{"id":20848,"date":"2020-08-02T04:52:42","date_gmt":"2020-08-02T10:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=20848"},"modified":"2020-08-07T04:54:16","modified_gmt":"2020-08-07T10:54:16","slug":"august-2-to-august-8-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/weather-history\/august-2-to-august-8-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-3\/","title":{"rendered":"August 2 to August 8: This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"This<\/a><\/p>\n

On first glance our look at this week in Denver weather history appears to be less eventful than many we have looked at previously. However, the severity of the events that appear on the historical weather calendar this week are enough to make you stand up and pay attention. While August is typically a pretty quiet weather month, it is clear that severe weather can certainly strike and Thornton is mentioned in more than one significant event.<\/p>\n

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

2<\/p>\n

In 1878\u2026the high temperature reached 100 degrees in downtown Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1911\u2026an apparent dry microburst produced sustained west winds to 42 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1972\u2026one workman was killed and another injured when a strong gust of wind destroyed a partially completed apartment building in south Denver. Hail to 1 3\/4 inch diameter fell in Golden.<\/p>\n

In 1973\u2026hail to 3\/4 inch diameter was reported in Boulder.<\/p>\n

In 1986\u2026a major outbreak of severe thunderstorms occurred along the Front Range. Thunderstorms developed explosively. Some places were hit by large hail twice. Two inch diameter hail broke car windows on I-25 west of Brighton\u2026and up to 1 1\/4 inch hail broke windows in Thornton. Baseball size hail damaged several planes near Watkins. Funnel clouds were sighted around Aurora. Hail over 1\/2 inch in diameter covered the ground 3 to 4 inches deep at Hudson northeast of Denver. Most of the hail fell north of metro Denver\u2026but 3\/4 inch diameter hail was measured at Stapleton International Airport. Total damage from the hail storms this day was estimated at over 10 million dollars.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026late afternoon thunderstorms produced heavy rain across metro Denver. Two feet of water covered parts of I-25 in southeast Denver\u2026while one foot of water covered parts of U.S. Highway 285 in Englewood. Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 0.50 inch at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2001\u2026severe thunderstorms producing heavy rain and hail\u2026 Either washed out or damaged several County roads in the Watkins and Bennett areas. A small tornado (f0) touched down near Bennett\u2026but did no damage. Hail as large as 1 3\/4 inches in diameter fell near Watkins. One inch diameter hail was measured near Hudson and Keenesburg.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026strong winds blew several trees down in Denver\u2026 Damaging homes and downing power lines. A peak wind gust of 67 mph occurred at Centennial Airport\u2026with gusts to 60 mph estimated in Denver. A peak wind gust of 37 mph was measured at Denver International Airport. An elderly man was killed when a wind damaged tree broke free and crushed him while he attempted to remove it. The downed power lines caused outages to about 500 Xcel energy customers.<\/p>\n

2-3<\/p>\n

In 1876\u2026grasshoppers were in great abundance in the city and caused considerable damage to gardens and to crops in the surrounding farms and ranches.<\/p>\n

In 1951\u2026heavy thunderstorms rumbled across metro Denver through the night. Heavy rain totaled 3.45 inches at Stapleton Airport. This was the greatest 24 hour precipitation ever recorded during the month of august in Denver.<\/p>\n

In 2007\u2026heavy rain caused localized flash flooding near Ft. Lupton. Up to 8 inches of water was reported across County road 18. In addition\u2026several other County roads in the immediate area were washed out.<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

In 1878\u2026the high temperature climbed to 100 degrees in downtown Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1900\u2026a thunderstorm produced west winds sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 55 mph\u2026but only a trace of rain.<\/p>\n

