{"id":21597,"date":"2021-05-30T05:05:01","date_gmt":"2021-05-30T11:05:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=21597"},"modified":"2021-06-01T05:11:24","modified_gmt":"2021-06-01T11:11:24","slug":"may-30-to-june-5-this-week-in-denver-weather-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/weather-history\/may-30-to-june-5-this-week-in-denver-weather-history\/","title":{"rendered":"May 30 to June 5: This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

There are many notable events on our look back at the weather history books for this week but one in particular stands out. It was 30 years ago this week, on June 3, that the infamous Thornton tornado struck<\/a>. This twister still stands as the most damaging tornado to have ever struck the Denver metro area.<\/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

29-1<\/p>\n

In 1894\u2026heavy rain combined with snowmelt runoff caused widespread flooding over the South Platte River basin. Rainfall was heaviest in the foothills where 5 to 8 inches were measured over the 4 days. Heavy rainfall west of Boulder flooded mining towns and damaged mining properties. In the canyons above Boulder\u2026railroads and roads were washed out along with many bridges. The floodwaters spread into central Boulder and covered a wide area from University Hill north to near Mapleton Hill to a maximum depth of 8 feet. Many houses were swept away\u2026and every bridge in Boulder was destroyed. A few people\u2026trapped in their homes by the floodwaters\u2026 Had to be rescued. However\u2026the gradual rise of the flood waters resulted in only one death. Boulder creek spread to a width of nearly one mile in the pasture land to the east of Boulder. Extensive flooding on left hand creek north of Boulder washed away railroad and wagon bridges. The heavy cloudbursts caused flooding on bear creek\u2026which washed away bridges\u2026railroad tracks\u2026and structures and destroyed the canyon roadway. Morrison sustained the heaviest flood damage on bear creek. In Denver\u2026rainfall totaled only 1.50 inches on the 30th and 31st\u2026but the heavy rainfall on upstream tributaries of the South Platte River caused the river to rise as much as 10 feet above the low water mark in the city\u2026which caused some flooding of pasture land downstream to a depth of 6 feet near Brighton.<\/p>\n

30<\/p>\n

In 1875\u2026a windstorm lasting almost all day produced sustained winds to 42 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1935\u2026southeast winds sustained to 29 mph with gusts to 34 mph produced a moderate duststorm during the afternoon.<\/p>\n

In 1938\u2026heavy thunderstorm rain and hail pummeled downtown Denver during the evening hours. Rainfall accumulated to 1.63 inches. Hail accumulated to a depth of 18 inches.<\/p>\n

In 1948\u2026a localized thunderstorm caused flooding on sand creek in Aurora and northeast Denver. Rainfall was only 0.49 inch in downtown Denver where light hail also fell.<\/p>\n

In 1963\u2026a golfer died of injuries received when struck by lightning on a golf course southwest of Denver. A warehouse in Denver was damaged and its contents destroyed by a lightning-caused fire.<\/p>\n

In 1967\u2026up to 4.00 inches of rain in Lakewood and wheat ridge caused flooding of roads and basements. Water was several feet deep in some yards. Many streets were temporarily closed. Hail as large as 1 inch in diameter fell in Wheat Ridge. Hail piled up to 2 feet deep in some low lying areas of east and southeast Denver. Snowplows were employed to remove the hail. Stapleton International Airport\u2026where west winds gusted to 39 mph\u2026received 1.51 inches of rain and hail\u2026which forced the closure of the runways for an hour. Hail stones to 3\/4 inch in diameter were measured at Buckley Field. A funnel cloud was sighted near south Wadsworth Blvd and Bear Creek. A tornado touched down briefly in the vicinity of 60th and 62nd avenues near north Washington Street. The storm uprooted trees and damaged one building. Doors were ripped from a business house\u2026widely scattering irrigation pipe. In addition\u2026a total of 3 funnel clouds were sighted in that area.<\/p>\n

