{"id":20870,"date":"2020-08-16T04:58:39","date_gmt":"2020-08-16T10:58:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=20870"},"modified":"2020-08-17T05:00:30","modified_gmt":"2020-08-17T11:00:30","slug":"august-16-to-august-22-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/weather-history\/august-16-to-august-22-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-3\/","title":{"rendered":"August 16 to August 22: This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

August is usually considered one of the calmer weather months in Denver but as our look back in weather history for this week shows, that isn\u2019t always the case.\u00a0 Thunderstorms and all their associated dangers \u2013 lightning, flooding, tornadoes and more \u2013 all present a very real danger even this time of year.<\/p>\n

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

16<\/p>\n

In 1902\u2026a thunderstorm produced west winds sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 60 mph\u2026but only a trace of rain.<\/p>\n

In 1952\u2026a thunderstorm wind gust to 50 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1960\u2026lightning struck a warehouse in central Denver\u2026 Causing 8 thousand dollars in damage to the building and stored electrical equipment.<\/p>\n

In 1975\u2026large hail\u20261 1\/2 to 1 3\/4 inches in diameter\u2026fell about 4 miles north of Castle Rock.\u00a0 Hail caused some minor damage in Aurora.\u00a0 A funnel cloud was reported 25 miles east of Denver near Bennett.<\/p>\n

In 1981\u2026a tornado touched down briefly in open country just to the east of Aurora.\u00a0 No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u2026a thunderstorm wind gust to 61 mph was recorded at Buckley Field in Aurora.\u00a0 At the same time almost an inch of rain flooded and closed streets in south Aurora.\u00a0 A women was hit by lightning just north of Denver.\u00a0 A house in the area was also struck.<\/p>\n

In 1985\u2026a thunderstorm produced strong wind gusts over southern metro Denver.\u00a0 One strong wind gust hit Cheery Creek Reservoir\u2026capsizing a boat and drowning a man.\u00a0 The wind gusts\u2026clocked as high as 50 mph\u2026also downed a few trees.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u20261 3\/4 inch diameter hail fell at Intercanyon in the foothills of Jefferson County.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026lightning caused minor damage to a south Aurora home.\u00a0 No injuries were reported.<\/p>\n

In 1994\u2026strong thunderstorm winds caused damage in southern Weld County near Hudson and Fort Lupton.\u00a0 Two mobile homes were destroyed and a few lost their roofs.\u00a0 Up to 20 downed power poles and the destruction of two 115 thousand-volt towers caused widespread power outages.\u00a0 Thunderstorm gust front winds from the north gusted to 48 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026lightning ripped most of the roof from a home in southeast Aurora.\u00a0 The bolt sparked a fire which destroyed the residence.\u00a0 Damage was estimated at 250 thousand dollars.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026the temperature climbed to a maximum of 100 degrees setting a new record high for the date.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026a teenager was injured when he was struck by lightning while camping at Herman Lake\u202613 miles northwest of Georgetown.\u00a0 The boy was knocked unconscious and suffered minor injuries.<\/p>\n

16-19<\/p>\n

In 1979\u2026heavy thunderstorm rains on each of 4 consecutive days dumped a total of 2.62 inches of rain on Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 The heaviest rain\u20261.05 inches\u2026 On the 19th was accompanied by 1\/4 inch diameter hail.<\/p>\n

<\/span>17<\/p>\n

In 1953\u2026a tornado was sighted 8 miles east of Castle Rock. An unconfirmed tornado was sighted between Denver and Strasburg.\u00a0 No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1963\u2026heavy rain in southeast Denver\u2026Englewood\u2026and Littleton caused flooding of basements and streets.\u00a0 Over 3.00 inches of rain fell at Cherry Creek Dam.\u00a0 Lightning caused power failures.\u00a0 The hardest hit areas were in north- central Denver.\u00a0 A 12-year-old boy was swept into a conduit by a 3-foot high crest of water.\u00a0 He was carried 125 feet through the waterway\u2026but was unhurt.\u00a0 Thunderstorm rainfall totaled only 0.24 inch at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1972\u2026a thunderstorm wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 Strong winds also occurred in the Littleton area where several trees and utility poles were blown over and a number of windows broken.<\/p>\n

