{"id":18701,"date":"2018-05-21T04:39:56","date_gmt":"2018-05-21T10:39:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=18701"},"modified":"2018-05-23T05:25:54","modified_gmt":"2018-05-23T11:25:54","slug":"may-20-to-may-26-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/weather-history\/may-20-to-may-26-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-2\/","title":{"rendered":"May 20 to May 26: This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"This<\/a>
May 20 to May 26: This week in Denver weather history<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If history is a teacher, our look back at this week in Denver weather history should provide great instruction on the dangers severe weather presents in our history. It was eight\u00a0years ago this week that the infamous Windsor tornado tore through the area killing one man and damaging hundreds of homes.<\/p>\n

From the National Weather Service:<\/p>\n

18-20<\/p>\n

In 1915\u20263.9 inches of snow fell in the city. The estimated amount of snow that melted as it fell was 6.2 inches which would have totaled an estimated 10.1 inches of snowfall. Precipitation totaled 1.03 inches. North winds were sustained to 32 mph on the 18th. Low temperatures dipped to 25 degrees on both the 18th and 20th\u2026establishing record minimums for both dates.<\/p>\n

In 1988\u2026prolonged heavy rainfall drenched metro Denver. The event began when heavy thunderstorms on the 18th caused some street flooding and power outages\u2026followed by steady rain on the 19th and 20th. Rain amounts across metro Denver totaled 3 to 4 inches. Rainfall totaled 3.71 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 39 mph on the 20th. Four to eight inches of snow fell in the foothills above 7 thousand feet.<\/p>\n

19-20<\/p>\n

In 1864\u2026a devastating major flash flood occurred on the normally dry and sandy Cherry Creek in Denver. The flood was caused by heavy thunderstorm rainfall and hail over the palmer ridge to the south of the city in both the Cherry Creek and Plum Creek basins. Nineteen deaths occurred along the South Platte River and Cherry Creek in Denver. The torrent swept cattle and sheep along with large trees and houses before it washing out several bridges\u2026and moving large structures from their foundations. All city records were destroyed when city hall washed away. The Rocky Mountain News building\u2026built on stilts in the middle of the creek\u2026was totally destroyed by the raging waters\u2026which were as deep as 5 feet on the morning of the 20th. Once the flood waters receded\u2026much sand and gravel was left behind. Property damage from the flood was estimated at nearly one million dollars. This was the first major flood of record in the city.<\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

In 1874\u2026after a light late afternoon shower\u20263 rainbows were visible in the eastern sky. The two upper bows were of the usual colors. The lower bow had a deep violet center with a faint yellow and white rim.<\/p>\n

In 1892\u2026apparent post-frontal north winds were sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 48 mph. A trace of snow was the last snowfall of the season.<\/p>\n

In 1899\u2026snow pellets from 1\/4 to 3\/8 inch in diameter fell from a thundershower during the late afternoon. West winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts as high as 48 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1904\u2026southeast winds were sustained to 40 mph with an extreme velocity of 42 mph produced by a thunderstorm.<\/p>\n

In 1961\u2026a tornado tore through central Douglas County\u20261 1\/2 miles north of Castle Rock. The storm struck 2 ranches and the property of a drilling company. A car on the highway was lifted off the road and slammed into a truck\u2026injuring the two occupants.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026heavy rain fell in Aurora with 1.00 to 1.50 inches of precipitation. Local flooding occurred in Lakewood.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u20261 inch diameter hail fell at Buckley Field in Aurora. Minor damage was reported to autos\u2026buildings and signs.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026hail as large as 3\/4 inch in diameter fell near Bennett where a funnel cloud was sighted.<\/p>\n