In 1903\u2026a thunderstorm produced a trace of rainfall and northwest winds sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 60 mph. The high temperature was 99 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1927\u2026a thunderstorm produced hail and sustained north winds to 22 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1933\u2026heavy cloudburst rains caused the failure of the Castlewood dam\u2026which resulted in flash flooding on Cherry Creek\u2026the deaths of 7 people in Denver\u2026and flood damage estimated at 1 million dollars. Lower Denver was flooded during the morning by waters pouring down Cherry Creek and its valley from Castlewood Dam\u2026which had broken between midnight and 2:00 am. Heavy rain of 3 to 9 inches in 9 hours in the watershed above the dam resulted in the failure. At 7:30 am\u2026the flow in Cherry Creek was reported at 16 thousand second-feet as compared with a peak flow of 3 thousand second-feet in other years. The flood waters ruined hundreds of acres of crops and drowned scores of farm animals. Six bridges in Denver were swept away. Great deposits of mud were left in the lower sections of the city\u2026including hundreds of basements and lower floors of buildings. At the end of the month\u2026a deadly stench still rose from swampy areas near the lower city limits.<\/p>\n

In 1963\u2026heavy thunderstorm rains in the Parker area caused Cherry Creek to overflow\u2026which damaged roads.<\/p>\n

In 1985\u2026a tornado touched down briefly about 10 miles northeast of Parker. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026upslope northeast winds produced chilly temperature readings and heavy rain across metro Denver. Rainfall\u2026 With no thunder\u2026totaled 1.56 inches at Stapleton International Airport where the heavy rain briefly reduced the surface visibility to 7\/8 mile. The mercury climbed to a high of only 63 degrees.<\/p>\n

In 1992\u2026a thunderstorm wind gust to 64 mph was recorded in Brighton. A wind gust to 60 mph was measured near the construction site of the new Denver International Airport. Lightning started a fire in an Evergreen church\u2026causing over 75 thousand dollars in damage.<\/p>\n

In 1998\u20263\/4 inch hail fell in Jefferson County 15 miles northwest of Arvada.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026heavy thunderstorm rainfall caused flash flooding along Leyden Creek in unincorporated Jefferson County. An automated rain gauge on upper Leyden Creek\u20266 miles northwest of Arvada\u2026measured 2.68 inches of rainfall in less than 2 hours. Two to three feet of water covered the roadway at the intersection of 82nd and Quaker Street.<\/p>\n

In 2009\u2026a woman riding her bike\u2026 In training for an ironman triathlon\u2026was struck by lightning in Boulder. She was in the 78th mile of a 100-mile training ride when she was hit. The woman lost her vision initially and couldn`t move her arms. After a short stay in the hospital\u2026she made of complete recovery.<\/p>\n

In 2013\u2026severe wet microburst thunderstorms produced damaging winds and very heavy rain in and around Buckley Air Force Base\u2026Erie and Lafayette. Peak gusts included: 68 mph in Erie\u202661 mph at Buckley AFB\u2026 And 60 mph in Broomfield\u20264 miles east-southeast of Erie and Lafayette. In Erie\u2026a velodrome under construction was heavily damaged by heavy rain and high winds. The wind toppled the eastern third of the 250-meter cycling track. Bolts measuring one-half-inch thick by 7 1\/2 inches in length were ripped out of concrete footers while 16-inch-wide trusses\u2026collapsed under the force of the wind. In town\u2026heavy rain\u2026 Around 2.5 inches in less than one hour\u2026caused extensive street flooding. The intense wind also downed trees which resulted in localized power outages. In addition\u2026an empty semi-trailer was blown on its side. A weak non supercell tornado touched down briefly in an open field\u20267 miles northwest of Hudson. The storm forced seven incoming flights at Denver International Airport to be diverted and contributed to 45-minute delays for others. At Denver International Airport\u2026a peak wind gust of 55 mph was observed from the northeast\u2026with 0.66 inches of rainfall recorded. The very heavy rain produced flash flooding in part of Aurora. Road closures were set up in both directions on both Picadilly Road and Gun Club Road\u2026just north of Buckley AFB. A man had to be rescued when his car was trapped in flood waters at the intersection of 6th Ave. and Picadilly Road. Flash flooding was also observed at the junction of e-470 and I-70 with water running over the road.<\/p>\n