In 1978\u20261 3\/4 inch diameter hail was reported in Thornton.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u2026heavy rain occurred in the foothills southwest of Denver where 4.50 inches fell in 75 minutes between Evergreen and Conifer.\u00a0 Nearby\u20262.66 inches of rain drenched the North Turkey Creek Canyon area in just 15 minutes.<\/p>\n

In 1984\u2026scattered slow moving thunderstorms dumped heavy rain across southern metro Denver.\u00a0 The heavy rain caused some road washouts in Jefferson and Douglas counties.\u00a0 A bridge was washed out in Douglas County.\u00a0 Three inches of rain fell in just an hour at Castle Rock\u2026causing heavy silt damage to a home and to nearby drainage ditches.<\/p>\n

In 1988\u2026a thunderstorm dumped 2 to 3 inches of rain in southeast Denver and adjacent areas of Arapahoe County in less than 90 minutes.\u00a0 There was widespread street flooding\u2026and I-25 was closed by 4 feet of water near its intersection with I-225 just south of Denver.\u00a0 A flood control project in Arapahoe County at greenwood village sustained over 10 thousand dollars damage.\u00a0 Up to 4 feet of water flooded some basements in the area.\u00a0 Only 0.44 inch of rain fell at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026heavy thunderstorm rains over the Boulder creek and St. Vrain creek drainage basins caused many creeks and drainage ditches to rise in eastern Boulder and southwest Weld counties.\u00a0 The high waters punched three 30-foot holes in the embankment of a drainage ditch\u2026which traversed through the town of firestone\u202620 miles north of Denver. A sheet of water 2 to 3 feet deep rushed out onto the streets of firestone\u2026forcing the evacuation of a trailer park and residents from 50 neighboring homes.\u00a0 No injuries or serious damage occurred except for mud and water damage. Lightning struck and injured 4 construction workers standing in an Aurora field.\u00a0 They received treatment for minor injuries at a local hospital.\u00a0 Lightning also struck the roof of a Methodist church in central Denver\u2026 Knocking down the highest peak of the steeple.\u00a0 A half dozen people were in the building\u2026but no one was injured. Slow moving thunderstorms dumped 2 to 3 inches of rain over southeast Aurora in 90 minutes.\u00a0 The heavy rain accumulated on the roof of a condominium clubhouse\u2026causing the roof to collapse under the weight of the water.\u00a0 Nearly 300 residents were evacuated from the 200-unit complex because of the structural damage.\u00a0 The residents were allowed to return to their homes when it was determined the damage was confined to the clubhouse.\u00a0 No injuries were reported.<\/p>\n

In 1993\u2026just west of Fort Lupton\u2026thunderstorm winds blew the tin roof off a cattle shelter into a mobile home\u2026 Causing considerable damage to the mobile home.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026lightning struck a home in Castle Rock sparking a fire.\u00a0 Damage was estimated at 20 thousand dollars.<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026thunderstorms producing very heavy rain\u2026up to 3.50 inches in spots\u2026caused flooding and flash flooding across metro Denver.\u00a0 In Commerce City\u2026a 37-year-old firefighter drowned while attempting to rescue a stranded motorist on a flooded street.\u00a0 The firefighter was wading through the water when he lost his footing and was sucked into a 10 foot deep culvert.\u00a0 He was swept away before anyone could reach him.\u00a0 Extensive flooding was also reported throughout Littleton and north Denver.<\/p>\n

<\/span>18<\/p>\n

In 1965\u2026heavy rain in areas south and east of Denver caused some flooding in Littleton and Englewood.\u00a0 Clear creek was running near bankfull\u2026and heavy rain in southwest Denver flooded intersections.<\/p>\n

In 1966\u2026a brief very heavy thunderstorm dumped 0.61 inch of rain in just 5 minutes at Stapleton International Airport. Total rainfall from the storm\u20260.64 inch\u2026fell in just 10 minutes.\u00a0 Half inch diameter hail also fell at Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 The public sighted funnel clouds 10 to 15 miles south of the airport.<\/p>\n