In 1970\u2026hail up to 1 inch in diameter fell at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1976\u2026a single thunderstorm crossed south metro Denver producing a funnel cloud 2 miles south of Arapahoe road and Broadway. The storm moved over Buckley Field producing a funnel cloud and 1\/2 inch diameter hail. As the storm moved northeast of the city\u2026a large tornado touched down near east 59th Ave and tower road and was on the ground for 20 minutes. It demolished a 60-foot-long cinderblock cow shed\u2026tore a wall from a machinery shed\u2026tore shingles off the roof of a farmhouse nearby\u2026and felled 12 trees on one farm. A boy in a feed shed 20 feet from a destroyed building was not injured.<\/p>\n

In 1977\u20263\/4 to 1 inch diameter hail fell at or near Stapleton International Airport. One inch to baseball size hail fell in south Denver\u2026damaging some homes and extensively damaging some airplanes at Arapahoe County airport\u2026now centennial airport. Hail covered highways to a depth of 6 to 8 inches in south Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1978\u2026two funnel clouds were sighted 5 miles south of Stapleton International Airport. Hail up to 1 1\/4 inches in diameter was reported in wheat ridge and northwest Denver. Only 1\/2 inch diameter hail fell at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026golf ball size hail fell at the junction of I-25 and I-225. One inch diameter hail fell in Littleton.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026a line of severe thunderstorms crossed metro Denver\u2026 Producing wind gusts to 60 mph and scattered areas of pea to marble size hail. Small trees and branches were blown down by the strong thunderstorm winds\u2026which also caused minor power outages across southern and eastern sections of metro Denver. The strong winds uprooted a 25- to 30-foot tree in the acres green subdivision of northern Douglas County. The tree blocked a busy street for several hours. A pilot reported hail as large as 1 1\/2 inches in diameter covering the ground near the north end of a runway at Stapleton International Airport. Heavy rain caused a rock and mud slide that partially closed the Boulder canyon highway 10 miles west of Boulder. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 41 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2001\u2026lightning ignited a fire which destroyed a luxury home on bear mountain near Evergreen. Estimated damage was set at 1 million dollars.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026flash flooding occurred in the Hayman Fire burn area after as much as 1 inch of rain fell in 30 minutes. The heavy rainfall washed out many access roads and closed State Highway 67 between Deckers and west creek. A 3-foot wall of water ran down Fourmile Creek from the YMCA camp at Shady Brook\u2026damaging one building in the camp and flooding roads. Hail as large as 3\/4 inch in diameter fell near Roggen in weld County.<\/p>\n

In 2005\u2026lightning struck as least 20 homes in Westminster. Only minor damage was reported. Severe thunderstorms produced hail as large as 1.25 inches in and near Fort Lupton and hail to 3\/4 inch near Indian Hills in Jefferson County.<\/p>\n

In 2014\u2026heavy rainfall\u2026nearly 1.2 inches in 30 minutes\u2026 produced localized street flooding in Boulder. The heavy\u00a0rain coupled with the already swollen creeks from the spring\u00a0runoff along Boulder Creek resulted in the flooding. Street\u00a0flooding was reported at 6th St and Canyon Blvd and at\u00a0Baseline Road. Some cars were stranded in the high water in\u00a0low lying areas and one person reported being trapped in his\u00a0vehicle.<\/p>\n

30-31<\/p>\n

In 1935\u2026heavy thunderstorm rains overnight caused flash flooding east of the city on both Kiowa and Bijou Creeks\u2026 Resulting in a total of 9 deaths. Most of the damage was on Kiowa Creek where there were more structures. The water rose rapidly during the storm\u2026ripping houses and stores from their foundations and sweeping them downstream. Precipitation in Denver totaled only 0.01 inch. Hail fell in the city for a short time. The hail was very small and caused no damage.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026a late storm of rain and snow hit the Front Range. Over an inch of rain fell at some spots\u2026and above 7 thousand feet\u20261 to 5 inches of snow whitened the ground. Some snowflakes even fell in the western suburbs of metro Denver on the night of the 30th.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026unseasonably warm weather at the end of the month resulted in 3 temperature records. High temperature of 91 degrees on the 30th equaled the record maximum for the date. Low temperature of 61 degrees on the 31st was a record high minimum for the date. High temperature of 93 degrees on the 31st was a record maximum for the date.<\/p>\n

