{"id":23392,"date":"2023-08-13T05:36:03","date_gmt":"2023-08-13T11:36:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=23392"},"modified":"2023-08-14T05:38:22","modified_gmt":"2023-08-14T11:38:22","slug":"august-13-to-august-19-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/weather-history\/august-13-to-august-19-this-week-in-denver-weather-history-2\/","title":{"rendered":"August 13 to August 19: This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Severe weather is a fact of life in Colorado during the summer months and while August is historically relatively calm, that isn\u2019t always the case. In our look back at this week in Denver weather history we see the dangers of lightning, incidents of large hail and flooding rains and even a tornado.<\/p>\n

From the National Weather Service:<\/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

12-13<\/p>\n

In 1975\u2026heavy rains caused flash flooding along the foothills from Denver north. Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 1.56 inches at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 2004\u2026a brief cool spell resulted in two daily temperature records. The low temperature of 49 degrees was a record minimum for the 12th\u2026as was the low temperature of 48 degrees on the 13th.<\/p>\n

13<\/p>\n

In 1959\u2026thunderstorm winds gusted to 53 mph at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u2026thunderstorms dumped torrential rain in Northglenn\u2026 Thornton\u2026and Broomfield. Northglenn was drenched with 1.72 inches in 30 minutes. Street flooding was widespread. Hail\u2026as large as 3\/4 inch in diameter\u2026was reported 7 miles northeast of Boulder along with heavy rain which caused some street flooding.<\/p>\n

In 2000\u2026lightning sparked 3 small grass fires near Golden. The fires were quickly contained. Hail as large as 3\/4 inch in diameter fell in Castle Rock..<\/p>\n

In 2019…Hail up to 1 3\/4 inches in diameter was observed 4 miles west of Frederick…with hail up to one inch in diameter near Dacono.<\/p>\n

14<\/p>\n

In 1960\u2026a bolt of lightning struck a man in Henderson\u2026 Causing serious burns.<\/p>\n

In 1962\u2026the temperature climbed to a high of 100 degrees at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1968\u2026a young man on a golf course in Denver was injured when lightning struck a tree under which he was standing. Lightning caused minor damage to a house in Denver. Heavy thunderstorm rain caused local street flooding. One inch diameter hail fell at Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield.<\/p>\n

In 1973\u2026winds as high as 85 mph damaged 20 aircraft at the Arapahoe County airport\u2026now centennial airport.<\/p>\n

In 1977\u2026three tornadoes were sighted in Bennett. A man suffered a broken leg when hit by a flying board. He was outside his camper home\u2026which was destroyed. All windows were broken in a near-by farmhouse where some shingles were ripped off and a 2 car garage was knocked down. Several vehicles were damaged and a cat\u2026some rabbits\u2026and chickens were killed. A broken oar from a boat was driven into the side of a house. A mobile home was overturned. One old barn was destroyed. Half a dozen homes and several agricultural buildings were damaged just west of State Highway 79.<\/p>\n

In 1978\u2026high winds produced much blowing dust\u2026causing many traffic accidents in the Denver-Boulder area. Winds gusts of 70 to 101 mph were recorded. Northwest winds gusted to 44 mph at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1980\u2026lightning hit two power poles in Littleton\u2026causing 400 dollars in damage. Rainfall of 1.23 inches in a short time caused minor flooding\u2026which included damage to a ground floor apartment and partially submerging a few vehicles in water. Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 0.98 inch at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1983\u20262.10 inches of rain drenched Golden in an hour with similar amounts in Lakewood and Boulder. Over ten thousand dollars worth of plants were washed away at a nursery in Lakewood.<\/p>\n

In 1997\u2026twelve motorists were injured in a multi-car accident when strong microburst winds estimated to 50 mph blew blinding dust across I-70 near Bennett.<\/p>\n

In 1998\u2026lightning struck a hydro-electric plant in Nederland\u2026 Causing a power outage. Residents in the foothills west of Boulder\u2026including Nederland\u2026Ward\u2026Eldora\u2026Jamestown\u2026 And Gold Hill\u2026were without power for about an hour.<\/p>\n

In 2006\u2026heavy thunderstorm rainfall near Deckers washed away some the banks along State Highway 67 between Deckers and Westcreek. Several driveways on both sides of the highway were also damaged.<\/p>\n

15<\/p>\n

In 1899\u2026a thunderstorm produced southwest sustained winds to 43 mph with gusts to 46 mph.<\/p>\n

In 1972\u2026a pilot reported a funnel cloud briefly touching the ground in open fields\u202617 miles east-northeast of Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

In 1980\u2026thunderstorm winds gusted to 55 mph in Boulder.<\/p>\n

In 1982\u2026brief heavy rain and winds estimated as high as 70 mph occurred in the conifer-Evergreen area. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1990\u2026lightning triggered a small attic fire in a house near Sedalia\u202620 miles south of Denver. A furious lightning storm caused widespread power outages across southern sections of metro Denver. One lightning bolt knocked out an electrical substation\u2026causing a 90-minute blackout in southeast Denver affecting nearly 10 thousand homes and businesses.<\/p>\n

In 2007\u2026severe thunderstorms produced large hail\u2026up to 2 inches in diameter\u2026near larkspur. Extensive damage to vehicles in the area was reported.<\/p>\n