In 1967\u2026hail struck in a strip along the eastern foothills and caused minor damage in Boulder.\u00a0 Hail accumulated to a depth of 4 to 6 inches in Jefferson County just southwest of Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026one inch to hen egg size hail was reported in Broomfield with golf ball size hail at Northglenn.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026dime size hail and thunderstorm wind gusts to 50 mph were reported by storm spotters just east of Aurora near the intersection of Mississippi Avenue and gun club road. The hail and strong winds damaged a number of windows in the area.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026very heavy rain from slow moving thunderstorms dumped up to 3 inches of rain in 20 minutes in the vicinity of Idaho Springs and central city.\u00a0 Flooding in Idaho Springs forced the closure of the Virginia Gulch Road\u2026which runs from Idaho Springs to central city.\u00a0 Dirt roads above Central City were damaged or destroyed with the mud being swept onto streets in town.\u00a0 High water in Clear Creek\u2026up to 3 feet above flood stage\u2026washed out a bridge in Idaho Springs.\u00a0 Rock and mud slides forced the closure of I-70 about 1 mile east of Idaho Springs.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026dry microbursts produced two peak wind gusts to an estimated 60 mph east of Buckley Field.<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026hail as large as 3\/4 inch in diameter was measured 5 miles west of Sedalia.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026a severe thunderstorm produced hail as large as 2.75 inches in diameter at Highlands Ranch.\u00a0 Hail to 3\/4 inch was reported in Aurora near Cherry Creek and in Arapahoe County 9 miles southeast of Aurora.<\/p>\n

In 2004\u2026heavy thunderstorm rainfall caused flash flooding across central and southern metro Denver.\u00a0 A rain gage at City Park recorded 4.37 inches of rainfall from the deluge. Several roads in and around the city had to be closed due to floodwaters\u2026stranding many vehicles.\u00a0 The Denver fire department conducted at least 15 water rescues.\u00a0 One driver nearly drowned when he made a wrong turn into a retaining pond.\u00a0 Four men who witnessed the accident were able to save the man before his car was completely submerged.\u00a0 Widespread street flooding was reported in the Denver Stapleton area where rainfall totaled 3.81 inches.\u00a0 Standing water over 6 inches deep was reported near I-70 and Quebec\u2026I-225 south of I-70\u2026and I-25 near 6th avenue.\u00a0 Flood waters reached 8 feet deep in some low lying areas as sewers became clogged and the storm runoff pipes were unable to handle the heavy flow of water.\u00a0 Heavy rainfall caused additional flash flooding south of Denver.\u00a0 Several street intersections in centennial and southern Aurora became impassable due to high water.\u00a0 Two feet of water covered portions of the roadway near park meadows mall.\u00a0 One person had to be rescued near the intersection of Arapahoe Road and Liverpool.\u00a0 Floodwaters forced the closure of Stonegate Parkway near Jordan Road and Lincoln Avenue.\u00a0 Flooding was also reported on meridian Blvd. Near I-25.\u00a0 Rainfall was 1.62 inches at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

18-19<\/p>\n

In 1875\u2026nearly 0.75 inch of rainfall in the city overnight\u2026 Possibly assisted by heavier rainfall upstream\u2026produced a decided and rapid rise in Cherry Creek\u2026which washed out some bridges.\u00a0 Other small creeks and streams were filled to overflowing.<\/p>\n

19<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026heavy rain fell across the northern metro Denver suburbs with 1.50 to 1.80 inches of rain in Broomfield\u2026 Arvada\u2026and Thornton.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026lightning killed a 31-year-old man and injured his 10 year old nephew when it hit a tree they were walking under in the foothills about 5 miles west of Boulder.\u00a0 The boy received mouth to mouth resuscitation on the scene and recovered after being hospitalized overnight.\u00a0 Three other people were knocked to the ground by the bolt\u2026but were uninjured.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u20263\/4 inch diameter hail was reported in Wheat Ridge. A thunderstorm over west Denver dumped an inch of rain in 20 minutes\u2026causing minor street flooding.\u00a0 One inch diameter hail was reported over east Denver.\u00a0 Ping pong to golf ball size hail was reported 14 miles northeast of Denver at the intersection of 122nd Ave. and Brighton Blvd. The hail stones knocked out windows and did an unspecified amount of damage to the roof of a house.\u00a0 Close by\u2026heavy thunderstorm rains caused gullies\u2026irrigation ditches\u2026and small streams to overflow their banks near the intersection of 120th avenue and Riverdale Road.\u00a0 Flood waters 1 to 2 feet deep covered the river bottom land along the South Platte River.\u00a0 However\u2026no structures were threatened by the flood waters.<\/p>\n