<\/span>31<\/p>\n

In 1917\u2026rainfall totaled 0.55 inch and was mixed briefly with snow around midday. Only a trace of snow fell. Cold temperatures during the day resulted in a high of 44 degrees and a low of 35 degrees. The month closed as the coldest May on record with a mean temperature of only 48.7 degrees\u2026about 8 degrees below normal. The cold temperatures during the month had a marked effect on shade trees and shrubs in the city. Elms were just starting to leaf. Leaves on cottonwoods and maples were only half formed. Lilacs were just blooming\u2026and snowball clusters would not bloom for days.<\/p>\n

In 1959\u2026the public reported a tornado briefly touching the ground 10 miles south of Stapleton Airport. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1984\u2026a thunderstorm microburst produced a wind gust to 67 mph\u20267 miles east of Boulder.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026hail to golf ball size pummeled southern and southeastern sections of metro Denver and continued on east to Watkins. Several houses and cars were damaged. Later\u2026 Thunderstorms dumped heavy rain across the city of Denver\u2026 Causing street flooding in an area just south of downtown and just northwest of downtown. Water was up to 10 inches deep over northwest Denver. A brief tornado touched down in Castle Rock where 3\/4 inch diameter hail also fell.<\/p>\n

In 1993\u2026thunderstorms dropped dime size hail in Commerce City.<\/p>\n

In 1994\u2026lightning struck an apartment in Louisville and damaged electronic equipment\u2026including a computer.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026a severe thunderstorm produced 1 inch diameter hail near Boulder.<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

In 1875\u2026a windstorm during the late afternoon and early evening produced sustained winds to 50 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1898\u2026south winds were sustained to 41 mph with gusts to 46 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1917\u2026a trace of unmelted snow fell in downtown Denver. Precipitation for the day totaled 0.08 inch\u2026half of which was estimated to be from melted snow.<\/p>\n

In 1919\u2026snowfall of 0.4 inch was measured in downtown Denver. This was the greatest calendar day and 24-hour snowfall ever recorded during the month of June. Precipitation (rain and melted snow) totaled 0.15 inch. Two temperature records were set. The low temperature of 32 degrees was a record minimum for the date. The high temperature of only 40 degrees was a record low maximum for the date and the month. North winds were sustained to 36 mph with gusts to 40 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1951\u2026a trace of snow fell at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1961\u2026hail as large as 1 1\/2 inches in diameter fell in west Denver with hail to 1 1\/4 inches reported in derby.<\/p>\n

In 1965\u2026a man struck by lightning in southeast Denver died shortly after being admitted to a hospital. Lightning damaged power lines in east and southeast Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1980\u2026strong thunderstorm winds blew in the windows of a mobile home in Northglenn.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026a thunderstorm produced wind gusts to 63 mph in Boulder. A small tornado touched down in a farmer\u2019s field between the towns of Louisville and Lafayette. Another tornado was spotted in an open field 3 miles west of Brighton. A funnel cloud was sighted near Hudson. A microburst wind gust to 55 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport. No damage was reported from any of these events.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026severe thunderstorms producing large hail\u2026damaging winds\u2026funnel clouds\u2026and heavy rain were widespread across metro Denver. Funnel clouds were reported in Lakewood\u2026 Boulder\u2026Arvada\u2026and just east of the rocky mountain arsenal. Hail up to golf ball size fell in Lakewood\u2026just west of Sedalia\u2026in Littleton\u2026Arvada\u2026Englewood\u2026and the city of Denver. A mobile home park in Jefferson County reported hail to 3 feet deep. Up to 1.00 inch of rain fell in 45 minutes near Boulder\u2026causing Boulder creek to flow out of its banks. Rock and mud slides forced the closure of many roads in Boulder County. Later in the afternoon thunderstorms produced rainfall amounts of 2 to 3 inches over a couple of hours. Clear creek in Golden spilled over onto U.S. Highway 6. Heavy rains washed away part of a bridge near Erie. Water was up to 18 inches deep in Westminster. Wind gusts to 58 mph were reported at Stapleton International Airport where 1\/4 inch hail fell\u2026 And heavy thunderstorm rainfall totaled 0.82 inches\u2026briefly reducing the visibility to 1 1\/4 miles. Estimates of total damage from these storms would exceed 7 million dollars.<\/p>\n

