{"id":2696,"date":"2010-05-02T04:01:23","date_gmt":"2010-05-02T10:01:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/?p=2696"},"modified":"2010-05-02T04:01:23","modified_gmt":"2010-05-02T10:01:23","slug":"may-2-to-may-8-this-week-in-denver-weather-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/weather-history\/may-2-to-may-8-this-week-in-denver-weather-history\/","title":{"rendered":"May 2 to May 8 – This week in Denver weather history"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"May
May 2 to May 8 - This week in Denver weather history<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As we enter the month of May, our weather history calendar is as eventful as ever however we start to see a transition with fewer snow events and more typical spring events.\u00a0 Of note are many events that caused flooding, severe winds, tornadoes, and lightning.<\/p>\n

29-2<\/p>\n

In 1954…a major storm dumped 10.1 inches of snowfall at Stapleton Airport.\u00a0 Most of the snow…7.5 inches…fell on the 29th and 30th.\u00a0 The maximum snow depth on the ground was 5 inches on the 30th due to melting.\u00a0 No strong winds accompanied the storm.<\/p>\n

1-2<\/p>\n

In 1903…post-frontal rain changed to light snow overnight… But totaled only 2.0 inches.\u00a0 This was the last snow of the season.\u00a0 Northeast winds were sustained to 45 mph with gusts to 48 mph on the 1st.<\/p>\n

1-5<\/p>\n

In 1898…snowfall totaled 15.5 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow…6.2 inches…fell on the 3rd.\u00a0 Most of the snow melted as it fell.\u00a0 The greatest snow depth on the ground was only 2.5 inches on the 3rd at 8:00 pm. This was the only snowfall during the month.\u00a0 Northeast winds were sustained to 22 mph on the 1st.<\/p>\n

2\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1874…strong winds upset two railroad passenger coaches near Georgetown.\u00a0 The baggage was retrieved and placed in a heavy…large wagon.\u00a0 The passengers then seated themselves on top of the baggage.\u00a0 Another strong gust of wind upset the wagon.\u00a0 The driver’s shoulder was dislocated…and a passenger’s leg was badly injured. In Denver…northwest winds increased and blew in gusts and heavy winds were observed on the ridge tops.\u00a0 On the Kansas Pacific R.R. east of Denver…the wind was so strong that it blew the train back several lengths…which caused the train to be about 7 hours late arriving in the city.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1901…south winds were sustained to 50 mph with gusts to 60 mph from an apparent thunderstorm with hail.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1944…snowfall of 8.3 inches was accompanied by a thunderstorm.\u00a0 This was the last snowfall of the season and the only snow of the month.\u00a0 Northwest winds were sustained to 25 mph.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1955…southwest winds at speeds of 37 mph with gusts as high as 58 mph caused some blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1983…1 inch diameter hail fell a few miles south of Bennett.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1984…3\/4 inch diameter hail fell in Northglenn.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1988…I-70 east of Denver was closed for the second straight day…this time due to snow and blowing snow producing up to 2 foot drifts.\u00a0 While only 2 to 4 inches of snow fell across metro Denver…Strasburg…just east of Denver…received a foot of snow.\u00a0 North winds peaked to 51 mph at Stapleton International Airport where snowfall totaled only 1.3 inches.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1995…lightning struck a house in Westminster sparking an attic fire.<\/p>\n

2-3<\/p>\n

In 1979…heavy rain changed to snow on the 2nd.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 3.9 inches at Stapleton International Airport… Where northwest winds gusted to 26 mph.\u00a0 The greatest depth of snow on the ground was only 1 inch at midday on the 2nd due to melting.\u00a0 Total precipitation for the 2 days was 1.65 inches.<\/p>\n

2-4<\/p>\n

In 1987…a slow moving storm brought rain…wind…and snow to metro Denver.\u00a0 Rainfall totaled 1.04 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 48 mph on the 3rd.\u00a0 The foothills received 5 to 10 inches of snow.<\/p>\n

2-5<\/p>\n

In 2001…a very slow moving pacific storm system became parked near the Four Corners region…which allowed heavy snow to develop above 6500 feet in the foothills with a mix of rain and snow over lower elevations of metro Denver.\u00a0 Snowfall totals included:\u00a0 21 inches atop Crow Hill and at Idaho Springs; 19 inches near Blackhawk; and 18 inches in Coal Creek Canyon…Genesee…and 11 miles southwest of Morrison. Snowfall totaled 6.2 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 Precipitation (rain and melted snow) totaled 2.09 inches at Denver International Airport where north winds gusted to 30 mph on the 2nd.<\/p>\n