In 2001\u2026damaging winds developed behind a vigorous cold front that moved south from Wyoming into metro Denver. High winds\u2026gusting to 58 mph at Denver International Airport\u2026downed trees and power lines and kicked up blowing dust\u2026dirt\u2026and debris\u2026reducing the visibility to near zero at times. The poor visibility caused a multi-vehicle accident along U.S. Highway 85 north of Fort Lupton. Six people were treated for minor injuries. Several vehicles\u2026 Including semi-trailers\u2026were blown off I-70 east of Denver. About 32 thousand Xcel energy customers in metro Denver were without electricity for up to 2 hours. At least a dozen incoming flights at Denver International Airport were diverted to other airports. All departing flights were grounded for at least an hour. At southwest plaza\u2026shoppers were evacuated as rocks holding a tarp on a portion of a roof under repair toppled into the mall. After the passage of the cold front\u2026temperatures plunged from the lower 70\u2019s to the mid 30\u2019s in one hour as light snow developed. Heavy snow developed in the foothills during the evening. Peak wind reports included 68 mph near Parker and 63 mph near Sedalia. Snowfall totals included: 7 inches near Blackhawk\u2026 At Ken Caryl Ranch\u2026and near Sedalia; 6 inches in Coal Creek Canyon\u2026at Eldorado Springs\u2026and atop Lookout Mountain; 5 inches at Chief Hosa\u2026in Louisville\u2026Rollinsville\u2026and wheat ridge; and 4 inches in Aurora\u2026Bailey\u2026Parker\u2026Castle Rock and near Morrison. Low temperature of 31 degrees during the early morning of the 21st equaled the record low for the date last set in 1931.<\/p>\n

In 2004\u2026severe thunderstorms produced hail as large as 1.25 inches near Ft. Lupton and hail to 1.50 inches 10 miles north of Ft. Lupton.<\/p>\n

In 2014\u2026severe thunderstorm produced hail\u2026 from 1 to 1 1\/4\u00a0inches in diameter\u2026across parts of Aurora\u2026Denver\u2026 Englewood and Lakewood.<\/p>\n

20-21<\/p>\n

In 1891\u2026heavy rain was mixed with snow at times and totaled 2.02 inches in the city. Snowfall was 1.0 inch. Northeast winds gusted to 28 mph on the 20th.<\/p>\n

20-22<\/p>\n

In 1959\u2026a three-day rain caused some flooding in metro Denver where rain totaled 1.68 inches at Stapleton Airport. Showers\u2026accompanied by hail near Brighton\u2026caused some damage to truck crops. Heavy snow in the foothills caused damage to power and telephone lines.<\/p>\n

20-27<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026lightning sparked a wildfire near Deckers. Extremely dry conditions and very strong winds the following day allowed the fire\u2026known as the Schoonover\u2026to consume 3850 acres before it could be contained. Thirteen structures were destroyed\u2026including 4 homes\u2026resulting in 2.2 million dollars in damage.<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

In 1874\u2026an extensive fire at Central City in the mountains to the west of Denver produced large columns of smoke that were visible from the city. In the afternoon\u2026the smoke and fire produced a dark inky black convective cloud\u2026which spread over the city and produced brief strong and gusty winds along with a few sprinkles of rain.<\/p>\n

In 1880\u2026west winds increased to a sustained velocity of 40 mph during the afternoon.<\/p>\n

In 1893\u2026north winds were sustained to 48 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1914\u2026a severe thunderstorm was attended by hail\u2026excessive rainfall which totaled 1.94 inches\u2026and an unusual amount of vivid lightning. The heavy rainfall of 0.83 inch in 15 minutes produced flooding\u2026which caused considerable damage to bottom lands in eastern and southern parts of the city. Many garden tracts and cellars were flooded. Southwest winds were sustained to 29 mph with gusts to 34 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1935\u2026no precipitation occurred\u2026making this one of only two days without precipitation during the entire month. The other day was the 10th. Precipitation totaled 4.95 inches for the month.<\/p>\n