In 1994\u2026hail up to 1 inch in diameter fell over south Denver and Littleton.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026two short lived-tornadoes formed near Bennett\u2026but did no reported damage.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026strong winds from the outflow of dissipating showers developed to the east of Denver. Near Strasburg\u2026a spotter recorded a wind gust to 58 mph.<\/p>\n

1-2<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026unusually very warm weather for so early in June resulted in two temperature records. Maximum temperatures of 96 degrees on the 1st and 93 degrees on the 2nd were record highs for each date\u2026respectively.<\/p>\n

1-4<\/p>\n

In 1977\u2026unusually warm weather for this early in June resulted in 3 maximum temperature records being equaled at the time: 88 degrees on the 1st\u202690 degrees on the 2nd\u2026 And 93 degrees on the 4th. Maximum of 91 degrees on the 3rd was not a record.<\/p>\n

1-30 In 2012\u2026it was the hottest June in Denver since weather\u00a0records began back in 1872. The average temperature for\u00a0the month was 75.0 degrees which was 7.6 degrees above\u00a0normal. There were a total of seventeen 90 degree days in\u00a0the month of June. The highlight of record setting month\u00a0was a stretch of five consecutive 100 degree days from the\u00a022nd to the 26th. This was only the third time in Denver\u00a0weather history in which this happened. Two of the high\u00a0temperatures during the stretch peaked at 105 degrees\u2026which set the all time record for the month of June and\u00a0tied the all time maximum temperature for Denver.<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

In 1914\u2026flooding occurred on Boulder creek when heavy rains added to heavy snowmelt runoff. Flooding damaged the water supply system from the mountains into Boulder and destroyed roads and bridges in the canyons above Boulder. The flooding in central Boulder was described as the worst since the tragic flood of May 29th through June 3rd in 1894. However\u2026there was no reported loss of life. The flood waters also inundated pasture land to the east of the town.<\/p>\n

In 1951\u2026the lowest recorded temperature in June\u202630 degrees\u2026 Occurred. The unusually cold weather was accompanied by 0.3 inch of snowfall. Precipitation\u2026both rain and melted snow\u2026totaled 0.30 inch.<\/p>\n

In 1966\u2026microburst winds gusted to 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1981\u2026a severe thunderstorm roared through metro Denver\u2026 Dumping 2.00 inches of rain in as little as 20 minutes and bombing many areas with hail to 1 3\/4 inches in diameter. The heavy rain caused local flooding with up to 3 feet of water in some streets in northwest metro Denver. Part of a street was washed out in Thornton. Lightning strikes started a fire and caused a power outage just north of Denver. Lightning also struck a barn which burned to the ground in Brighton. Numerous cars sustained minor hail damage. A tornado was spotted 4 miles northeast of the rocky mountain arsenal\u2026but caused no damage.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u2026severe thunderstorms produced large hail across metro Denver. Hail to 3\/4 inch in diameter was reported in Louisville and northeast Denver. Golf ball size hail fell near Strasburg where two tornadoes were also sighted.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026a tornado touched down 5 miles south of Bennett. It destroyed an outbuilding and did extensive damage to greyhound dog shelters. Golf ball size hail fell near the tornado\u2026destroying some hay.<\/p>\n

In 1985\u20263\/4 inch hail fell in southwest metro Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026large hail fell over eastern and central Denver. A few stones were as large as baseballs\u2026and many ranged from 3\/4 inch to golf ball size. The hail piled up 2 to 4 inches deep in some areas. Hail to 3\/4 inch fell at Buckley Field in Aurora\u2026and 7\/8 inch hail fell just east of Aurora. A home in Louisville was struck by lightning and was 30 percent destroyed by the ensuing fire.<\/p>\n

In 1991\u2026strong thunderstorm winds in Arapahoe County\u202614 miles southeast of Stapleton International Airport\u2026damaged the roof of a home and a radio antenna. A funnel cloud\u2026 4 miles northeast of Stapleton International Airport\u2026was sighted for 11 minutes by national weather service observers.<\/p>\n