3\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1898…heavy snowfall of 6.2 inches fell over downtown Denver.\u00a0 Most of the snow melted as it fell.\u00a0 The greatest snow depth on the ground was 2.5 inches during the evening.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1907…the all-time lowest recorded temperature in the month of May…19 degrees…occurred.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1925…an apparent microburst produced sustained northeast winds to 44 mph with gusts to 52 mph.\u00a0 Rainfall was only 0.01 inch in downtown Denver.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1981…lightning struck 9 golfers at the south suburban golf course.\u00a0 None were injured seriously.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1983…hail 1 1\/2 inches in diameter fell at Green Mountain west of Lakewood…with 3\/4 inch stones reported in Lakewood.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1986…a thunderstorm wind gust to 51 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.<\/p>\n

3-5<\/p>\n

In 1908…rain changed to snow on the evening of the 3rd and continued through the early evening of the 5th. Snowfall totaled 10.0 inches over downtown Denver. This was the last measurable snow of the season. Precipitation totaled 1.51 inches.\u00a0 North winds were sustained to 23 mph on the 3rd…33 mph on the 4th…and 21 mph on the 5th.\u00a0 Three temperature records were set. High temperatures of 30 degrees on the 4th and 38 degrees on the 5th were record low maximum temperatures for the dates.\u00a0 The reading on the 4th was also the all-time record low maximum for the month of May.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 2007…a slow moving pacific storm system…from the desert southwest…brought a period of unsettled weather to the region.\u00a0 During the 3-day period…locally heavy snow was reported over parts of the Front Range foothills. Storm totals included:\u00a0 15 inches near Conifer…14.5 inches west of Jamestown…13.5 inches; 6 miles southwest of Evergreen…and 12.5 inches at Pine Junction.\u00a0 Severe thunderstorms…producing large hail…up to one inch in diameter were observed in the vicinity of Boulder and Hudson.\u00a0 Lightning struck a residence in Jefferson County. The roof was hit…causing the attic to catch fire. At Denver International Airport…lightning struck a United Airlines jet as it was pushing away from the gate.\u00a0 The passengers were taken off the jet and put on another plane.<\/p>\n

4\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1893…northwest winds were sustained to 42 mph.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1971…a funnel cloud was sighted 10 miles southwest of Boulder.\u00a0 Hail stones to 1 inch in diameter fell in southeast Denver…but caused only minor damage.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 2006…a severe thunderstorm produced hail to 1.00 inch in diameter in Aurora near Cherry Creek Reservoir.<\/p>\n

4-5<\/p>\n

In 1986…high winds buffeted the foothills.\u00a0 Wind speeds of 60 to 75 mph were recorded in Boulder.\u00a0 At Stapleton International Airport…west winds gusted to 45 mph on the 4th and to 40 mph on the 5th.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 2000…a brief warm spell resulted in setting two daily high temperature records.\u00a0 The temperature climbed to highs of 87 degrees on the 4th and 89 degrees on the 5th.<\/p>\n

4-8<\/p>\n

In 1969…heavy rains caused flooding on Boulder Creek in Boulder…which resulted in one death on the 7th. Flooding also occurred on bear creek in Sheridan and on the South Platte River in Denver.\u00a0 Rain over most of the eastern foothills started late on the 4th and continued with only brief interruptions in many areas until the morning of the 8th.\u00a0 Very high rates of rainfall occurred on the 6th and 7th with the greatest intensities in a band along the foothills from about 25 miles southwest of Denver northward to Estes Park.\u00a0 Storm totals by both official and unofficial measurements exceeded 10 inches over much of this area and were over 12 inches in some localities.\u00a0 Heavy snow fell in the higher mountains and in the foothills later in the period.\u00a0 The saturation of the soil resulted in numerous rock and land slides…and the heavy run-off caused severe damage along many streams and flooding on the South Platte River.\u00a0 Many foothill communities were isolated as highways were blocked and communications disrupted.\u00a0 Roads were severely damaged over a wide area…and a large number of bridges washed out. Many roads were closed due to the danger from falling rocks.\u00a0 A building in Georgetown collapsed from the weight of heavy wet snow. In Boulder…a man drowned when caught by the flooding waters of Boulder Creek…and a patrolman was injured.\u00a0 Rainfall totaled 7.60 inches in Boulder with 9.34 inches was recorded at the Public Service Company electric plant in Boulder Canyon.
\nIn Morrison…rainfall totaled 11.27 inches in 4 days.\u00a0 Heavy rainfall totaled 4.68 inches at Stapleton International Airport over 3 days from the 5th through the 7th.\u00a0 Rainfall of 3.14 inches was recorded in 24 hours on the 6th and 7th.\u00a0 Downstream flooding continued along the South Platte River until the 12th when the flood crest reached the Nebraska line.<\/p>\n

