was struck by lightning while camping at Herman Lake…13 miles northwest of Georgetown. The boy was knocked unconscious and suffered minor injuries.
In 2013…a dry microburst uprooted 30 to 40 large trees across a 12-block area of the Park Hill neighborhood in east central Denver. Several trees were snapped near the base along with numerous branches…8 to 10 inches in diameter. Power poles and lines were also downed with resulted in outages which affected seven hundred residents. One of the downed trees crushed a car`s hood… narrowly missing the driver. At Denver International Airport…a peak wind gust of 22 mph was observed from the southwest.
Continue reading August 13 to August 19: This week in Denver weather history
