Keystone, CO

... This week in Metro Denver weather history...

20-27 in 2002... lightning sparked a wildfire near Deckers. Extremely
        dry conditions and very strong winds the following day
        allowed the fire... known as the Schoonover... to consume 3850
        acres before it could be contained. Thirteen structures
        were destroyed... including 4 homes... resulting in 2.2 million
        dollars in damage.
26-31 in 1995... a 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... bike paths... roads near streams... and 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.
27 in 1874... an apparent thunderstorm gust front reached the
        city at 6:40 PM. Strong southwest winds sustained to
        48 mph for a few minutes produced large columns of
        dust in the city and on the prairie. There was no
        rain in the city.
      In 1942... a duststorm swept into the city... but no damage
        was reported. West winds were sustained to 23 mph.
      In 1953... a heavy hailstorm caused an estimated 100 thousand
        dollars damage across Metro Denver. Larger than Golf Ball
        size hail fell in Westminster and north Denver. Only 1/8
        inch hail was measured at Stapleton Airport.
      In 1955... west-northwest winds at 35 mph with gusts as high
        as 58 mph briefly reduced the visibility to 1/2 mile in
        blowing dust at Stapleton Airport.
      In 1981... lightning damaged power lines west of Lakewood and
        blew up a transformer at the Denver Federal Center. Hail
        1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter was reported in Lakewood and
        on I-25 south of Denver.
      In 2001... hail as large as 3/4 inch in diameter was measured
        near Commerce City.
      In 2003... hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell near Central
        City.
      In 2006... unusually warm weather for late may produced two
        temperature records. The high temperature of 93 degrees
        was a record maximum for the date. The low temperature
        of 59 degrees equaled the record high minimum temperature
        for the date. Both previous records occurred in 1895.
28 in 1884... a thunderstorm apparently produced large hail.
        The hail stones were noted as unusually large... but the
        diameter of the stones was not measured. The hail fell
        for only 5 minutes. Precipitation from the storm was
        only 0.05 inch.
      In 1898... heavy thunderstorm rainfall totaled 1.74 inches
        in downtown Denver. Hail of unknown size accompanied
        the storm.
      In 1981... a woman in Aurora was struck and killed by
        lightning. Another Bolt injured a boy on a bicycle at
        about the same time a short distance away. About half an
        inch of rain in 20 minutes caused street flooding in the
        area. A tornado touched down for about 2 minutes some 3
        miles north of Stapleton International Airport.
      In 1982... severe thunderstorms produced Golf Ball size hail
        in southeast Denver... Aurora... and Strasburg. The large
        hailstones undoubtedly damaged some cars in the area.
        At Stapleton International Airport... only 1/2 inch diameter
        hail was measured.
      In 1991... Golf Ball size hail fell in Brighton. No damage
        was reported. Later... hail ranging in size from 3/4 inch
        to 1 1/2 inches in diameter fell over southwestern sections
        of Metro Denver. In some areas... hail piled up a few inches
        in depth.
      In 1994... thunderstorm wind gusts to 65 mph damaged 16 small
        airplanes and a hangar at Centennial Airport.
      In 2001... severe thunderstorms produced large hail across
        Metro Denver. Hail as large as 1 inch in diameter fell
        in Lakewood... Wheat Ridge... northwest Denver... near Watkins...
        Bennett... and Keenesburg. Hail 3/4 inch or larger fell
        in Brighton. Thunderstorm winds gusted to 58 mph at
        Denver International Airport. A small tornado (f0)
        touched down near Bennett... but did no damage.
29 in 1934... the low temperature dipped to only 66 degrees... the
        all-time record highest minimum temperature for the month
        of may.
      In 1958... a microburst caused a brief wind gust to 56 mph at
        Stapleton Airport.
      In 1964... heavy rain caused flooding in the Harvey Gulch
        area of southeast Denver. The high water damaged homes...
        businesses... streets... and bridges. At Stapleton
        International Airport... 1.33 inches of rain were measured
        with 1.76 inches total rainfall on the 29th and 30th. The
        heavy rain during the last week of the month was the first
        significant precipitation since April 3rd.
      In 1967... 3/4 to 1 inch diameter hail stones fell in the city
        of Denver... but caused no reported damage. Hail as large as
        3/4 inch was measured at Stapleton International Airport.
      In 1975... the heaviest last snowfall of the season occurred
        when 5.6 inches of snow were measured at Stapleton
        International Airport. Rain all day on the 28th changed
        to snow on the 29th and accumulated to a depth of 4 inches
        on the ground. Northwest winds gusted to 31 mph.
        Precipitation (rain and melted snow) on the 28th and 29th
        totaled 1.48 inches.
      In 1982... one man was killed and two others injured by a
        lightning strike as they stood under a tree in the city of
        denver's Washington Park.
      In 1987... 7/8 inch diameter hail fell near Castle Rock.
      In 1990... thunderstorms over Metro Denver produced several
        small funnel clouds and two small tornadoes. The first
        tornado (f0) touched down in northwest Denver and caused
        roof damage to a house and snapped off the tops of several
        trees. A second tornado (f1) touched down in Northglenn
        and moved into Thornton damaging a group of self storage
        garages... several vehicles... a wooden fence... several trees...
        and the roof of an auto parts store. No injuries were
        reported. The storms also caused minor street flooding
        across northern and western sections of Metro Denver.
        Rainfall totals ranged from 1 to 3 inches. Lightning
        started a small fire at a home in northwest Denver. The
        fire was confined to the front rooms and was quickly
        extinguished. Snow plows were used to clear 2 to 4 inches
        of pea to Marble size hail from a stretch of U.S. Highway
        285 in Turkey Creek Canyon. Lightning felled a tree in
        northeast Denver... while strong winds snapped off several
        large tree limbs in the same area. Thunderstorm rainfall
        totaled 0.82 inch at Stapleton International Airport
        where southwest winds gusted to 30 mph.