In 1952\u2026a tornado produced a high column of dust and dirt over northwest Denver. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1988\u2026a microburst wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026very strong winds occurred over metro Denver and northeastern Colorado as a developing surface low pressure center intensified. Trees and branches snapped\u2026downing power lines across parts of metro Denver. About 20 thousand residents lost electricity. The strong winds produced much blowing dust and dirt especially to the northeast of metro Denver. Winds gusted to 61 mph at Parker. South winds gusted to 58 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026a large dust devil formed near Quincy Reservoir in south Aurora. The tall column resembling a tornado or smoke plume extended upward into small high-based cumulus clouds and was visible for miles across southern Aurora and eastern centennial. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 2014\u2026severe thunderstorms occurred in and around metro\u00a0Denver. The storms produced large hail\u2026from quarter to\u00a0golfball size. Frontier Airlines canceled 16 flights\u2026when\u00a0several planes sustained hail damage. Forty flights at Denver\u00a0International Airport were either delayed or canceled. Some\u00a0homes in Green Valley Ranch\u2026east of Denver\u2026 were damaged by\u00a0hail. Several vehicles were also damaged. Five short lived\u00a0tornadoes touched down near Bennett and Byers but no damage\u00a0was reported. The storms also produced heavy rain and strong\u00a0damaging winds. The wind downed trees and power lines east of\u00a0Denver. The heavy rain and hail\u2026up to 6 inches deep in\u00a0spots\u2026caused street flooding around the metro area. The\u00a0hailstorm at Dicks Sporting Goods Park knocked out power to the stadium where the 4A and 5A girls soccer championship\u00a0games were about to be played. The inclement weather snarled\u00a0traffic on Interstate 70\u2026Pena Boulevard\u2026 U.S. 85 and\u00a0elsewhere due to the flooded roads. In some areas\u2026snow plows\u00a0were called out to clear the hail. Parts of Tower Road and\u00a0Peoria Street\u2026and other roads in Commerce City\u2026 were closed\u00a0through the late evening hours\u2026because of standing water.\u00a0Several vehicles stalled in standing water where water pooled\u00a0in the underpasses. At Denver International Airport\u20261.2\u00a0inches of water was observed\u2026along with a wind gust to 42\u00a0mph from the northwest.<\/p>\n

21-22<\/p>\n

In 1878\u2026overnight heavy rains of cloudburst intensity on the Palmer Divide to the south of the city caused flash flooding on Cherry Creek in Denver\u2026which resulted in 2 deaths. A wall of water swept through the city between 2:00 am and 3:00 am on the morning of the 22nd. The flood was so sudden and unexpected that homes along the creek in the city were submerged in water knee deep before the slumbering occupants knew anything about it. By daybreak the banks on both sides of the creek were lined by residents viewing the destruction caused by the raging waters in such a short time. Seven bridges across the creek were destroyed in the city. Damage to private and city property was estimated between 30 and 50 thousand dollars. Quite a number of cattle and sheep were killed along the reach of the creek. Only 0.01 inch of rain fell in the city on the 21st with a trace of rain on the 22nd. Flash flooding also occurred on Kiowa Creek near Bennett on the night of the 21st when the flood waters washed out the Kansas Pacific Railroad bridge. An east bound freight train plunged into the turbulent waters killing the three crewmen. The locomotive was completely buried in the sand and never found to this day!<\/p>\n

21-23<\/p>\n

In 1876\u2026snow changed to heavy rain over the city\u2026resulting in widespread flooding along Cherry Creek and the South Platte River\u2026nearly as great as the flash flood of May 19-20\u20261864. However\u2026damage was greater because the city had grown much larger and there were more bridges for the flood waters to destroy. Precipitation in the city totaled 6.70 inches from 10:00 pm on the 21st through 3:00 am on the 23rd. The greatest precipitation ever recorded in Denver in 24 hours\u20266.53 inches\u2026occurred on the 21st and 22nd. Small buildings and bridges along Cherry Creek were washed away by the flood waters. Bridges over the South Platte River were damaged. The city irrigation ditch was damaged and rendered unfit for service. Strong winds at speeds of 30 to 40 mph drove the heavy rain through brick walls 12 to 16 inches thick. Many sheep and cattle were either killed by lightning or drowned\u2026including some 100 head of cattle in Jefferson County alone. There was immense damage to railroad tracks\u2026especially the Kansas Pacific line to the east of the city. The Colorado central suffered estimated damage of 10 to 15 thousand dollars. In addition\u2026the heavy rain caused extensive flooding on Soda and Bear Creeks in the foothills. Flooding along Boulder Creek inundated farm and pasture land in the Boulder Valley and damaged a few bridges. Rail travel had to be suspended in the area for several days.<\/p>\n