In 1993\u2026a tornado touched down briefly in south Denver\u2026 Destroying the 4-inch thick concrete roof of a building and causing about 20 thousand dollars in damage. The twister also picked up a trash dumpster and dropped it onto a car 30 feet away\u2026causing an estimated 3 thousand dollars in damage. Hail up to an inch in diameter fell in Aurora\u2026 Conifer\u2026and Bennett. Two funnel clouds were spotted near Deckers. A funnel cloud was sighted for 19 minutes by national weather service observers to the southwest of Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1994\u2026lightning struck two homes in Denver\u2026starting fires which caused considerable damage to both. Hail to 3\/4 inch in diameter fell in Golden.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026lightning struck a house in Nederland\u2026causing a fire that was doused by subsequent rainfall. A portion of the roof and wall was damaged. The storm also left most of Nederland without power for two hours. Lightning also struck a high chimney of an elementary school in west Denver. The jolt sprayed bricks around the school yard and parking lot. Twenty students and teachers were in the school building at the time\u2026but all escaped without injury. A funnel cloud was sighted over Fort Lupton\u2026and 3\/4 inch hail fell in Lafayette.<\/p>\n

In 2003\u2026severe thunderstorms produced strong winds and large hail. Hail as large as 1 1\/2 inches in diameter fell near Parker. Estimated wind gusts to 70 mph occurred near Parker and near Denver International Airport where thunderstorm wind gusts to 52 mph were recorded. Wind gusts to 60 mph were estimated near Bennett.<\/p>\n

In 2005\u2026a severe thunderstorm produced hail as large as 1 inch in diameter in the city of Denver. A tornado was sighted near Bennett along with 3\/4 inch hail.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026severe thunderstorms produced large hail over western Arapahoe\u2026northern Denver and southern weld counties. Hail\u20262 inches in diameter\u2026was observed near Brighton; with hail to 1 1\/2 inches in diameter\u20265 miles east of prospect. Hail to one inch in diameter was observed near Buckley Field\u2026Frederick and Denver.<\/p>\n

In 2012\u2026severe thunderstorm produced damaging thunderstorm\u00a0winds. Peak wind gusts included: 82 mph near Strasburg\u2026\u00a061 mph at Buckley Field\u202660 mph near Byers and southwest\u00a0Denver\u202658 mph near Watkins and 52 mph at Denver\u00a0International Airport. The microburst winds caused\u00a0extensive tree and roof damage. In addition\u2026hail up to\u00a01 inch in diameter was reported 3 miles east-southeast of\u00a0Parker.<\/p>\n

2-4<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026heavy rain drenched metro Denver with the greatest amounts recorded on the 3rd. Total rainfall ranged from 1 1\/2 to 3 inches. Roads were washed out in Boulder County\u2026 And flooded basements caused water damage to houses in the Gunbarrel section of Boulder. In suburban Denver\u2026heavy rain caused minor flooding along Lena Gulch in Jefferson County where two mobile home parks were evacuated. Rainfall totaled 1.66 inches at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

2-7<\/p>\n

In 1921\u2026heavy rainfall for nearly a week\u2026on top of streams already swollen by mountain snowmelt\u2026produced widespread flooding over the South Platte River basin\u2026including the tributaries through the canyons to the west and southwest of Denver. Heavy rainfall over the 6-day period totaled 3.36 inches in Boulder\u20264.98 inches in Morrison\u20264.27 inches in Castle Rock\u2026and 2.94 inches in the city of Denver. Rainfall amounts in the foothills were estimated between 3 and 6 inches. The narrow-gage tracks of the Colorado and southern railroad were destroyed in the Platte Canyon. From the mouth of the canyon through the city to near Brighton\u2026 The river spread from 1\/2 to nearly 1 1\/2 miles wide\u2026 Flooding farm and pasture land and destroying or damaging many bridges. In the city\u2026many businesses along with as many as 500 homes were inundated\u2026forcing their evacuation. Bridges were swept away. The high waters flooded the rail yards and stock yards in lower downtown\u2026closing three adjacent packing houses. The heavy rains also caused flooding on Boulder creek in Boulder on the 6th.<\/p>\n

3<\/p>\n

In 1951\u2026a trace of snow fell at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1961\u2026torrential rains fell 10 to 30 miles north of Denver\u2026causing flooding in the town of Frederick. The rush of water broke through and over a retaining dike sending a 5-foot wall of water into the town\u2026flooding homes and damaging sewer lines\u2026roads\u2026and streets. Golf ball size hail fell in derby\u2026west Denver\u2026and Lakewood\u2026causing more than one million dollars in damage.<\/p>\n