5\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1903…apparent post-frontal northeast winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 60 mph.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1950…a northwest wind gust to 52 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1969…a funnel cloud was observed for 2 to 3 minutes just north of Parker.\u00a0 Two other funnel clouds were sighted in the same area.\u00a0 The public sighted a tornado 15 miles east of Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 No damage was reported.<\/p>\n

5-6<\/p>\n

In 1907…rain changed to snow on the 5th…continued through the night…and totaled 3.50 inches.\u00a0 Northeast winds were sustained to 15 mph on the 5th.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1917…post-frontal rain changed to heavy snow and totaled 12.5 inches over downtown Denver.\u00a0 Most of the snow… 12.0 inches…fell on the 5th and this was the greatest 24-hour snowfall ever measured during the month of May. This was also the only measurable snow of the month that year.\u00a0 Low temperatures of 27 degrees on the 5th and 23 degrees on the 6th were record minimums for the dates. High temperatures on both days were in the lower 40’s. Southeast winds were sustained to 24 mph with an extreme velocity to 26 mph.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1964…high winds gusted to 54 mph in Boulder and to 80 mph at Jefferson County Airport near Broomfield.\u00a0 Wind gusts of 50 to 60 mph were common over all of eastern Colorado. Buildings…power lines…trees…and vehicles were damaged by the wind.\u00a0\u00a0 South-southwest wind gusts to 54 mph caused some blowing dust at Stapleton International Airport where the visibility was briefly reduced to 2 miles.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1973…a heavy driving rain storm with embedded thunderstorms…produced 1 to 5 inches of rain and caused local flash flooding along the east slopes of the Front Range.\u00a0 The greatest flash flooding occurred in metro Denver where rainfall totaled 3.56 inches at Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 Flooding in metro Denver occurred on Clear Creek and the South Platte River…already swollen from heavy snowmelt.\u00a0 Numerous basements were flooded… Roads and streets were washed out…a bridge was demolished… And miscellaneous other damage was reported.\u00a0 North winds gusted to 39 mph at Stapleton International Airport during the storm.\u00a0 The storm produced major downstream flooding along the South Platte River all the way to the Nebraska border during the next two weeks.\u00a0 One person died and total damage was estimated at around 120 million dollars.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1978…heavy wet snow of around 24 inches collapsed an office and hotel building in Boulder.\u00a0 Many cars were abandoned in the city.\u00a0 Denver received 14 inches of heavy wet snow with Evergreen and Golden reporting 12 inches.\u00a0 Snowfall totaled 12.4 inches at Stapleton International Airport with a total accumulation of snow on the ground of 8 inches due to melting.\u00a0 Southeast winds gusted to 23 mph on the 5th.\u00a0 Temperatures both days remained in the lower to mid 30’s.<\/p>\n

6\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1876…heavy snow fell during the night and ended during the morning…but no amount was recorded.\u00a0 Light hail fell briefly during the late afternoon.\u00a0 Precipitation for the day totaled 1.05 inch which would give an estimated snowfall of nearly 11 inches had all of the precipitation been snow.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1889…northwest winds were sustained to 45 mph in the city.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1893…heavy snow of 8.9 inches fell over downtown Denver. Once on the ground…the snow melted rapidly.\u00a0 This was the only snow of the month.\u00a0 Northwest winds were sustained to 20 mph.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1904…west winds were sustained to 45 mph with an extreme velocity to 46 mph.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1914…an apparent dry microburst produced sustained north winds to 44 mph with gusts as high as 50 mph.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1920…a thunderstorm produced hail and 0.55 inch of rain. The hail of unknown size covered the ground.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1921…thunderstorm winds were sustained to 42 mph with gusts to 44 mph.\u00a0 Rainfall was only 0.17 inch.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1936…a light to moderate duststorm moved in from the east on southeast winds and lasted most of the day.\u00a0 The dust reduced the visibility to two miles at times.\u00a0 Winds from the northwest sustained to 21 mph swept the dust out of the city during the late afternoon.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1966…a funnel cloud was sighted for 7 minutes to the southwest of Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 The funnel appeared to be picking up dust from the ground…but was too distant to tell.\u00a0 No damage was reported.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1968…a thunderstorm wind gust to 53 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1988…high winds raked the state.\u00a0 Wind gusts ranged from 60 to 80 mph in Boulder…Aurora…and at centennial airport. South-southwest winds to 53 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.\u00a0 Across metro Denver…the strong winds knocked windows out of buildings…downed power poles and wires and some fences…unroofed several buildings…and damaged signs.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1997…strong winds from a dry microburst blew an empty 18-wheeler on its side in the northbound lane of I-25 north of Denver near the Brighton exit.\u00a0 There were no injuries.\u00a0 West winds gusted to 46 mph at Denver International Airport.<\/p>\n