3-4<\/p>\n

In 1988\u2026two inches of rain fell in 3 hours at both Morrison and Wheat Ridge. Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 0.80 inch overnight at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

In 1889\u2026southwest winds were sustained to 42 mph with an extreme velocity to 52 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1924\u20260.01 inch of rain fell over downtown Denver. This along with the 0.01 inch of rainfall on the 10th was the only rainfall of the month\u2026the driest august on record.<\/p>\n

In 1963\u2026heavy rains in the foothills above Idaho Springs caused mud and rock slides which closed U.S. Highways 6 and 40 for a time.<\/p>\n

In 1976\u2026hail to 1 inch diameter was reported 12 miles southwest of Denver. Hail to 3\/4 inch in diameter was reported in Lakewood. Small hail\u20261\/4 to 1\/2 inch in diameter\u2026fell at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u2026heavy rain poured through the roof of a clothing store in Aurora\u2026causing widespread water damage. The roof was being repaired when the storm hit.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026hail up to one inch in diameter fell in Aurora where heavy rain produced street flooding.<\/p>\n

In 1984\u2026a Colorado state trooper was struck and injured by lightning in Northglenn.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026a microburst wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026lightning sparked a small fire in a home in Arvada\u2026 Causing minor damage. Several intersections in both Arvada and Westminster were flooded by thunderstorms producing heavy rain. Several cars were damaged by the high waters\u2026 And a number of businesses were flooded.<\/p>\n

In 1999\u2026flooding and flash flooding problems developed over metro Denver as slow moving thunderstorms dumped from 2 to 3.5 inches of rainfall in about 3 hours. Near the junction of I-25 and U.S. Highway 36\u2026up to 4 feet of water flooded an auto dealership. About 45 cars were ruined. Damage estimates to the dealership alone totaled nearly a half million dollars. Sections of I-25 and U.S. 36 near the interchange were closed due to floodwaters. Floodwaters\u2026 Up to 5 feet deep\u2026forced the evacuation of two mobile home parks in Federal Heights. Railroad tracks were washed out near Federal Blvd. and 64th Avenue. Numerous power outages caused widespread blackouts in Thornton and Littleton. Along Massey Draw near Carr St. and Chatfield Reservoir\u20264 homes were flood damaged and portions of their backyards washed out. Widespread street flooding was also reported in Boulder where several buildings were flood damaged\u2026including the University of Colorado Memorial Center.<\/p>\n

In 2004\u2026two golfers were shocked when lightning struck the eighth green of the golf course at Castle Pines North of Castle Rock. The two men suffered only minor injuries. Heavy thunderstorm rain from the same storm caused flash flooding. Floodwaters rushed across parts of U.S. Highway 85 near the entrance to the castle pines golf club. The traffic lanes were covered with up to 6 inches of running water.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026lightning sparked a grassfire that consumed 300 acres on the northern edge of Green Mountain\u2026in Jefferson County. Gusty winds and very dry conditions allowed the wildfire to quickly spread and threaten several houses. Fortunately\u2026only minor damage was reported to homes due to smoke and melted siding.<\/p>\n

<\/span>5<\/p>\n

In 1881\u2026the low temperature cooled to only 76 degrees\u2026the record high minimum temperature for the month.<\/p>\n

In 1889\u2026southwest winds were sustained to 42 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1918\u2026hail pelted the city\u2026but was light and caused no damage. Precipitation totaled 0.25 inch. Northwest winds were sustained to 31 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1964\u2026lightning struck two boys in Denver while playing ball. One was treated and released from the hospital\u2026but the other boy suffered second degree electrical shock and cardiac arrest and was hospitalized in critical condition for several days.<\/p>\n