In 1981\u2026severe thunderstorms produced tornadoes over metro Denver. The first tornado touched down at the intersection of Alameda Ave. And Sheridan Blvd. The twister moved north along Sheridan Blvd\u2026.damaging businesses\u2026apartment buildings\u2026homes\u2026and vehicles. Over ten homes were unroofed. The roof of one landed in the middle of a neighborhood park. At least 10 mobile homes were wrecked. The tornado curved to the northeast into northwest Denver\u2026 Hopping up and down in several places. Very strong winds outside the actual funnel caused 20 to 30 thousand dollars in damage in downtown Denver. The third floor of one old building was demolished. No major injuries were reported from the tornado\u2026although several people were hurt slightly in traffic accidents on Sheridan Blvd. In the confusion caused by the storm. Damage in Lakewood alone was estimated at 200 thousand dollars. At the same time\u2026 The worst tornado to ever hit metro Denver struck Thornton. Coming from the same thunderstorm that spawned the Denver twister\u2026the Thornton tornado tore a swath through the heart of the city. 87 homes were destroyed\u2026110 others damaged at least moderately. In all\u2026600 homes in a 100 block area sustained some damage. The twister also hit shopping centers\u2026several restaurants\u2026and other buildings. Seven of the 42 injured were considered serious. The storm was strong enough to snap lamp posts in half and drive a 6- inch slab of wood 2 feet into the ground. Damage was estimated at up to 50 million dollars. The same storm that struck Thornton produced another damaging tornado that touched down in the northwest section of Fort Lupton. This twister damaged 16 homes and numerous cars and campers. Two children were slightly injured when the car they were in was knocked about and its windows shattered by the storm. The twister also damaged two commercial buildings. Damage was very spotty\u2026and observers said the storm hopped up and down at least 3 times. Dollar damage was estimated at 500 thousand dollars. The thunderstorm complex that produced 3 damaging tornadoes also dropped large hail which damaged many cars over northwest Denver. One to 2 inches of rain fell in less than an hour\u2026flooding a mobile home park with 3 to 4 feet of water on the northwest edge of Denver. The high water damaged about half of the 392 homes in the park. Local flooding was also reported in other areas across metro Denver. A tornado was also sighted near Franktown\u2026but caused no damage. A thunderstorm wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u2026a cold air funnel cloud touched down briefly in southwest Denver. Two tornadoes were briefly spotted near Watkins. No damage was reported from these storms. A brief funnel cloud was sighted by national weather service observers at Stapleton International Airport where 1\/4 inch hail fell.<\/p>\n

In 1984\u2026there were several sightings of tornadoes around Parker. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1985\u2026a tornado just southeast of Aurora was spotted by a national weather service employee. No damage was reported. Severe thunderstorms pummeled the metro area with hail. One inch to baseball size hail was reported in south Lakewood\u2026one inch hail in Littleton\u20263\/4 inch to 1 inch hail in Aurora\u2026and golf ball size hail in south Denver.<\/p>\n

In 1989\u2026hail up to golf ball size fell over Arvada. A golf course had to be evacuated as the hail accumulated up to 3 inches deep in some places. One inch diameter hail fell in west Denver and Westminster.<\/p>\n

In 1993\u2026an early morning thunderstorm produced lightning\u2026 Which caused an attic fire at a residence in Niwot northeast of Boulder. Damage was estimated at 40 thousand dollars. No one was injured.<\/p>\n

In 1994\u2026hail to 1 1\/2 inch diameter fell just northeast of Boulder. One inch diameter hail fell in Golden. Thunderstorm wind gusts to 70 mph were recorded in Erie.<\/p>\n

In 1995\u2026a tornado was sighted over open country near Strasburg. No damage was reported. A funnel cloud was sighted 11 miles east of Aurora where 3\/4 inch hail fell.<\/p>\n

In 2001\u2026severe thunderstorms produced large hail over east and southeast metro Denver. Hail as large as 1 3\/4 inches in diameter fell at centennial airport with 1 1\/2 inch hail near Buckley Field\u20261 1\/4 inch hail in Parker\u20261 inch hail near Elizabeth\u20267\/8 inch hail at Cheery Creek Reservoir\u2026and 3\/4 inch hail 20 miles north of Kiowa in Elbert County.<\/p>\n