<\/span>22<\/p>\n

In 1876\u2026the most precipitation in Denver on any calendar day\u20266.50 inches\u2026occurred.<\/p>\n

In 1901\u2026northeast winds were sustained to 41 mph with gusts to 45 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1903\u2026west winds were sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 55 mph from an apparent microburst\u2026which produced a trace of rain.<\/p>\n

In 1976\u2026the public reported 3\/4 inch diameter hail and wind gusts to 53 mph near Littleton.<\/p>\n

In 1987\u2026golf ball size hail fell in the Lorretto Heights area of south metro Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026a tornado touched down briefly in Castle Rock. No injuries were reported.<\/p>\n

In 1993\u2026an off duty national weather service employee reported hail up to golf ball size just west of the city of Denver in Jefferson County. Thunderstorm wind gusts reached 58 mph at Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield and 33 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1996\u2026a severe thunderstorm pummeled northwest and northern sections of metro Denver with large hail ranging in size from 3\/4 to 2 inches in diameter. The cities of Arvada and Westminster were the hardest hit. The insurance industry estimated 60 million dollars in damage to homes and personal property and 62 million dollars in damage to automobiles\u2026for a total of 122 million dollars in insured losses. This estimate also included the cities of Golden\u2026 Thornton\u2026and wheat ridge. This was the fourth worst hailstorm to hit metro Denver in the last 10 years.<\/p>\n

In 1998\u2026large hail fell across north metro Denver. Hail as large as 1 1\/2 inches in diameter was measured in Broomfield and Hudson. Hail to 1 1\/4 inches fell in Roggen. Hail to 1 inch fell in Brighton\u2026near Keenesburg\u2026 In Watkins\u2026and in the city of Denver. Lightning ignited a house fire in Ft. Lupton. A warehouse worker in Denver was injured when he was knocked off a loading dock by a lightning bolt. The bolt skipped off a nearby radio tower and struck him in the arm. He was treated for numbness in his right arm and released.<\/p>\n

In 1999\u2026severe thunderstorms produced 7\/8 inch diameter hail over the city of Denver\u2026with one inch diameter hail reported in Aurora\u2026and 3\/4 inch hail near Watkins.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026a lightning strike sparked a fire and damaged the roof of a recreation center in Evergreen. The fire spread into some brush and consumed about one quarter acre before it was extinguished. Severe thunderstorms produced strong wind gusts across portions of metro Denver. Winds gusted to 72 mph in Georgetown\u202662 mph near Parker and Bennett\u2026 60 mph in Castle Rock\u2026and 59 mph in Longmont. The winds caused no reportable damage. A thunderstorm produced southwest wind gusts to 52 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026a powerful tornado swept north-northwestward across Weld County\u2026carving a path of destruction nearly 39 miles in length. The tornado\u2026up to one-mile wide at times\u2026 Initially touched down northeast of Platteville and finally lifted 6 miles west-northwest of wellington. A tornado assessment in the aftermath of the tornado revealed extensive areas of damage. On the Enhanced Fujita Scale\u2026 There were pockets of ef3 damage near the Missile Silo Park campground and to businesses and a home in eastern Windsor. Farmers reported extensive damage to crops and irrigation equipment. There was one fatality and 78 injuries\u2026 Ranging from broken bones to minor cuts and lacerations. One man was killed when he tried to escape a trailer park in his motor home. Tractor trailers were flipped along U.S. Highway 85\u2026and over 200 power poles were snapped or blown down. Approximately 60000 people were left without electricity. The tornado overturned 15 railroad cars and destroyed a lumber car. The tornado also flattened the main feedlot in Windsor and destroyed a dairy barn. Most of the 400 cows were killed in the tornado or destroyed later. The thunderstorm also produced hail up to the size of baseballs. Another tornado from a separate thunderstorm\u2026 Rated an ef1\u2026briefly touched down near Dacono and destroyed 5 buildings. The tornado overturned a five-wheel trailer and injured a man sitting inside. Preliminary estimates from FEMA indicated 850 homes were damaged\u2026and nearly 300 homes were significantly damaged or destroyed. The Poudre Valley Rural Electric Associated reported $1 million of damage to electric transmission lines. Privately insured damages totaled $147 million\u2026making it the state\u2019s 4th costliest disaster. Large hail up to 1 1\/2 inches in diameter\u2026was reported in the vicinities of Golden and Longmont.<\/p>\n

