June 24 to June 30: This week in Denver weather history

This week in Denver weather history
June 24 to June 30: This week in Denver weather history

This year the weather in June has been most notable for its heat. That however is far less common than severe weather conditions with lightning, tornadoes and hail. All of these we see in our look back at this week in Denver weather history.

From the National Weather Service:

22-26

In 2012…the maximum temperature exceeded 100 degrees for five consecutive days. Two of the high temperatures on the 25th and 26th peaked at 105 degrees…which set the all time record for the month of June and tied the all time maximum temperature for Denver.

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In 1873…there was a great deal of smoke from a fire in the mountains to the southwest of the city during the late afternoon.

In 1875…smoke from forest fires in the mountains to the southwest could plainly be seen from the city.

In 1958…a strong cold front produced a north wind gust to 55 mph at Stapleton Airport where blowing dust briefly reduced the visibility to 1 mile.

In 1982…one inch diameter hail pelted west Denver. A half inch of rain drenched the suburb of Englewood in 10 minutes. Hail piled up to 5 inches deep…snarling rush hour traffic and damaging some stores in a shopping center when the roof started leaking.

In 1988…lightning destroyed the chimney of a house near Evergreen. Another bolt demolished a radio transmitter in the area.

In 1989…golf ball size hail cut a swath 2 1/2 miles wide through open country 14 miles southwest of Bennett. The storm also dropped 1.75 inches of rain on the area. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter damaged the car of a storm chaser just south of Bennett.

In 1996…a funnel cloud was sighted near Hudson where hail up to 1 3/4 inch diameter fell. Lightning struck a home in Littleton…which sparked a small fire on the roof. Thunderstorm wind gusts to 64 mph were recorded in Castle Rock.

In 2005…severe thunderstorms produced large hail across metro Denver. Hail as large as 1 inch in diameter fell near Castle Rock and Thornton. Hail to 3/4 inch was measured near Northglenn and Fort Lupton.

In 2006…severe thunderstorms raked metro Denver. Hail as large as 2 1/2 inches in diameter shattered automobile windshields in and near Boulder. Hail to 1 3/4 inches pounded areas in and near Lakewood and Morrison. Hail to 1 inch was measured in Wheat Ridge along with 7/8 inch hail in Arvada. Severe thunderstorm wind gusts estimated to 69 mph snapped power lines for a distance of one quarter mile near Castle Rock. Severe thunderstorm winds were measured to 60 mph in Sedalia. Hail as large as 1 inch in diameter fell near Evergreen and Castle Rock. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter was reported in Louviers and near Conifer.

In 2014…damaging hail…from 1 to 2 inches in diameter…caused extensive damage to homes and automobiles over parts of Arapahoe and Douglas Counties including areas in and near: Aurora-Cherry Creek…Buckley Air Force Base…Denver International Airport and Parker. Officially…0.06 inches of rain fell at Denver International Airport…with a peak wind gust of 33 mph from the southeast.

In 2015…two colliding outflow boundaries merged over east Denver and northwest Aurora at the height of rush hour. The collision quickly spawned a severe thunderstorm that produced an EF1 tornado…damaging hail…torrential rain and flash flooding. The tornado touched down in east Denver and west Aurora. The tornado first touched down near Quebec and 6th Avenue. It then moved east northeast across the Lowry Campus into the west part of Aurora. The tornado then lifted near Mount Nebo Memorial Park. Some homes had minor roof damage with one former apartment building on the Lowry Campus had more significant roof damage. The tornado and intense thunderstorm winds uprooted trees…damaging vehicles and blocking roads. The storm produced torrential rain…2 to 2.5 inches…much of which fell in less than 30 minutes and resulted in flooded intersections and power outages. Flash flooding forced the evacuation of a theater at the Cherry Creek Shopping Center…where drifts of hail formed in the parking lot…and flooding set off alarms at the University of Denver`s Ritchie Center. Numerous water rescues were reported as vehicles stalled flooded intersections. Many stoplights were knocked out. The water was reportedly 3 feet deep on the South Broadway ramp to Interstate 25. The bike path along Cherry Creek was inundated with several feet of water at the height of the storm. Ironically…it was “Bike to Work Day”…which made for a long commute home for many. The South Platte River crested above flood stage for one hour. Employees still at work were urged to stay inside but others waded across flooded intersections downtown. About 30 flights had to be diverted from Denver International Airport. At Denver International Airport… only 0.05 inches of rain fell. A peak wind gust to 47 mph was observed from the southeast.

