Monsoon season in Colorado typically brings short-lived but heavy rains. These can result in flash flooding and we see that in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. Also notable are the number of lightning deaths and injuries as well as hail events and even a swarm of grasshoppers!
8
In 1874…swarms of grasshoppers invaded the city. Millions of them were seen cruising through the air. The insects were apparently picked up by a thunderstorm gust front and carried into the city. The grasshoppers had ravaged crops in surrounding counties for the last month.
In 1878…the highest temperature ever recorded in Denver…105 degrees…occurred at 3:20 pm. This temperature was equaled on July 20th in 2005.
In 1969…the temperature reached 100 degrees at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1976…in Thornton…a 13 year old boy riding a bicycle was struck and killed by lightning.
In 2000…lightning struck three homes in central Arapahoe County east of Denver. Damage was estimated at 47 thousand dollars.
In 2003…hail to 1 inch in diameter pelted Denver. Hail to 7/8 inch was measured in Boulder.
In 2008…heavy rain also caused flash flooding over south Denver and its nearby suburbs. Heavy rain…from 2.5 to 4 inches…fell in less than 90 minutes. Firefighters rescued 20 people as the water quickly rose along creeks…flooded roadways…and stranded motorists. Three people had to be rescued along Cherry Creek when the bike path flooded. In Evergreen…a man suffered minor injuries when he was struck by lightning. It entered his finger…traveled down his body… And exited his foot.
8-10
In 1979…heavy thunderstorm rains on each of three consecutive days dumped a total of 2.22 inches of rain at Stapleton International Airport. The heaviest rain… 0.95 inches…fell on the 9th. Small hail to 1/8 inch diameter fell on the 8th.
8-13
In 1875…clouds of grasshoppers were seen flying through the air on the prevailing winds during each day.
9
In 1900…a thunderstorm produced west winds sustained to 47 mph with gusts to 55 mph…but only 0.01 inch of rain.
In 1902…a thunderstorm produced no rain and north winds sustained to 52 mph with gusts to 60 mph.
In 1934…heavy cloudbursts in the foothills near Kittredge and at the head of Mount Vernon Creek caused flash flooding on both Bear Creek and Mount Vernon Creek at Morrison… Which resulted in 6 deaths and much property damage. The highway in Mount Vernon Canyon was destroyed by the flood waters.
In 1981…3/4 inch hail fell at Kittredge near Evergreen in Jefferson County.
In 1987…3/4 inch hail fell in Boulder and 9 miles northwest of Castle Rock.
In 1995…lightning struck a 16-year-old counselor in the back of the head while he and a friend were standing under a tree at the singing river ranch…7 miles west of Evergreen. He stopped breathing…but his friend was able to summon help and they were able to revive him. He was hospitalized for a few days and released.
In 1998…brief…weak tornadoes (f0) were sighted near Bennett and Roggen. No damage was reported. Hail as large as 1 inch diameter fell in Franktown with 3/4 inch diameter hail measured near Castle Rock. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 61 mph near Roggen.
9-10
In 2006…mid and high cloudiness overnight on both days resulted in two temperature records. The low temperature of 71 degrees on the 9th was a record high minimum for the date. The low temperature of 68 degrees on the 10th equaled the record high minimum for the date first set in 1936.
10
In 1924…0.01 inch of rain fell over downtown Denver. This along with the 0.01 inch of rainfall on the 4th was the only rainfall of the month…making this the driest August on record in the city.
In 1962…the high temperature reached 100 degrees at Stapleton Airport.
In 1970…hail stones to 1 inch in diameter were reported in the Fort Lupton area.
In 1972…dry thunderstorm microburst winds gusting to 46 mph briefly reduced the surface visibility to 3/4 mile in blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport.
In 1978…lightning struck two men in Aurora…killing one and injuring the other.
In 1982…a tornado was sighted near Castle Rock and remained on the ground for 10 minutes. Wind gusts to 60 mph were reported in Castle Rock. No damage was reported.
In 1994…heavy thunderstorm rains caused flash flooding on Lena Gulch in west metro Denver. Damage was estimated at 50 thousand dollars. Lightning struck a house in Westminster…causing a small attic fire.
In 1996…strong thunderstorm winds toppled a tent at a company picnic in Westminster. Five people received minor injuries when the tent collapsed. Two cars nearby were also damaged by flying debris. A weak tornado (f0)…first sighted near Denver International Airport…traveled east to near Bennett and Strasburg. No significant damage was reported.