In 2014\u2026a severe thunderstorm Denver area produced nickel to quarter size hail in parts of west Denver and near Bennett. Locally heavy rainfall produced some minor street flooding in parts of metro Denver. The heavy rainfall produced localized flash flooding near Bennett. Rainfall totaled 0.54 inches at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

22-23<\/p>\n

In 1933\u2026high winds and gales overnight caused considerable damage in and near the city. Much greenhouse glass was broken\u2026which caused damage to sheltered plants. Great numbers of plants growing in the open were damaged or killed by wind-driven sand and soil. Fields were eroded by the wind and a few trees were uprooted. West winds were sustained to 38 mph with gusts as high as 65 mph in downtown Denver on the 22nd.<\/p>\n

<\/span>23<\/p>\n

In 1916\u2026southeast winds were sustained to 43 mph with gusts as high as 52 mph. The winds were strong for several hours during the afternoon.<\/p>\n

In 1965\u2026thunderstorm outflow wind gusts to 59 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1987\u2026slow moving thunderstorms bombarded metro Denver. One inch diameter hail was reported in south central Denver. Torrential rain caused widespread street flooding\u2026 Stalling traffic throughout the area. Rainfall totaled 2.10 inches in just 25 minutes in extreme southeast Aurora. Many other locations in Aurora and east Denver reported 1 to 1 1\/2 inches of rain in about 30 minutes. Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 1.33 inches at Stapleton International Airport where 1\/4 inch diameter hail was measured and north winds gusted to 40 mph. A man was slightly injured by lightning near Stapleton International Airport. Lightning also started a fire that severely damaged a house in Aurora.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026a microburst wind gust to 52 mph at Stapleton International Airport produced some blowing dust.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026thunderstorms moving from southwestern sections of metro Denver to the east of Denver produced large hail up to golf ball size. An estimated 5 thousand homes and 8 thousand cars received considerable damage. Early estimates placed damage costs around 60 million dollars. Three funnel clouds were also reported\u2026two by personnel at Buckley Field and the other by a storm spotter. Heavy rain produced street flooding in Aurora where hail accumulated to a depth of 6 inches. As the storms moved to the east\u2026golf ball size hail was reported at Strasburg.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026hail to 3\/4 inch diameter fell in Broomfield.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026a very strong microburst near Strasburg swept a woman into a swirl of dirt and carried her about 150 feet. The woman was in an open field\u2026corralling a yearling horse\u2026 When the incident occurred. Fortunately\u2026she received only minor injuries.<\/p>\n

<\/span>23-24<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026a 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\u202611 inches near Evergreen and atop Gold Hill\u2026 10 inches near Blackhawk and conifer and atop Crow Hill\u2026 9 inches near Rollinsville\u2026and 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\u2026as was the low of 32 degrees on the 24th. The high temperature of only 48 degrees equaled the record low maximum for the date.<\/p>\n