In 1969\u2026two tornadoes touched down briefly in an open field southeast of Buckley Field in Aurora. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1970\u2026heavy rain in the Indian Hills area in the foothills west of Denver caused flash flooding\u2026which washed out roads and damaged other property. Hail accumulated to a 3 inch depth with stones up to golf ball size; however\u2026most of the damage was from flooding.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u20262.38 inches of rain fell in an hour in Arvada\u2026 Causing minor flooding on Ralston Creek. In Westminster\u2026 1 1\/2 inches of rain fell\u2026causing damage to streets and culverts. In addition\u2026lightning caused some minor power outages across metro Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026very heavy thunderstorms hit the southern portion of metro Denver. Heavy rainfall\u2026as much as 2.89 inches in 38 minutes\u2026caused widespread street flooding in southeast Denver. Two feet of water covered a section of I-25. Hail up to golf ball size accompanied the storm in Littleton and Englewood\u2026along with 60 mph winds.<\/p>\n

In 1984\u2026a heavy thunderstorm drenched Littleton with up to 2.35 inches of rain in an hour\u2026along with small hail that piled up to 2 inches deep. Flood waters were up to 4 feet deep in parts of town with many basements flooded. There were some power outages caused by lightning.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026a thunderstorm dumped 1.25 inches of rain in 12 minutes near Tower and Smoky Hill roads in southeast Aurora. Minor street flooding was reported in the area.<\/p>\n

In 1992\u2026a pilot reported two funnel clouds near Cheery Creek Reservoir. Both dissipated quickly. Dime size hail fell near Franktown.<\/p>\n

In 1994\u2026one inch diameter hail fell near Strasburg. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1999\u2026a dog kennel east of Denver International Airport\u2026 Was flooded when a small dam\u2026upstream in Elbert County\u2026 Was breached. The floodwaters\u2026up to 4 feet deep\u2026washed away some 6-foot fences and other small buildings. Ten of the 70 dogs boarded at the kennel drowned.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026a mail carrier was struck by lightning as he inserted a key into a multi-unit mailbox in Bailey. The shock knocked the man back against the mail truck. He suffered minor injuries. Lightning struck a residence in Commerce City. The resulting fire destroyed the roof of a detached garage and damaged much of its contents. Hail as large as 1 3\/4 inches in diameter pelted pine. One inch diameter hail fell in Arvada and southwest Denver. Heavy rain triggered a mudslide along U.S. Highway 285 near bailey. Both lanes of traffic had to be closed until debris could be removed from the highway. Several residences in the Bailey and Glenisle areas were also flooded.<\/p>\n

In 2004\u2026heavy thunderstorm rainfall caused localized flash flooding in Virginia Canyon near Idaho Springs. Sections of the Virginia Canyon Road had to be closed due to the floodwaters.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026a severe thunderstorm produced large hail\u2026up to 1 1\/4 inches in diameter\u2026northeast of Parker. Several automobiles were damaged.<\/p>\n

6<\/p>\n

In 1877\u2026a severe rain\u2026hail\u2026and wind storm struck Denver. The storm produced a one minute sustained wind speed of 75 mph. Rainfall totaled 1.00 inch in 25 minutes. The hail storm damaged vegetable gardens in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1954\u2026an unconfirmed tornado was reported in Westminster. A funnel cloud was sighted in the area\u2026but it was not certain if it had touched down. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1980\u2026the temperature reached 100 degrees\u2026setting a new record high for the date.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u20263\/4 inch diameter hail was reported in north Denver. Heavy rain caused street flooding in central Denver where 4 to 5 feet of water inundated I-25\u2026closing the freeway for a while. Rainfall across metro Denver ranged up to 2.35 inches in just over an hour. An estimated 2000 basements were flooded. Only 0.01 inch of rain fell at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026heavy rain caused flooding at the junction of I-25 and I-70. Dime size hail was reported northeast of Boulder near Niwot.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026microburst winds gusting as high as 58 mph caused minor damage to an apartment complex in Broomfield. Some homes under construction were also damaged when the winds knocked over 2 by 4 wood beams along with some insulation and roofing materials\u2026which broke a few windows. Microburst winds also overturned a camper near Barr Lake.<\/p>\n