In 2002\u2026severe thunderstorms dumped large hail across metro Denver. Hail to 1 3\/4 inches in diameter fell over southeast Denver and 4 miles north of Aurora. Hail to 1 1\/4 inches pelted Parker. One inch hail was measured near Ft. Lupton\u2026and 3\/4 inch hail fell 9 miles southeast of Buckley Field\u2026near Strasburg\u2026and at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2005\u2026thunderstorms producing heavy rain and hail caused flash flooding over parts of southeast metro Denver. People became trapped in their vehicles by the high water\u2026 And numerous water rescues were required. The hardest hit areas included the vicinity of I-25 and Alameda Avenue\u2026as well as the intersection of Yale Avenue and Quebec Street. Several basements were flooded along Eastman Place. Severe thunderstorms brought heavy rain and hail to eastern centennial and southeastern Aurora. Up to 3 feet of standing water was reported on east orchard road where several motorists were stranded in their vehicles and needed to be rescued. Hail to 3\/4 inch in diameter fell in the area. Ten vehicles were stranded on Grand Avenue\u2026and most had to be towed once the floodwaters receded. Water was reportedly chest deep at one location on Girard Avenue. Hail as large as 3\/4 inch in diameter also was reported in Littleton\u2026near Parker\u2026and near Buckley Air Force Base. Hail to 7\/8 inch was measured near Sheridan and Cheery Creek Reservoir.
\n3-4<\/p>\n

In 1904\u2026a thunderstorm during the early morning of the 3rd turned into widespread general rain\u2026which continued into the early afternoon of the 4th. Rainfall totaled 2.04 inches.<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

In 1878\u2026a \u201cwaterspout\u201d or cloudburst of rain was sighted up the South Platte canyon at around noon. The resulting high waters on the South Platte River slightly damaged a railroad bridge in the city.<\/p>\n

In 1937\u2026a trace of snow fell in downtown Denver where rainfall totaled 0.25 inch. Minimum temperature of 34 degrees was a record low for the date. Northeast winds were sustained to 22 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1951\u2026the start of the second shortest snow-free period on record\u2026109 days\u2026occurred with the last snow of the season\u2026a trace\u2026on the 3rd. The first snow of the next season occurred on September 21st when 4.2 inches of snow fell at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1954\u2026a microburst produced brief sustained winds of 40 mph with gusts as high as 64 mph at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1956\u2026the failure of the Georgetown dam caused downstream flooding on clear creek at Idaho Springs and Golden.<\/p>\n

In 1976\u2026funnel clouds were sighted near Brighton\u2026Erie\u2026and Dacono\u2026all north of Denver. A tornado touched down briefly 1 1\/2 miles east of Lafayette. Another tornado touched down briefly at Hyland Hills Golf Course in Westminster. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026severe thunderstorms during the afternoon produced 3\/4 inch hail in south Denver\u2026golf ball size hail 5 miles west of Parker\u20261 1\/4 inch hail in Littleton\u20261 1\/2 inch hail in south Aurora.<\/p>\n

In 2001\u2026hail as large as 1 inch in diameter fell 17 miles north of Bennett in Adams County.<\/p>\n

In 2005\u2026snow was mixed with rain for nearly an hour at Denver International Airport during mid to late morning. The temperature at the time was 45 degrees. Precipitation totaled 0.36 inch for the day. Northwest winds gusted to 37 mph.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026a severe thunderstorm produced large hail\u2026up to 1 3\/4 inches in diameter in Arvada\u2026a northwest suburb of Denver. Several vehicles were damaged. In addition\u2026a severe thunderstorms produced hail to 1 inch in diameter\u2026 10 miles northeast of manila\u2026east of Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

4-5<\/p>\n

In 1965\u2026lightning and an 18-hour rain storm damaged streets and roads and telephone and power lines across metro Denver. Precipitation totaled 2.77 inches at Stapleton International Airport where the visibility was reduced to 3 miles at times from pre-frontal thunderstorms and heavy upslope rains.<\/p>\n