24<\/p>\n

In 1953\u2026a microburst caused a brief wind gust to 55 mph at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1957\u2026walnut size hail\u20261 1\/2 inches in diameter\u2026fell in east Denver. Only 1\/4 inch hail was measured at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1958\u2026rainfall totaled 1 to 2 inches across metro Denver. Rainfall was only 0.37 inches at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1974\u2026a tornado was observed briefly near Watkins. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1980\u2026strong 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.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026a tornado touched down briefly in open country near Bennett. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1994\u2026weather spotters reported 2 funnel clouds over Aurora and a short-lived waterspout on Cheery Creek Reservoir.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026hail to 1 inch in diameter fell in Broomfield with 3\/4 inch hail measured in Boulder.<\/p>\n

In 1998\u2026a tornado struck a wooden hangar at the Aurora airpark. The hangar collapsed\u2026damaging a car and a single engine plane parked inside. An adjacent steel hangar sustained only minor damage. The tornado moved northeast\u2026hopped I-70\u2026and touched down again in an open field. Earlier\u2026a weak tornado touched down briefly in an open field 10 miles southeast of Buckley Field.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026severe 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.<\/p>\n

In 2004\u2026severe 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.<\/p>\n

In 2005\u2026severe thunderstorms produced hail as large as 1 inch in diameter in Arvada and the city of Denver.<\/p>\n

In 2014\u2026a severe thunderstorm in Lakewood produced hail\u2026to 1 inch in diameter.<\/p>\n

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\u00a0County.<\/p>\n

24-26<\/p>\n

In 1996\u2026a late spring snowstorm dumped 4 to 10 inches of snow over the Front Range foothills. Conifer picked up 10 inches of new snow; Aspen Springs\u20269 inches; and central city\u20268 inches. The sticky\u2026heavy snow clung to power lines and pulled tree branches down\u2026causing 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\u2026which knocked out phone service to about 1500 customers. Widespread rain fell across metro Denver\u2026 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.<\/p>\n

In 2010\u2026high winds preceding a cold front\u2026swept across the Front Range foothills and urban corridor. In Aurora\u2026 The wind damaged the roof of Rangeview high school. In conifer and Denver\u2026the 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\u202667 mph\u20264 miles east of Franktown and Longmont; 65 mph in Boulder\u202664 mph in Centennial and Denver International Airport\u202662 mph near Parker and 60 mph in Arvada.<\/p>\n

25<\/p>\n

In 1877\u2026lightning killed one person in west Denver and struck several houses. The bolt struck the house of the \u201chome laundry\u201d stunning the occupants and killing a lady who was holding one of her grand children in her arms. The child escaped unhurt. The lightning also struck the top of a tree in front of the house and partially peeled the bark off the tree. Lightning struck a church in the Evans addition and another tree in east Denver. Lightning struck the switch room at the telegraph office where the operator saw small balls of lightning pass across the room to the stove. The thunderstorm pelted the city with only pea size hail. Precipitation from the storm totaled 0.40 inch in downtown Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1880\u2026light rain all afternoon totaled only 0.24 inch in the city\u2026but was valuable to stockmen and farmers due to the very dry\u2026parched weather conditions on the plains.<\/p>\n

In 1965\u2026a tornado was sighted by a pilot 30 miles south southeast of Denver. No damage was reported. Another pilot reported 3\/4 inch hail 30 miles east of Denver. The state patrol reported that a man was killed when a fierce gust of wind swept him from the back of a pick-up truck in northwest Douglas County. The man was holding a mattress in the bed of the truck.<\/p>\n

In 1974\u2026a microburst wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport. A pilot reported a tornado 20 miles east of Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1976\u2026lightning struck a home in Boulder\u2026shattering 2 large trees and damaging a television set.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026hail as large as 1 3\/4 inches in diameter fell near Watkins. Hail to 3\/4 inch in diameter fell in Broomfield and near Lochbuie.<\/p>\n

In 2000\u20263\/4 inch diameter hail fell at Cheery Creek Reservoir in Aurora. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 51 mph at Denver International Airport where small hail fell.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026a severe thunderstorm produced an estimated wind gust to 70 mph in Hudson. The strong winds damaged the roof of a home. A thunderstorm produced southwest wind gusts to 54 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

