Public Information Statement
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Issued by NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
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554 NOUS45 KBOU 070859 PNSBOU COZ030>051-072300- Public Information Statement National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 259 AM MDT SUN JUL 7 2024 ...Today in metro Denver weather history... 29-15 In 2000...the 29th marked the beginning of a near record hot streak for metro Denver. The high temperatures...as recorded at Denver International Airport...exceeded the 90 degree mark for 17 consecutive days from June 29th through July 15th. The record of 24 consecutive 90 degree or above days was set from July 13th through August 5th...2008. 1-18 In 1874...a streak of 18 consecutive days of 90 degrees...from the 1st to the 18th...tied for second with another streak that was later set in the summer of 1901. The record of 24 consecutive days was established in the summer of 2008. 4-8 In 1989...one of the most intense heat waves on record roasted metro Denver. The temperature reached 100 degrees or more on 5 consecutive days. The city had previously never recorded more than 2 straight 100-degree days since records began in 1872. Water and electricity usage reached all time highs. The heat wave created extremely dry weather conditions...which contributed to a major forest fire in Boulder Canyon on July 9th. The temperature reached 103 degrees on the 8th...and the mercury climbed to 101 degrees on both the 4th and 5th...and to 102 degrees on both the 6th and 7th. The low temperature of 68 degrees on the 8th equaled the record high minimum for the date. 6-23 In 1901...from the 6th to the 23rd...a streak of 18 consecutive days of 90 degrees tied for second with another streak set in the summer of 1874. The record of 24 consecutive days was established in the summer of 2008. 7 In 1905...a thunderstorm produced sustained northeast winds to 40 mph...but only a trace of rain. In 1933...heavy cloudbursts during the afternoon in the Idledale area and on Saw Mill Gulch caused flash flooding on Bear Creek resulting in 7 deaths. Flooding in Morrison was compounded when a wall of water as high as 15 feet swept down Mount Vernon Creek. The flooding caused extensive damage to the Bear Creek Canyon highway. In 1959...wind gusts to 45 mph at Stapleton Airport...but higher in other areas...damaged power lines and buildings and caused widespread minor damage from falling trees and broken limbs. A field house under construction at Adams County High School in Commerce City sustained severe damage. In 1963...farm buildings east of Boulder were possibly damaged by a small tornado as there were unconfirmed reports of a funnel cloud in the area. In 1967...a storm of cloudburst proportion caused damage from flooding in southwest and south Denver. Unofficial reports indicated rainfall of 2.00 inches in 30 minutes and more than 3.00 inches total from the storm. Streets and buildings were flooded by the heavy run-off. Hail in some areas contributed to flooding by blocking storm drains. Water accumulated 12 to 14 feet deep in several underpasses and some street intersections. A young woman drowned when she tried to cross a flooded street and was swept off her feet and trapped under a parked car. Water reached a depth of 5 feet in the street. Police rescued numerous stranded motorists. The roof and wall of a flat roofed store building collapsed under the weight of deep water on the roof. Cars were washed over curbs in many areas. In southwest metro Denver...100 to 150 homes were flooded. Hail caused damage in other areas of Denver and in Aurora. Wind toppled trees in several areas. Snowplows were called out to clear hail from some highways and runways at Stapleton International Airport. Lightning damaged trees and power lines and started a fire...which extensively damaged an automobile dealership. Thunderstorm rainfall totaled 0.83 inch at Stapleton International Airport. In 1981...severe thunderstorms produced 3/4 inch hail over east Denver. About 1 1/2 inches of rain fell in Littleton. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 45 mph at Stapleton International Airport. In 1983...tennis ball size hail fell about 5 miles north of Boulder; it was soft and caused no damage. In 1987...a weak tornado touched down in Castle Rock. Several weak tornadoes were observed in the area. No damage was reported. In 1988...lightning struck a sign at a bank near Louisville... damaging it and causing a smoldering fire that resulted in smoke damage to the bank and an adjacent building. Heavy thunderstorm rain...accompanied by 1/2 inch diameter hail at Stapleton International Airport...briefly reduced the visibility to 1/4 mile. Rainfall totaled 1.41 inches... but 1.12 inches fell in 32 minutes. In 2001...severe thunderstorms dumped large hail across