In 1996\u2026hail ranging in size from 1 to 1 1\/2 inches fell near Bennett.<\/p>\n

In 2001\u20263\/4 inch hail fell in the foothills near Conifer.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026a record daily rainfall record was set at Denver International Airport. The record of 1.29 inches in 24 hours broke the previous record of 1.10 inches set in 1929.<\/p>\n

7<\/p>\n

In 1948\u2026a brief west moving tornado was sighted 3 miles north-northeast of Stapleton Airport. The white funnel silhouetted against a gray cloud background was very narrow\u2026nearly vertical\u2026and estimated at nearly 5 thousand feet high. A dust cloud formed on the ground around the funnel. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1952\u2026a thunderstorm wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2014\u2026severe thunderstorms produced large hail across western and southern parts of metro Denver. Near Centennial and Golden\u2026hail up to quarter size was reported. Near Bennett\u2026a peak thunderstorm wind gust to 65 mph was also reported. At Denver International Airport\u2026a peak wind gust to 46 mph was recorded.<\/p>\n

8<\/p>\n

In 1874\u2026swarms 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.<\/p>\n

In 1878\u2026the highest temperature ever recorded in Denver\u2026105 degrees\u2026occurred at 3:20 pm. This temperature was equaled on July 20th in 2005.<\/p>\n

In 1969\u2026the temperature reached 100 degrees at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1976\u2026in Thornton\u2026a 13 year old boy riding a bicycle was struck and killed by lightning.<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026lightning struck three homes in central Arapahoe County east of Denver. Damage was estimated at 47 thousand dollars.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026hail to 1 inch in diameter pelted Denver. Hail to 7\/8 inch was measured in Boulder.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026heavy rain also caused flash flooding over south Denver and its nearby suburbs. Heavy rain\u2026from 2.5 to 4 inches\u2026fell in less than 90 minutes. Firefighters rescued 20 people as the water quickly rose along creeks\u2026flooded roadways\u2026and stranded motorists. Three people had to be rescued along Cherry Creek when the bike path flooded. In Evergreen\u2026a man suffered minor injuries when he was struck by lightning. It entered his finger\u2026traveled down his body\u2026 And exited his foot.<\/p>\n

In 2013\u2026heavy rain caused localized flash flooding in Aurora. An underground parking garage at an apartment complex was inundated with 3 to 4 feet of water. Flash flooding forced a road closure at east Mississippi Ave. and Alton St. Also\u2026 Several people had to be rescued when three vehicles stalled in floodwaters at Alameda Ave. and Havana St. The stationary thunderstorms dumped 2.75 inches of rain in less than 45 minutes. In addition\u2026large hail\u2026up to one inch in diameter\u2026 Was reported north of Roxborough State Park. At Denver International Airport\u2026just a trace of rainfall was observed.<\/p>\n

8-10<\/p>\n

In 1979\u2026heavy thunderstorm rains on each of three consecutive days dumped a total of 2.22 inches of rain at Stapleton International Airport. The heaviest rain\u2026 0.95 inches\u2026fell on the 9th. Small hail to 1\/8 inch diameter fell on the 8th.<\/p>\n

8-13<\/p>\n

In 1875\u2026clouds of grasshoppers were seen flying through the air on the prevailing winds during each day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On first glance our look at this week in Denver weather history appears to be less eventful than many we have looked at previously. However, the severity of the events that appear on the historical weather calendar this week are enough to make you stand up and pay attention. While August is typically a pretty … Continue reading August 2 to August 8: 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":[26,81,106,62,741],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20848"}],"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=20848"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20848\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20849,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20848\/revisions\/20849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}