25

In 1873…forest fires produced a great deal of smoke in the mountains to the southwest of the city.

In 1958…an unusually cold day for summer set two temperature records for the date. Under cloudy skies with occasional drizzle…a record low maximum temperature of 55 degrees was established along with a record minimum temperature of 42 degrees.

In 1959…a waitress…working at a kitchen sink…was injured by a bolt of lightning…which struck the rear of a tavern in Denver. She was hospitalized.

In 1971…a tornado touched down briefly at a high school football field in Brighton…but caused no damage.

In 1981…3/4 inch hail pelted wheat ridge and hail to 1 1/4 inches fell in Louisville. A brief funnel cloud was sighted by national weather service personnel 4 miles east of Stapleton International Airport.

In 1982…a bolt of lightning struck a cabin in the foothills west of Denver. The resulting fire totally destroyed the cabin.

In 1987…golf ball size hail fell near Bennett.

In 1988…a tornado touched down 1 mile south of Watkins and was on the ground for 4 minutes. Another tornado was spotted just southeast of Barr Lake and was on the ground for 5 minutes. No damage was reported from either tornado. Lightning struck two rock climbers near Eldorado Springs. A 25-year-old man was killed…and a 21-year-old man suffered extensive injuries. Thunderstorm winds knocked over two elm trees near downtown Denver. One fell on a house destroying most of it. A nearby building was unroofed…and two cars were damaged. A truck that had been severely damaged by one of the Denver tornadoes 10 days before was hit again. Thunderstorm wind gusts to 51 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1991…the temperature reached a high of 100 degrees… Setting a new record for the date.

In 1997…one inch diameter hail fell in Arvada and 1 1/2 inch hail in Boulder. Hail as large as 3/4 inches fell in Denver…Louisville…Westminster…and near Broomfield.

In 1999…thunderstorm winds gusted to 58 mph near Fort Lupton toppling an oil rig. A 37-year-old man was killed when he fell 55 feet from the derrick of the rig.

In 2001…four golfers and one construction worker received minor injuries from a nearby lightning strike on the Broadlands Golf Course in Broomfield.

In 2002…hail to 1 inch in diameter was measured in greenwood village.

In 2005…hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell near Bennett and Roggen. A thunderstorm wind gust to 61 mph was recorded near Golden.

In 2009…lightning struck the Darlington prismatic electric fountain in City Park’s lake. The damage was estimated to be approximately $25000.

In 2010…wind gusts associated with a dry microburst downed several trees in the vicinity of 14th and federal…and near Bayaud St. and Clarkson St. in Denver. At Denver International Airport…a peak wind gust to 45 mph was observed from the southwest.

In 2015…severe thunderstorms developed late in the afternoon and continued in the late evening hours. The storms moved over parts of Adams…Arapahoe…Douglas and Weld Counties. The largest hail occurred near Aurora and Keenseburg…with hail up to tennis ball size or 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Elsewhere…the hail size ranged from nickel to half dollar size. At Denver International Airport…just a trace of rainfall was observed. A peak wind gust of 31 mph was also observed from the east.

25-26

In 1969…high winds raked Boulder causing one fatality and some injuries. One man was injured by a falling tree limb. At the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder… Sustained winds of 55 to 60 mph with wind gusts to 123 mph were recorded.

In downtown Boulder…winds averaged 30 to 40 mph with gusts to 70 mph. Widespread minor damage occurred… Especially in the Table Mesa area of south Boulder. Much tree damage occurred in the older areas of Boulder where several trees were uprooted. A mobile home was overturned by the winds. At Stapleton Airport…west winds gusted to 43 mph on the 25th and 37 mph on the 26th.

In 1975…strong winds damaged utility lines…buildings… Vehicles…trees…and power lines in Boulder and other communities to the north of Boulder. Microburst winds gusted to 45 mph at Stapleton International Airport on the 25th.

In 1983…heavy rain fell in the foothills west of Denver with 1.50 inches in 30 minutes at Intercanyon. Heavy rain continued over metro Denver on the 26th with two-day storm totals at many locations ranging from 1.00 to 2.50 inches. Rainfall totaled 1.37 inches at Stapleton International Airport on the 26th.