north metro Denver. Hail to 1 3/4 inches in diameter fell near Erie with 7/8 inch hail measured in Thornton. In 2004...a 9-year-old boy was struck by lightning while at a playground in Arvada. The umpire at a nearby baseball game...along with 2 passers-by...administrated CPR and resuscitated the boy who had quit breathing. The boy suffered first and second degree burns...but was released from the hospital in less than 24 hours. A dry microburst over Denver International Airport produced a peak wind gust to 61 mph. In 2006...up to 3 inches of heavy thunderstorm rainfall in the Hayman wildfire burn area produced destructive flash flooding along West Creek between the towns of Deckers and Westcreek in southwest Douglas County. Horse Creek...which drains into West Creek...swelled from a normally small creek into a raging torrent...25 to 30 feet deep and 300 feet wide. The wall of water damaged or destroyed about 30 sections of a 5 mile stretch of State Highway 67...which parallels West Creek. Several homes were extensively damaged or destroyed. No injuries were reported...but several people had to be rescued...due to extensive damage to access roads and bridges in the area. Reconstruction was estimated at 13.3 million dollars. In 2011...Heavy rain associated with a wet microbursts produced over 3 inches of rain in 90 minutes across southeast Denver. In Denver...some underpasses were flooded with several feet of water which stranded motorists. As a result...the fire department conducted at least 10 water rescues. Some basements were inundated with up to 4 feet of water which caused extensive flood damage. The Platte Valley and Western Model Railroad Club`s model train display in Union Station was also damaged when 3 to 4 inches of mud and water spilled over some of the command and control systems. Several display modules and scenery pieces in a storage room were also damaged. The entire display spanned more than one thousand feet of track in a room that was once used as the jail at Union Station in the 1900s. Urban and small stream flooding was reported across the surrounding Denver suburbs. The storm left about 28000 Xcel customers without power when the storm snapped trees and power lines. In addition...heavy rain produced flash flooding in the Four Mile Canyon burn scar. Four debris slides occurred along Four Mile Canyon Drive...including one that was 100 yards wide and 4 feet deep. Several rockslides were reported in Lefthand and Boulder Canyons. At Denver International Airport...1.04 inches of rain was observed. A peak wind gust of 46 mph from the southeast was also observed. In 2012...heavy rain produced flash flooding in Boulder County near Jamestown. James Canyon Drive was closed after heavy rain washed out a section of the roadway. Heavy rain washed out a section of Magnolia Road...east-southeast of Nederland. Nearby...a trained spotter 4 miles east-northeast of Nederland... measured 2.20 inches of rainfall. Flash flooding was also reported in the Fourmile burn area along Summerville Road. In Dacono...in southern Weld County...the Colorado Department of Transportation used snowplows to clear standing water...up to 6 inches deep...from a section of Interstate 25. The interstate was closed in both directions for nearly two hours. South of the Denver...in central Douglas County...flash flooding was reported near Perry Park...where 2.5 inches of rain fell in one hour. In 2014...an Arvada resident was injured by a nearby lightning strike while he recorded a video of a thunderstorm with his cell phone. He was standing in his garage...when a nearby lightning bolt knocked him out. He suffered overall body aches and had a ringing sensation in one of his ears. In Denver... lightning caused a power outage that affected the RTD light rail lines for a short time. In Castle Pines...lightning sparked a small attic fire. Severe thunderstorms produced large hail from 1 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter...along with damaging winds across Arapahoe...Boulder and Jefferson Counties including: northwest Arvada...Littleton and Louisville. Flash flooding was reported near Evergreen in central Jefferson County. Heavy rain...up to 2 inches in one hour...flooded several residences and washed out several bridges along Forest Estate Road. Heavy rainfall also produced street flooding in Denver along with some basement flooding. The strong winds...estimated to 60 mph...downed trees and power lines in southwest Littleton. At Denver International Airport...0.15 inches of rainfall was observed along with a peak wind gust to 42 mph from the southeast. In 2020...a thunderstorm produced a peak wind gust to 63 mph near Bennett. 7-25 In 1934...a streak of 15 consecutive days of 90 degrees...from the 7th to the 25th...ranked 5th on the list of hot streaks. The record of 24 consecutive days was established in the summer of 2008. $$