In 1999\u2026heavy rain\u2026up to 5 inches in two hours\u2026caused east tollgate creek to jump its banks.\u00a0 The bike path adjacent to the creek was underwater at several locations. Several underpasses were also flooded\u2026halting traffic. In addition\u2026an unfinished playground at a local elementary school was completely flooded.\u00a0 Lightning struck a vehicle at east Evans Avenue and Tower Road.\u00a0 The woman inside the vehicle was not injured.<\/p>\n

19-30<\/p>\n

In 1875\u2026grasshoppers appeared in great numbers at 10:00 am on the 19th.\u00a0 Thousands landed on the ground.\u00a0 The streets were literally covered with them.\u00a0 Swarms of grasshoppers were seen on each day.\u00a0 All gardens in the city were devastated\u2026and in the countryside the grasshoppers were very destructive to ripened grain.\u00a0 On the 30th the grasshoppers were so numerous as to almost darken the sun.<\/p>\n

20<\/p>\n

In 1980\u2026winds to 55 to 60 mph were recorded in south Boulder.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u2026strong thunderstorm winds blasted the Jefferson County airport near Broomfield\u2026causing an estimated 3 million dollars in damage.\u00a0 At least 5 hangars and 15 airplanes were damaged\u2026many seriously; one hangar was completely destroyed.\u00a0 Torrential rains accompanied the winds.\u00a0 Heavy rains also dumped on Boulder where 1.65 inches fell in just 15 minutes\u2026causing street flooding. Wind gusts to 72 mph were recorded in Boulder.\u00a0 Over half an inch of rain fell in just 5 minutes in Littleton where two homes were struck by lightning.\u00a0 Lightning also struck a house in Arvada where over an inch of rain sent Ralston Creek over its banks.\u00a0 Strong winds accompanied the storms.<\/p>\n

In 1984\u2026slow moving thunderstorms dumped 1.25 inches of rain in Evergreen\u2026causing street flooding.\u00a0 A half inch of rain fell in just 18 minutes in southeast Denver.\u00a0 Littleton and Boulder were also drenched with about an inch of rain. Rainfall totaled 0.92 inch at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2001\u2026severe thunderstorms produced damaging winds and large hail across metro Denver.\u00a0 Hail as large 1 inch in diameter fell in Aurora near Cherry Creek.\u00a0 Strong thunderstorm winds gusting as high as 58 mph blew the roof from a building between Thornton and Denver and toppled several trees in Denver.\u00a0 One tree landed on a mail truck. Other thunderstorm winds were clocked to 60 mph near Parker\u2026 62 mph in Broomfield\u2026and 61 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026a tornado (F0) touched down near Bennett\u2026but caused no reported damage.<\/p>\n

In 2013\u2026severe thunderstorms pounded the southern Denver suburbs and other parts of the Front Range. In Jefferson County\u2026water rescues were reported for some people in stranded cars. In the Ken Caryl area\u2026large hail from one inch to 1 3\/4 inches in diameter was reported. On West Chatfield Avenue in Jefferson County\u2026hail runoff gathered six inches deep in spots and \u201chail plows\u201d were sent out to clear some streets. Hail up to one inch in diameter was also reported near Castle Rock.<\/p>\n

21<\/p>\n

In 1876\u2026heavy thunderstorm rain and hail struck the city. Hail stones as large as partridge eggs accumulated to a depth of 1 1\/2 feet over eastern portions of the city. The heavy rainfall flooded streets and gutters.\u00a0 However\u2026 No significant damage was reported.\u00a0 Rainfall totaled 0.85 inch in central Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1903\u2026a thunderstorm produced west winds sustained to 42 mph with gusts to 48 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1957\u2026heavy thunderstorm rainfall and hail over the bear creek basin flooded portions of State Highway 8 in and near Morrison.\u00a0 There was also minor property damage in Morrison.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026a 68-year-old woman was struck by lightning while standing near a tree in Brighton.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026a severe thunderstorm produced 7\/8 inch diameter hail in Franktown.<\/p>\n