In 1985…one to two inches of rain fell over metro Denver. At Stapleton International Airport…rainfall totaled 0.93 inches…thunderstorm winds gusted to 44 mph…and 7/10 inch hail was measured. The air mass was unusually cold for the season…and snow fell in the foothills above 8 thousand feet. The high temperature of only 63 degrees on the 26th equaled the record low maximum reading for the date.

In 2012…Denver broke the all-time record temperature for the month of June on the 25th when it reached 105 degrees. This also tied the all-time record maximum temperature in Denver. The maximum temperature of 105 degrees was then matched once more on the 26th. Sandwiched in between these records…the minimum temperature of 71 on the morning of the 26th…established a new record high minimum for the date.

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In 1873…there was a great deal of smoke from a large forest fire in the mountains to the southwest of the city and a smaller fire directly to the west.

In 1874…fires at timberline to the west were visible from the city. New and extensive fires were continually started from south to northwest along the ridge line. Carelessness of tourists was the apparent cause of the fires. Large and valuable tracts of timber had already been destroyed.

In 1890…the only thunderstorm of the month produced a trace of rain. A trace of rain also fell on 7 other days. This was the only precipitation recorded during the month… Making it the driest June on record.

In 1893…northwest winds were sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 48 mph.

In 1971…a microburst wind gust to 58 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport. Dust devils were sighted.

In 1980…strong gusty thunderstorm winds damaged several mobile homes in Thornton. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 37 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1986…hail piled up 1 1/2 inches deep in Golden Gate Canyon and covered roadways an inch deep in Evergreen.

In 1988…a tornado touched down 2 miles north of Watkins. It was on the ground for 15 minutes and did no reported damage.

In 1989…two inch diameter hail fell at Kassler…1 inch hail at Louviers…and 1 1/2 inch hail at tiny town.

In 1991…high winds…not associated with thunderstorms… Damaged a home in the Green Mountain area. The strong winds picked up a heavy metal and glass table on the deck of a house and threw it into the house. The table was destroyed and the house received considerable damage.

In 1992…3/4 inch diameter hail fell in south Aurora and near Buckley Air National Guard base. Golf ball size hail was reported in Parker.

In 1994…the all-time highest recorded temperature in June and the second highest temperature ever recorded in Denver… 104 degrees occurred. This was the hottest day in Denver since August 8…1878…when the temperature reached 105 degrees.

In 2005…strong thunderstorm winds gusting to 58 mph damaged a garage and some nearby trees near Fort Lupton. Winds also gusted to 58 mph near Watkins. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 mph near Roggen. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter was measured in southwest Aurora.

In 2009…severe thunderstorms moving through Denver and the surrounding metro area produced intense thunderstorm winds. At Denver International Airport…a wind gust blew a luggage car into a southwest airlines airplane causing some damage. Peak wind gusts included: 68 mph at Denver International Airport…4 miles west of rocky mountain metropolitan airport and 12.5 miles north of Lowry AFB; 64 mph near Arvada and Parker; and 60 mph in Aurora/cherry.

In 2014…a severe thunderstorm produced a peak wind gust to 58 mph…9 miles northeast of Denver International Airport. Officially…a peak wind gust to 54 mph was measured from the northeast with just a trace of rainfall.

26-27

In 1965…wind gusts to 38 mph were recorded in downtown Boulder…causing widespread minor damage. A microburst wind gust to 41 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

27

In 1873…Pikes Peak was hidden from view by smoke from forest fires in the mountains to the southwest of the city.

In 1927…the temperature cooled to a low of only 72 degrees… The all-time record high minimum for the month.

In 1980…lightning injured 4 people on a baseball diamond in Broomfield. The bolt seriously injured the pitcher while also striking (out) the batter…catcher and second baseman.

In 1987…a microburst wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1990…the temperature reached a high of 102 degrees… Setting a new record maximum for the date.

In 1993…thunderstorm winds gusted to 60 mph across parts of metro Denver. A wind gust to 50 mph blew over a 30-foot canvas tent at an amusement park southeast of Denver. Fifteen people…mostly children…were injured. Microburst wind gusts to 33 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

In 2002…heavy rain…up to 3/4 inch…fell across sections of the Hayman burn area near Cheeseman Reservoir. Several forest service roads were washed out and many culverts were plugged by debris.