In Parker\u2026lightning struck a residence. The ensuing fire damaged the attic and top floor; causing $100000 in property damage.<\/p>\n

In 2008\u2026at least three homes were hit by lightning during the early morning hours in Arapahoe County. Lightning also struck two homes in Castle Rock\u2026damaging the roofs.<\/p>\n

<\/span>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. Hail caused some minor damage in Aurora. 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. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

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

In 1985\u2026a thunderstorm produced strong wind gusts over southern metro Denver. One strong wind gust hit Cheery Creek Reservoir\u2026capsizing a boat and drowning a man. 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. No injuries were reported.<\/p>\n

In 1994\u2026strong thunderstorm winds caused damage in southern weld County near Hudson and Fort Lupton. Two mobile homes were destroyed and a few lost their roofs. Up to 20 downed power poles and the destruction of two 115 thousand-volt towers caused widespread power outages. 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. The bolt sparked a fire which destroyed the residence. 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. The boy was knocked unconscious and suffered minor injuries.<\/p>\n

In 2013\u2026a dry microburst uprooted 30 to 40 large trees across a 12-block area of the Park Hill neighborhood in east central Denver. Several trees were snapped near the base along with numerous branches\u20268 to 10 inches in diameter. Power poles and lines were also downed with resulted in outages which affected seven hundred residents. One of the downed trees crushed a car`s hood\u2026 narrowly missing the driver. At Denver International Airport\u2026a peak wind gust of 22 mph was observed from the southwest.<\/p>\n

<\/span>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. 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. No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

In 1963\u2026heavy rain in southeast Denver\u2026Englewood\u2026and Littleton caused flooding of basements and streets. Over 3.00 inches of rain fell at Cherry Creek dam. Lightning caused power failures. The hardest hit areas were in north- central Denver. A 12-year-old boy was swept into a conduit by a 3-foot high crest of water. He was carried 125 feet through the waterway\u2026but was unhurt. 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. 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. 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. The heavy rain caused some road washouts in Jefferson and Douglas counties. A bridge was washed out in Douglas County. 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. 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. A flood control project in Arapahoe County at greenwood village sustained over 10 thousand dollars damage. Up to 4 feet of water flooded some basements in the area. 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. 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. No injuries or serious damage occurred except for mud and water damage. Lightning struck and injured 4 construction workers standing in an Aurora field. They received treatment for minor injuries at a local hospital. Lightning also struck the roof of a Methodist church in central Denver\u2026 Knocking down the highest peak of the steeple. 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. The heavy rain accumulated on the roof of a condominium clubhouse\u2026causing the roof to collapse under the weight of the water. Nearly 300 residents were evacuated from the 200-unit complex because of the structural damage. The residents were allowed to return to their homes when it was determined the damage was confined to the clubhouse. 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. 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.<\/p>\n

In Commerce City\u2026a 37-year-old firefighter drowned while attempting to rescue a stranded motorist on a flooded street. The firefighter was wading through the water when he lost his footing and was sucked into a 10 foot deep culvert. He was swept away before anyone could reach him. Extensive flooding was also reported throughout Littleton and north Denver.<\/p>\n

18<\/p>\n

In 1965\u2026heavy rain in areas south and east of Denver caused some flooding in Littleton and Englewood. 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. Half inch diameter hail also fell at Stapleton International Airport. 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. 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. Flooding in Idaho Springs forced the closure of the Virginia Gulch Road\u2026which runs from Idaho Springs to central city. Dirt roads above central city were damaged or destroyed with the mud being swept onto streets in town. High water in Clear Creek\u2026up to 3 feet above flood stage\u2026washed out a bridge in Idaho Springs. 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. 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. 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. The Denver fire department conducted at least 15 water rescues. One driver nearly drowned when he made a wrong turn into a retaining pond. Four men who witnessed the accident were able to save the man before his car was completely submerged. Widespread street flooding was reported in the Denver Stapleton area where rainfall totaled 3.81 inches. 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. 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. Heavy rainfall caused additional flash flooding south of Denver. Several street intersections in centennial and southern Aurora became impassable due to high water. Two feet of water covered portions of the roadway near park meadows mall. One person had to be rescued near the intersection of Arapahoe Road and Liverpool. Floodwaters forced the closure of Stonegate Parkway near Jordan Road and Lincoln Avenue. Flooding was also reported on Meridian Blvd. Near I-25. 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. 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. The boy received mouth to mouth resuscitation on the scene and recovered after being hospitalized overnight. 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. One inch diameter hail was reported over east Denver. 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. 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. Flood waters 1 to 2 feet deep covered the river bottom land along the South Platte River. 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. 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. Lightning struck a vehicle at east Evans Avenue and\u00a0Tower Road. The woman inside the vehicle was not injured.<\/p>\n

In 2016…a severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 64 mph near Commerce City.<\/p>\n

19-30<\/p>\n

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

Severe weather is a fact of life in Colorado during the summer months and while August is historically relatively calm, that isn\u2019t always the case. In our look back at this week in Denver weather history we see the dangers of lightning, incidents of large hail and flooding rains and even a tornado. From the … Continue reading August 13 to August 19: 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\/23392"}],"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=23392"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23392\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23393,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23392\/revisions\/23393"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}