In 1998\u2026a late season snow storm struck the Front Range foothills. Up to 5 inches of snow fell in Coal Creek Canyon. Light snow also fell over western sections of metro Denver and briefly at Denver International Airport. Snow covered the grass at the Denver federal center in Lakewood before melting around mid-morning on the 5th. No snow fell at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. Several temperature records were set. High temperatures of 47 degrees on the 4th and 49 degrees on the 5th were record low maximums for their respective dates. Minimum temperature of 34 degrees on both the 5th and 6th were record lows for those dates.<\/p>\n

5<\/p>\n

In 1864\u2026high water on the west fork of clear creek caused a small dam near empire to fail\u2026which destroyed several downstream bridges.<\/p>\n

In 1885\u2026a windstorm during the afternoon and early evening produced south to southwest winds at sustained speeds up to 42 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1937\u2026a trace of snow fell in downtown Denver. This was the latest snowfall of record at the time. Light rain and snow were mixed around mid-day. Precipitation totaled only 0.01 inch. North winds were sustained to 20 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1941\u2026hail of unknown size fell on the city.<\/p>\n

In 1961\u2026lightning struck and injured an airman outside a base classroom at Lowry Air Force Base. Funnel clouds were sighted near Frederick and firestone north of Denver. The one near Frederick briefly touched down in an open field but caused no damage. Heavy rain and hail hit the Fort Lupton area causing damage to crops. Heavy rain in Frederick added to the flood damage of the 3rd. A pilot reported a funnel cloud that touched down briefly and then dissipated south of Castle Rock.<\/p>\n

In 1965\u2026a lightning-caused fire destroyed a mountain home near Rollinsville.<\/p>\n

In 1988\u2026a tornado touched down 5 miles east of Lafayette near I-25 and stayed on the ground for 15 minutes. The twister hit a campground\u2026demolishing one trailer and damaging six others\u2026along with 4 cars. The rope-like funnel also blew down fences\u2026signs\u2026and electrical boxes. The twister moved a 1500-pound hay wagon 150 feet. Total damage to the campground was estimated at 50 thousand dollars. Another tornado touched down between Broomfield and Lafayette\u2026staying on the ground for about 20 minutes. The twister hit a subdivision\u2026unroofing one abandoned house and causing minor damage to a dozen others. A four- car garage and three barns were destroyed. At one location a chain link fence\u2026a satellite dish\u2026and a shed were destroyed\u2026while the deck and garage of the house were damaged. A grain storage tank was moved 200 feet. There were reports of boards being blown through walls; one came through a kitchen.<\/p>\n

In 1992\u2026lightning struck a 15-year-old boy\u2026causing minor injuries\u2026in Adams County 6 miles north-northeast of Stapleton International Airport. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 63 mph at Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield\u2026to 58 mph at the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission\u2019s facility at Rocky Flats\u2026to 58 mph in Thornton\u2026and to 48 mph at Stapleton International Airport where 1\/8 inch diameter hail fell.<\/p>\n

In 1996\u2026strong microburst winds up to 60 mph damaged several trees in Boulder\u2026snapping large branches 1 to 2 inches in diameter.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026a woman was struck by lightning as she was walking to her car in Nederland. The lightning bolt apparently struck a nearby power line and arced into her left hand. She received minor injuries.<\/p>\n

In 2014\u2026severe thunderstorms broke out across parts of Arapahoe\u2026Douglas\u2026Elbert and Jefferson Counties\u2026 impacting areas generally southwest and south of\u00a0Denver. The storms produced large hail\u2026from quarter to golfball size.<\/p>\n

In 2017…an intense thunderstorm produced damaging downburst winds which snapped a power pole near the interchange of Interstate 70 and US 36. A weak short-lived landspout also touched down south of I-70 near Bennett and tossed around some lawn furniture.<\/p>\n

5-6<\/p>\n

In 1977\u2026lightning caused several power outages and moderate damage to a railroad building.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There are many notable events on our look back at the weather history books for this week but one in particular stands out. It was 30 years ago this week, on June 3, that the infamous Thornton tornado struck. This twister still stands as the most damaging tornado to have ever struck the Denver metro … Continue reading May 30 to June 5: 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":[81,106,62,41,387,741],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21597"}],"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=21597"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21598,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21597\/revisions\/21598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}