      In 1991... lightning struck a 13 year old boy in a field in
        Fort Lupton. The boy was in critical condition in an area
        hospital for 2 days before recovering.
      In 1995... lightning struck a soccer goal Post and injured
        6 adults viewing a soccer game in Arvada. Although no
        one received a direct hit from the lightning... all escaped
        with only minor injuries... except one woman who was
        hospitalized.
      In 1996... large hail... 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter...
        struck Lakewood and west Denver. Lightning sparked a
        small fire when it struck an oil storage tank 5 miles
        west of Brighton.
      In 2001... lightning sparked a fire in an apartment complex in
        Aurora... forcing the evacuation of 24 units. Most of the
        fire damage was confined to the attic. Damage was
        estimated at 100 thousand dollars.
      In 2004... a man and his son were struck by lightning while
        practicing on the driving range at The Meadows Golf club
        in southwest Metro Denver. The father was killed by the
        Bolt... and his 16 year old son seriously injured. Three
        other people standing nearby received only minor injuries.
      In 2010... hail up to 7/8 inch in diameter was reported in
        Broomfield.
29-1 in 1894... heavy 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... railroads
        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... and every bridge in Boulder was destroyed.
        A few people... trapped in their homes by the floodwaters...
        had to be rescued. However... the 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... which
        washed away bridges... Railroad tracks... and structures and
        destroyed the canyon roadway. Morrison sustained the
        heaviest flood damage on Bear Creek. In Denver... rainfall
        totaled only 1.50 inches on the 30th and 31st... but 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... which caused some flooding of
        pasture land downstream to a depth of 6 feet near Brighton.
30 in 1875... a windstorm lasting almost all day produced
        sustained winds to 42 mph.
      In 1935... southeast winds sustained to 29 mph with gusts to
        34 mph produced a moderate duststorm during the afternoon.
      In 1938... heavy 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.
      In 1948... a 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.
      In 1963... a 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.
      In 1967... up 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... where west winds gusted to 39 mph... received 1.51
        inches of rain and hail... which 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... widely scattering irrigation pipe. In
        addition... a total of 3 funnel clouds were sighted in that
        area.
      In 1970... hail up to 1 inch in diameter fell at Stapleton
        International Airport.
      In 1976... a 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... a 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... tore a wall from a machinery shed... tore shingles off
        the roof of a farmhouse nearby... and felled 12 trees on one
        farm. A boy in a feed shed 20 feet from a destroyed
        building was not injured.
      In 1977... 3/4 to 1 inch diameter hail fell at or near
        Stapleton International Airport. One inch to baseball
        size hail fell in south Denver... damaging some homes and
        extensively damaging some airplanes at Arapahoe County
        Airport... now Centennial Airport. Hail covered highways
        to a depth of 6 to 8 inches in south Denver.
      In 1978... two 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.
      In 1989... Golf Ball size hail fell at the Junction of I-25 and
        I-225. One inch diameter hail fell in Littleton.
      In 1990... a line of severe thunderstorms crossed Metro Denver...
        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... which 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.
      In 2001... lightning ignited a fire which destroyed a luxury
        home on Bear Mountain near Evergreen. Estimated damage
        was set at 1 million dollars.
      In 2003... flash 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... damaging one building in the Camp and flooding roads.
        Hail as large as 3/4 inch in diameter fell near Roggen in
        Weld County.
      In 2005... lightning 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.
30-31 in 1935... heavy thunderstorm rains overnight caused flash
        flooding east of the city on both Kiowa and Bijou creeks...
        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... ripping 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.
      In 1983... a late storm of rain and snow hit the Front Range.
        Over an inch of rain fell at some spots... and above 7
        thousand feet... 1 to 5 inches of snow whitened the ground.
        Some snow flakes even fell in the western suburbs of Metro
        Denver on the night of the 30th.
      In 2002... unseasonably 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.
31 in 1917... rainfall 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... about 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... and snowball
        clusters would not bloom for days.
      In 1959... the public reported a tornado briefly touching the
        ground 10 miles south of Stapleton Airport. No damage
        was reported.
      In 1984... a thunderstorm microburst produced a wind gust to 67
        mph... 7 miles east of Boulder.
      In 1991... hail 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...
        thunderstorms dumped heavy rain across the city of Denver...
        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.
      In 1993... thunderstorms dropped dime size hail in Commerce
        City.
      In 1994... lightning struck an apartment in Louisville and
        damaged electronic equipment... including a computer.
      In 2006... a severe thunderstorm produced 1 inch diameter
        hail near Boulder.
1 in 1875... a windstorm during the late afternoon and early
        evening produced sustained winds to 50 mph.
      In 1898... south winds were sustained to 41 mph with gusts
        to 46 mph.
      In 1917... a trace of unmelted snow fell in downtown Denver.
        Precipitation for the day totaled 0.08 inch... half of
        which was estimated to be from melted snow.
      In 1919... snowfall 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.
      In 1951... a trace of snow fell at Stapleton Airport.
      In 1961... hail as large as 1 1/2 inches in diameter fell
        in west Denver with hail to 1 1/4 inches reported in
        Derby.
      In 1965... a man struck by lightning in southeast Denver died
        shortly after being admitted to a hospital. Lightning
        damaged power lines in east and southeast Denver.
      In 1980... strong thunderstorm winds blew in the windows of a
        Mobile home in Northglenn.
      In 1990... a thunderstorm produced wind gusts to