In 2004…heavy rain producing thunderstorms caused rock and mud slides across the overland fire burn area in Jamestown. An estimated 50 tons of sand…dirt…rock…and ash slid into town…filling a culvert under main street. The slide covered 150 to 225 feet of Main Street. The flood was produced by half an inch of rain in 30 minutes. A deluge of very heavy rainfall from nearly stationary thunderstorms caused flooding and flash flooding problems over parts of Jefferson and Douglas counties. An automated rain gage in Golden measured 3.60 inches of rainfall in one hour. Numerous homes were flooded in Golden…including one that was 146 years old. The home was listed as a complete loss. State Highway 93 had to be closed from the pine ridge subdivision to the Golden Gate Canyon road. At the height of the storm…about 4 feet of water covered State Highway 93 through Golden… Forcing its temporary closure. Several intersections were also flooded and impassable. Rock and mud slides were reported in Golden Gate Canyon state park. At the deer creek golf course at Colorado 470 and Kipling…the greens were completely inundated by floodwaters. Some backyards near the golf course were partially washed out. In Douglas County…water up to a foot deep covered the roadways in Roxborough State Park. The Waterton Canyon road also had to be closed due to high water.

In 2010…a severe thunderstorm produced hail up to 1 inch in diameter near Strasburg. Hail up to 3/4 inch in diameter was reported in Aurora and Buckley Air Field.

In 2014…a severe thunderstorm produced hail…up to 1 inch in diameter…near Ft. Lupton.

28

In 1873…there was a great deal of smoke over the city from forest fires in the mountains.

In 1875…smoke from forest fires in the foothills south of Denver were visible from the city.

In 1913…an apparent dry microburst produced southwest winds sustained to 44 mph with gusts to 48 mph in the city.

In 1925…a thunderstorm produced north winds sustained to 38 mph with gusts to 44 mph.

In 1958…a microburst caused a brief wind gust to 58 mph at Stapleton Airport.

In 1964…lightning struck several homes in metro Denver… sparking fires. Some flooding occurred in the stockyards area…at west 45th avenue and St. Paul Street…and along Harvard Gulch.

In 1997…strong microburst winds of unknown speed downed several trees…signs…and at least one light pole in the Fort Lupton area. Two trees knocked over by the storm downed power lines causing scattered outages.

In 2002…a thunderstorm wind gust to 60 mph was recorded in Parker.

In 2005…severe thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 66 mph near Longmont and to 60 mph near Niwot. No damage was reported. A thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 55 mph at Denver International Airport during the afternoon.

In 2015…a lightning strike injured 15 hikers as they were descending 500 feet below the summit of Mt Bierstadt…in Clear Creek County…south of Georgetown. Eight adults were were transported from the trailhead…and three of those were taken to Denver-area hospitals. One was in serious condition…the other two had non-life threatening injuries. The strike also killed a dog. Severe thunderstorms produced hail up to 1 1/2 inches in diameter…7 miles southwest of Byers…and 1 1/4 inches in diameter…13 miles north of Elizabeth.

In 2016…severe thunderstorms produced hail…from quarter to ping ball size…over northwest…west and southwest parts of Denver. In addition hail up to quarter size was also reported just southeast of Denver International Airport. Officially only a trace of rainfall was measured at the airport…with a peak wind gust of 35 mph from the west.

29

In 1874…eight different fires in mountain forests were visible from the city. All of the fires were extensive… And the volume of smoke from each was immense. Three of these fires had been burning from the 18th with varied intensity.

In 1911…an apparent dry microburst produced sustained winds to 45 mph.

In 1960…a strong gust of wind blew a small foreign sedan off the highway near Brighton…injuring the driver. East winds gusted to 40 mph at Stapleton Airport.

In 1961…thunderstorm winds estimated as high as 40 to 50 mph occurred over southeast Denver. No significant damage was reported.

In 1962…heavy rain and small hail caused some flooding in southwest Denver.

In 1995…upslope cloudiness with rain and fog cooled temperatures to record levels. Low temperature of 47 degrees equaled the record for the date. High temperature of only 54 degrees set a new record low maximum for the date. Rainfall totaled 0.90 inch at Denver International Airport and 0.41 inch at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

In 2003…a severe thunderstorm in Parker produced hail to 1 inch in diameter.