25-26<\/p>\n

In 1950\u2026a major storm dumped 10.0 inches of snowfall downtown and 10.7 inches at Stapleton Airport where northwest winds gusted to 30 mph on the 25th. The storm caused extensive damage to utility wires and trees which were in full leaf. A daily record minimum temperature of 31 degrees occurred on the 25th. This was the coldest temperature on this date in 79 years and for so late in the season.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026a late season snow storm dropped snow as low as 6 thousand feet along the Front Range. Most places in the foothills had 2 to 5 inches of snow. Overnight rainfall totaled 0.33 inch at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 37 mph on the 25th.<\/p>\n

In 1994\u2026lightning struck a television transmitter on Lookout Mountain near Golden and burned out a switcher\u2026which disrupted cable service for 2 hours.<\/p>\n

26<\/p>\n

In 1897\u2026apparent post-frontal north winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts as high as 48 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1942\u2026the all-time highest recorded temperature in May\u202695 degrees\u2026occurred.<\/p>\n

In 1978\u2026two children were struck and killed by lightning on a junior high school playground in Parker.<\/p>\n

In 1987\u20261 inch diameter hail fell near Boulder and Bennett. The hail was fairly soft and caused no damage.<\/p>\n

In 1993\u2026dry thunderstorms produced wind gusts to 81 mph at Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield. Several trees were blown down by the strong winds. Microburst winds gusted to 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026a woman was injured in Littleton when the car she had just entered was struck by lightning. All of the windows in the car were blown out by the strike. A funnel cloud was sighted near Littleton.<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026a strong microburst wind gust to 92 mph flipped a small airplane on its back and blew a dc-3 loose from its moorings\u2026which allowed it to roll onto a grassy field at Front Range airport near Watkins.<\/p>\n

In 2010\u2026severe thunderstorms pounded parts of the urban corridor with very large hail\u2026heavy rain\u2026damaging winds and a tornado. The hail\u2026ranging in size from 1 inch to 2 3\/4 inches in diameter\u2026struck Brighton\u2026Commerce City and northeast Denver the hardest. The storms continued to spread destruction to the north and east\u2026impacting Byers\u2026Hudson\u2026deer trail and prospect valley. The combination of hail and wind stripped the bark and branches from trees. Numerous accidents were reported as the hail accumulated up to a foot deep. Snowplows were called out to clear the roadways. Flash flooding occurred along State Highway 52 between Hudson and Keenesburg\u2026and forcing the closure of the highway. Widespread crop damage was also reported as the area was inundated with up to 18 inches of water. Extensive damage to homes\u2026businesses and automobiles was reported with the damage estimated to be around 70 million dollars. A tornado touched down near Denver International Airport\u2026but did no damage. Lightning struck a child in Commerce City while she was watching television. She suffered minor injuries to her leg. At the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge\u2026a lightning strike killed a bison. At Denver International Airport\u2026only 0.01 inch of rainfall was observed\u2026along with a peak wind gust to 48 mph from the southeast.<\/p>\n

In 2016…severe thunderstorms produced hail up to one inch in diameter near Castle Rock…The Pinery and Watkins.<\/p>\n

26-31<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026a cool period with light morning showers and moderate to heavy afternoon showers and thunderstorms pushed rivers already swollen from mountain snow melt over their banks causing minor flooding. Streams and rivers such as the South Platte and Boulder creek flooded meadowlands\u2026bike paths\u2026roads near streams\u2026and other low lying areas. No significant property damage was reported and crop damage was unknown. Rainfall totaled 1.79 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport and only 1.51 inches at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If history is a teacher, our look back at this week in Denver weather history should provide great instruction on the dangers severe weather presents in our history. It was eight\u00a0years ago this week that the infamous Windsor tornado tore through the area killing one man and damaging hundreds of homes. From the National Weather … Continue reading May 20 to May 26: This week in Denver weather history<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[81,106,62,387,741],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18701"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18701"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18701\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18710,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18701\/revisions\/18710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}