6-7<\/p>\n

In 1873…snowfall totaled 8.9 inches in downtown Denver. Most of the snow fell on the 6th.<\/p>\n

7\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1904…west winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 60 mph.\u00a0 A shower produced 0.16 inch of rain.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1953…a microburst caused a brief wind gust to 58 mph at Stapleton Airport.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1958…3\/4 inch diameter hail fell over south metro Denver… 10 miles southwest of Stapleton Airport.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1977…baseball size hail damaged windows in wheat ridge. Hail was 4 inches deep on the ground in Arvada.\u00a0 Hail 3\/4 to 1 inch diameter fell in Westminster and Kittredge.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1990…a fast moving cold front produced wind gusts of 40 to 60 mph.\u00a0 Brighton reported a wind gust to 57 mph…while north wind gusts to 44 mph were measured at Stapleton International Airport.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1995…severe thunderstorms struck Aurora.\u00a0 Hail piled 4 to 5 inches deep in the vicinity of Quincy Reservoir in south Aurora.\u00a0 Lightning struck an Aurora police communications tower causing significant malfunction to the primary system.\u00a0 Minor damage was sustained when lightning struck an apartment building.\u00a0 Hail…up to 1 1\/4 inches in diameter…while soft and slushy…accumulated up to 6 inches deep in 15 minutes.\u00a0 Many streets were closed for an hour or more due to flooding caused by heavy rain and melting hail stones.\u00a0 Some trees were stripped of their leaves. Hail as large as 1\/2 inch diameter was measured at Denver International Airport where a funnel cloud was sighted.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 2003…a tornado touched down briefly near Bennett…but did no reported damage.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 2005…severe thunderstorms produced 3\/4 inch hail near Brighton and a thunderstorm wind gust to 60 mph near Fort Lupton.<\/p>\n

7-8<\/p>\n

In 1958…rainfall totaled 2.50 inches at Stapleton Airport.<\/p>\n

8\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

In 1873…a very light rain fell until 5:00 am…when it turned into light snow and sleet and was accompanied by brisk northeast winds.\u00a0 The snow froze as it fell… Breaking the telegraph lines in many places. Precipitation totaled only 0.14 inch in the city.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1883…a severe rain and hailstorm struck the city.<\/p>\n

In 25 minutes the hail was 5 inches deep in the vicinity of the weather office in downtown Denver and reported as deep as 10 to 12 inches in other parts of the city. Gutters were blocked by the hail…and many cellars were flooded.\u00a0 Precipitation from the storm was 1.90 inches with the total for the day recorded at 2.02 inches.\u00a0 The size of the hail was not recorded.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1988…a wind gust to 68 mph was recorded at Echo Lake. Northwest winds gusted to 35 mph at Stapleton Airport.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1995…high winds of unknown strength blew a camper shell from the back of a pickup truck near Fort Lupton.\u00a0 North winds gusted to 49 mph at Denver International Airport.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 1996…1 to 2 inch diameter hail was measured in Lochbuie northeast of Denver.\u00a0 Bean size hail fell in Brighton.\u00a0 The large hail fell from severe thunderstorms to the northeast of metro Denver.
\n\u00a0
\nIn 2003…tornadoes touched down briefly near Brighton… Watkins…and Strasburg…but did no reported damage. Hail to 3\/4 inch in diameter was measured near Hudson.<\/p>\n

8-9<\/p>\n

In 1957…intense heavy rain caused flash flooding on toll gate creek in Aurora where 3 people were killed in a car. Up to 4 inches of rain fell in 5 hours in the toll gate creek basin.\u00a0 The rain also caused flash flooding on sand creek in Aurora and Denver.\u00a0 Rainfall totaled 3.29 inches at Stapleton Airport with most of the rain…2.34 inches… Occurring on the 9th.<\/p>\n

8-10<\/p>\n

In 1979…4.3 inches of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport where northwest winds gusted to 30 mph on the 8th. Most of the snowfall…2.3 inches…occurred on the 9th. High temperature of only 35 degrees on the 9th equaled the record low maximum for the date.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As we enter the month of May, our weather history calendar is as eventful as ever however we start to see a transition with fewer snow events and more typical spring events.\u00a0 Of note are many events that caused flooding, severe winds, tornadoes, and lightning. 29-2 In 1954…a major storm dumped 10.1 inches of snowfall … Continue reading May 2 to May 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":[81,106,62,741],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2696"}],"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=2696"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2696\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2698,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2696\/revisions\/2698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thorntonweather.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}