22<\/p>\n

In 1898\u2026an apparent thunderstorm produced southwest sustained winds to 40 mph with gusts to 43 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1903\u2026a late afternoon thunderstorm produced rain\u2026hail\u2026 And east winds sustained to 40 mph with gusts to 44 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1904\u2026the lowest recorded temperature in august\u202640 degrees\u2026occurred.\u00a0 The same temperature also occurred on three consecutive days\u2026august 24\u202625\u2026and 26 in 1910.<\/p>\n

In 1965\u2026heavy rain and hail caused some damage from flooding over northern Douglas County from Castle Rock to Franktown.<\/p>\n

In 1981\u2026thunderstorms moved across metro Denver.\u00a0 At least 5 funnel cloud sightings were reported.\u00a0 Funnel clouds were seen at 96th Ave. and Sheridan Blvd. and at 92nd Ave. and Federal Blvd. In Westminster and 7 miles north of Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 Lightning injured two people in Boulder.\u00a0 A quarter inch of rain fell in just 5 minutes in Brighton.\u00a0 Up to 3\/4 inch of rain doused Parker in 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u20263\/4 inch diameter hail was reported at Kittredge\u2026 Along with 0.60 inch of rain in 25 minutes.<\/p>\n

In 1984\u2026a thunderstorm dumped 4 inches of rain on Brighton in 90 minutes\u2026causing extensive street flooding in the downtown area.<\/p>\n

In 1987\u2026over an inch of rain fell in 24 hours throughout most of metro Denver.\u00a0 A public library suffered water damage to the ceiling\u2026carpet\u2026and a few books.\u00a0 Rainfall was 0.76 inch at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026lightning knocked out power to about 2500 homes in Lakewood for about an hour.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026national weather service personnel at Stapleton International Airport sighted an apparent tornado briefly on the ground 3 miles west-northwest of the airport.\u00a0 No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026lightning struck 3 electrical power substations in Louisville.\u00a0 Residences of more than 4500 people were without power from 30 minutes to more than an hour.<\/p>\n

In 1996\u2026between 1 and 3 inches of rain fell across metro Denver.\u00a0 As a result\u2026several low lying areas were flooded. A bicyclist was swept into a fast moving creek when he tried to cross a flooded bike path.\u00a0 The man was washed downstream about 15 feet before getting snagged by a tree stump.\u00a0 He and a man who tried to rescue him received minor injuries.\u00a0 The heavy rain caused numerous power outages\u2026false fire alarms\u2026and traffic accidents.\u00a0 In Lakewood\u2026telephone service to around 60 thousand residents was knocked out when a switching center was flooded.\u00a0 Funnel clouds were sighted near Chatfield Reservoir and Highlands Ranch.<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026lightning sparked a blaze which gutted a 10-unit apartment building in Highlands Ranch.\u00a0 Twenty-eight people were left homeless.\u00a0 Damage was estimated at 2 million dollars.<\/p>\n

In 2007\u2026severe thunderstorms produced large hail\u2026up to 1 1\/4 inches in diameter\u2026in the vicinities of Castle Rock\u2026 Elizabeth and Franktown.<\/p>\n

In 2013\u2026flash flooding occurred in central Douglas County with numerous road closures reported. One of the closures occurred at the Tomah Road exit along I-25\u2026south of Castle Rock.\u00a0 The closure backed up all I-25 the way to Castle Rock. At Denver International Airport\u20261.94 inches of precipitation was recorded\u2026which set a new record rainfall for the date. The old record was 0.75 inches\u2026 Set back in 1953.<\/p>\n

22-24<\/p>\n

In 1987\u2026some locations in metro Denver had a total 3-day rainfall of 2 to 4 inches.\u00a0 Rainfall totaled 0.96 inch at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

August is usually considered one of the calmer weather months in Denver but as our look back in weather history for this week shows, that isn\u2019t always the case.\u00a0 Thunderstorms and all their associated dangers \u2013 lightning, flooding, tornadoes and more \u2013 all present a very real danger even this time of year. From the … Continue reading August 16 to August 22: 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\/20870"}],"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=20870"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20870\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20871,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20870\/revisions\/20871"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20870"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20870"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20870"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}