In 1998…heavy rain caused flooding and flash flooding problems over southwest metro Denver. An observer in Lakewood measured 3.26 inches of rainfall in an hour. Several streets were flooded in central Lakewood. In addition…a trailer park along Lena Gulch in Wheat Ridge was evacuated due to high waters. One inch diameter hail fell near Roggen.
In 1999…thunderstorm-producing tornadoes…damaging straight line winds…heavy rain…and hail hammered metro Denver. In the city…small hail and heavy rainfall…up to 2.50 inches an hour…caused a 20-foot by 50-foot section of the roof to collapse at a furniture warehouse. Damage to the warehouse was estimated at 1 million dollars. Heavy rain also flooded several underpasses with up to 3 feet of water…which resulted in a number of stalled vehicles. In Fort Lupton…a tornado bounced across the area. Spotty damage was reported along a 5-mile path as trees…power poles…and lines were downed. In addition…an empty semi-trailer was overturned onto another vehicle northeast of the town. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 81 mph south of Fort Lupton.
In 2004…severe thunderstorms pummeled metro Denver with large hail. Hail up to 3 inches in diameter was measured 10 miles east of Castle Rock. Two inch diameter hail fell in Louisville…10 miles north of Hudson…and 1 mile east of Brighton. Hail to 1.75 inches was reported in Englewood… 1 mile south of Ft. Lupton…and 8 miles east of Boulder. Hail to 1.50 inches was reported around Boulder…near Broomfield…and in Lafayette…Thornton and Greenwood Village. Hail from 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter was found in Broomfield… Brighton…Castle Rock…Denver and Thornton…and near Longmont… Northglenn…Greenwood Village…Morrison…and Wheat Ridge. Severe thunderstorm wind gusts were recorded to 66 mph in Parker and to 60 mph 5 miles northeast of Boulder. There were no damage estimates from the hail or wind.
11
In 1872…fog was very dense until about 8:00 am. There was water dripping from the roofs of houses as if it had rained. The rain gage showed 0.01 inch of moisture…even though there had been no rainfall.
In 1927…an apparent dry microburst produced only a trace of rain and brief northwest winds sustained to 34 mph with gusts to 44 mph.
In 1980…hail up to golf ball size caused some roof and car damage in the southern part of Aurora.
In 1990…lightning ignited a storage tank filled with 10 thousand gallons of crude oil in a farmer’s field near Dacono…25 miles north of Denver. Flames shot to 40 feet high for nearly 2 hours before being extinguished. A lightning bolt also struck 21 miles north of Denver at an Erie fire station…causing extensive damage to the gas meter and electrical system. The sudden power surge blew out the station’s television set…a refrigerator…and a pop machine. Small fires spread throughout the structure… Totally destroying the building’s electrical wiring. The fires were quickly extinguished by the in-resident fire fighters. Golf ball size hail was reported in Denver near the intersection of Santa Fe Drive and I-25.
In 1992…dime size hail fell in Westminster.
In 1994…strong thunderstorms produced large hail across northwest and north metro Denver. One inch diameter hail fell in Brighton with 3/4 inch hail reported in Westminster and at Indian Hills in the foothills west of Denver. Lightning struck a house in Arvada. The resulting fire destroyed one-third of the house. Funnel clouds were sighted over Westminster.
In 1997…large hail…strong winds…and torrential rains hammered portions of Lakewood and south Denver. Nearly 1 inch of rain fell in the span of 10 minutes in south Denver with a storm total of 1.81 inches. Street flooding was extensive as gutters and other drainage systems in the area were clogged by hail…piled several inches deep…and other debris. Strong thunderstorm winds to 50 mph and large hail accompanied by heavy rain caused extensive damage to cars…homes…and businesses. Several trees were downed by the strong winds…and trees were stripped of their leaves by hail. A water lily exhibition on display at the Denver Botanic Gardens was heavily damaged. Final estimates of the damage included 60 million dollars to automobiles and an additional 68 million dollars to homes and businesses. Hail to 1 1/2 inches in diameter fell in south Denver with 3/4 to 1 inch hail in Lakewood. A man received minor injuries in Aurora when he was struck by lightning while talking on the telephone.
In 2003…hail to 3/4 inch in diameter was measured in Aurora near Cherry Creek.
In 2012…a severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 60 mph at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport.
Continue reading August 8 to August 14: This week in Denver weather history →
