I wasn't sure where to post this.... 8 years ago we were worried about the growing
Schoonover Fire near Deckers. 14 years ago we got 10 inches of snow.
MAY
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.
24-26 IN 1996...A LATE SPRING SNOWSTORM DUMPED 4 TO 10 INCHES OF
SNOW OVER THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS. CONIFER PICKED UP
10 INCHES OF NEW SNOW; ASPEN SPRINGS...9 INCHES; AND
CENTRAL CITY...8 INCHES. THE STICKY...HEAVY SNOW CLUNG TO
POWER LINES AND PULLED TREE BRANCHES DOWN...CAUSING POWER
OUTAGES TO ABOUT 1200 HOMES IN THE CONIFER AREA. IT TOOK
UP TO 6 HOURS TO RESTORE POWER TO SOME RESIDENCES.
LIGHTNING STRUCK A TELEPHONE DATA CABINET IN CONIFER ON
THE 25TH...WHICH KNOCKED OUT PHONE SERVICE TO ABOUT 1500
CUSTOMERS. WIDESPREAD RAIN FELL ACROSS METRO DENVER...
WHERE RAINFALL TOTALED 2.07 INCHES AT THE SITE OF THE
FORMER STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AND 1.66 INCHES AT
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO
24 MPH ON THE 26TH.
25 IN 1877...LIGHTNING KILLED ONE PERSON IN WEST DENVER AND
STRUCK SEVERAL HOUSES. THE BOLT STRUCK THE HOUSE OF THE
"HOME LAUNDRY" STUNNING THE OCCUPANTS AND KILLING A LADY
WHO WAS HOLDING ONE OF HER GRAND CHILDREN IN HER ARMS.
THE CHILD ESCAPED UNHURT. THE LIGHTNING ALSO STRUCK THE
TOP OF A TREE IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE AND PARTIALLY PEELED
THE BARK OFF THE TREE. LIGHTNING STRUCK A CHURCH IN THE
EVANS ADDITION AND ANOTHER TREE IN EAST DENVER. LIGHTNING
STRUCK THE SWITCH ROOM AT THE TELEGRAPH OFFICE WHERE THE
OPERATOR SAW SMALL BALLS OF LIGHTNING PASS ACROSS THE ROOM
TO THE STOVE. THE THUNDERSTORM PELTED THE CITY WITH ONLY
PEA SIZE HAIL. PRECIPITATION FROM THE STORM TOTALED 0.40
INCH IN DOWNTOWN DENVER.
IN 1880...LIGHT RAIN ALL AFTERNOON TOTALED ONLY 0.24 INCH
IN THE CITY...BUT WAS VALUABLE TO STOCKMEN AND FARMERS
DUE TO THE VERY DRY...PARCHED WEATHER CONDITIONS ON THE
PLAINS.
IN 1965...A TORNADO WAS SIGHTED BY A PILOT 30 MILES SOUTH
SOUTHEAST OF DENVER. NO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED. ANOTHER
PILOT REPORTED 3/4 INCH HAIL 30 MILES EAST OF DENVER. THE
STATE PATROL REPORTED THAT A MAN WAS KILLED WHEN A FIERCE
GUST OF WIND SWEPT HIM FROM THE BACK OF A PICK-UP TRUCK IN
NORTHWEST DOUGLAS COUNTY. THE MAN WAS HOLDING A MATTRESS
IN THE BED OF THE TRUCK.
IN 1974...A MICROBURST WIND GUST TO 53 MPH WAS RECORDED AT
STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. A PILOT REPORTED A TORNADO
20 MILES EAST OF DENVER.
IN 1976...LIGHTNING STRUCK A HOME IN BOULDER...SHATTERING 2
LARGE TREES AND DAMAGING A TELEVISION SET.
IN 1997...HAIL AS LARGE AS 1 3/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER FELL NEAR
WATKINS. HAIL TO 3/4 INCH IN DIAMETER FELL IN BROOMFIELD
AND NEAR LOCHBUIE.
IN 2000...3/4 INCH DIAMETER HAIL FELL AT CHERRY CREEK RESERVOIR
IN AURORA. THUNDERSTORM WINDS GUSTED TO 51 MPH AT DENVER
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE SMALL HAIL FELL.
IN 2006...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED AN ESTIMATED WIND GUST
TO 70 MPH IN HUDSON. THE STRONG WINDS DAMAGED THE ROOF OF A
HOME. A THUNDERSTORM PRODUCED SOUTHWEST WIND GUSTS TO 54
MPH AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
25-26 IN 1950...A MAJOR STORM DUMPED 10.0 INCHES OF SNOWFALL
DOWNTOWN AND 10.7 INCHES AT STAPLETON AIRPORT WHERE
NORTHWEST WINDS GUSTED TO 30 MPH ON THE 25TH. THE STORM
CAUSED EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO UTILITY WIRES AND TREES WHICH
WERE IN FULL LEAF. A DAILY RECORD MINIMUM TEMPERATURE OF
31 DEGREES OCCURRED ON THE 25TH. THIS WAS THE COLDEST
TEMPERATURE ON THIS DATE IN 79 YEARS AND FOR SO LATE IN THE
SEASON.
IN 1989...A LATE SEASON SNOW STORM DROPPED SNOW AS LOW AS 6
THOUSAND FEET ALONG THE FRONT RANGE. MOST PLACES IN THE
FOOTHILLS HAD 2 TO 5 INCHES OF SNOW. OVERNIGHT RAINFALL
TOTALED 0.33 INCH AT STAPLETON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WHERE
NORTH WINDS GUSTED TO 37 MPH ON THE 25TH.
IN 1994...LIGHTNING STRUCK A TELEVISION TRANSMITTER ON LOOKOUT
MOUNTAIN NEAR GOLDEN AND BURNED OUT A SWITCHER...WHICH
DISRUPTED CABLE SERVICE FOR 2 HOURS.