In 2011…two airmen from the Colorado national guard suffered minor injuries when they were struck by lightning. They were hit while on duty at a flight line at Buckley Air Force Base. At Denver International Airport…a microburst produced a peak wind gust to 72 mph.

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In 1990…almost a year to date after the record breaking heat in early July 1989…the third longest heat wave in Denver history started. From June 29th through July 2nd the temperature reached 100 degrees or more on four consecutive days. The highest reading of 102 degrees occurred on the 29th…30th…and 1st. Combined with the 102 degree reading on June 27th this would have been the longest heat wave on record…but the temperature climbed to only 98 degrees on June 28th.

29-15

In 2000…the 29th marked the beginning of a near record hot streak for metro Denver. The high temperatures…as recorded at Denver International Airport…exceeded the 90 degree mark for 17 consecutive days from June 29th through July 15th. The record of 24 consecutive 90 degree or above days was set from July 13th through August 5th…2008.

30

In 1879…dense smoke from mountain forest fires covered the city and obscured the sun as it set behind the mountains.

In 1900…a thunderstorm produced northwest winds to 44 mph with gusts to 58 mph…but only a trace of rain.

In 1917…north winds were sustained to 47 mph with gusts to 52 mph.

In 1942…a strong thunderstorm produced hail and heavy rainfall in south Denver. Leaves were stripped from trees and heavy rain caused street flooding which halted traffic. Hail of unknown size reached a depth of 9 inches on the ground.

In 1965…funnel clouds were observed to the south of Stapleton International Airport and in Jefferson County…15 miles southwest of the airport. Later…a tornado touched down briefly 1 mile east of Littleton…causing only minor damage. Another tornado was observed 12 miles southwest of Stapleton International Airport in Jefferson County. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell in the bear valley area…12 miles south- southwest of Stapleton International Airport. Yet another tornado was sighted 10 miles northwest of the airport. Cloudbursts accompanied by hail battered areas of Arapahoe and Adams counties east of Denver…damaging ripening grain fields. At Lafayette…3.50 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes…causing some flooding.

In 1982…numerous funnel clouds were observed over southwest metro Denver. Only one funnel touched down near the intersection of Jewell and Kipling. The tornado was on the ground for about 5 minutes and caused no damage except for uprooting some trees.

In addition…thunderstorms produced heavy rain and hail in the foothills west of Denver. Over an inch of rain fell in a short time near Idaho Springs… Causing clear creek to overflow its banks and flood a few low lying areas of the town. A few people were evacuated… And water and mud entered several stores. The heavy rain also washed out several roads. Hail piled up to a depth of 3 to 4 inches near Idaho Springs. Hail to 3/4 inch was reported at many places across metro Denver including Stapleton International Airport. Lightning struck a chemistry building on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder and started a small fire. Thunderstorm wind gusts to 60 mph were reported near Brighton.

In 1984…heavy rain caused some street and basement flooding in Littleton. One location received 1.56 inches of rain in 75 minutes.

In 1987…a weak tornado near Watkins stayed on the ground for 5 minutes.

In 1990…a small twister touched down in an open field just north of the rocky mountain arsenal. No damage was reported.

In 1998…hail as large as 1 inch in diameter fell near Evergreen.

In 2005…a severe thunderstorm produced hail as large as 3/4 inch near Roggen. The hail destroyed a wheat field.

In 2006…the temperature reached a high of 98 degrees at Denver International Airport. This marked the 19th day in June with a maximum temperature of 90 degrees or more setting a new all-time record for the month.

In 2011…very strong thunderstorm winds were also observed across portions of the urban corridor. A peak wind gust to 65 mph was recorded…2 miles northeast of Boulder with a gust to 63 mph at Front Range airport at Watkins and 7 miles southeast of Denver International Airport. The peak wind gust measured at Denver International Airport itself was 45 mph. A severe thunderstorm also produced one inch in diameter hail 2 miles south-southeast of Parker. In addition…a lightning strike destroyed a home in north Denver.

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In 1873…heavy rainfall overnight totaled 1.42 inches. Mountain peaks to the southwest of the city were covered with fresh snow on the morning of the 1st.

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