####018006676#### NOUS45 KBOU 160859 PNSBOU COZ030>051-162300- Public Information Statement National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO 259 AM MDT THU MAY 16 2024 ...Today in metro Denver weather history... 14-18 In 1996...from the 14th to the 18th...a period of unusually warm weather resulted in 4 record maximum temperatures in 5 days. The record high temperatures were 87 degrees on the 14th...89 degrees on the 15th...and 93 degrees on both the 16th and 18th. The temperature climbed to only 81 degrees on the 17th which was not a record. 15-16 In 1957...from the 15th to the 16th...heavy snowfall totaled 8.8 inches at Stapleton Airport. The greatest amount on the ground was 3 inches. In 1986...from the 15th to the 16th...a spring storm dumped 1 to 2 inches of rain over metro Denver...but 2.71 inches fell at Buckley Field in Aurora. Rainfall only totaled 0.84 inch at Stapleton International Airport. Snow fell in the foothills with 7 inches recorded in Coal Creek Canyon southwest of Boulder. 16 In 1875...a heavy hail storm turned into heavy rain during the afternoon. Rainfall totaled 0.86 inch in just 37 minutes...while the temperature dropped 22 degrees in 22 minutes. Precipitation totaled 0.90 inch. In 1894...west winds were sustained to 48 mph with gusts to 56 mph. In 1949...a tornado was observed for 16 minutes...20 miles to the southeast of Stapleton Airport. The tornado moved 5 miles to the northeast before dissipating. No damage was reported. In 1963...intense lightning started several forest fires in the foothills southwest of Denver near Deckers and Cheeseman Lake. Little precipitation fell from the storms to alleviate the unusual dry conditions so early in the season. In 1978...thunderstorm winds caused damage in southeast Aurora. Winds of 60 to 80 mph blew down numerous fences and damaged several homes under construction. High winds tore docks loose at Cherry Creek Reservoir...sinking 3 or 4 boats and damaging about 15 others. At Stapleton International Airport where winds gusted to 60 mph...a 727 jet suffered 15 hundred dollars damage when wind toppled a runway light onto it. The public reported an unconfirmed tornado 7 miles south-southwest of Stapleton International Airport. In 1990...a line of thunderstorms moving across metro Denver uprooted a large ash tree...which fell and blocked the outside doors to a Denver elementary school...briefly trapping the students inside. Thunderstorm wind gusts to 69 mph were reported at Jefferson County Airport. Northwest winds gusted to 44 mph at Stapleton International Airport. In 1991...two tornadoes touched down briefly in Castle Rock... but no injuries or damage were recorded. Heavy thunderstorm rains of 0.50 to 1.10 inches in a couple of hours caused Lena Gulch near Golden to flood. No damage was reported. In 1996...dry microburst winds of unknown strength overturned a trailer and damaged storage sheds in Strasburg east of Denver. 16-17 In 1981...from the 16th to the 17th...a heavy rain storm dumped 1 to 2 1/2 inches of rain across metro Denver. Rainfall totaled 1.27 inches at Stapleton International Airport where north winds gusted to 38 mph on 17th. In 1983...from the 16th to the 17th...a very strong late spring storm dumped heavy snow over the Front Range. Strong winds with the storm produced blizzard conditions at times. Sustained winds were 20 to 40 mph with a peak gust to 55 mph at Stapleton International Airport. The foothills received 1 to 2 feet of snow with 4 to 12 inches along the foothills. Howling winds whipped the snow into drifts several feet deep...closing schools and highways. Stapleton International Airport was forced to reduce flight operations...closing 2 of 4 runways and stranding hundreds of travelers. Most of the damage and inconvenience caused by the storm was in power outages...which occurred when wind and heavy wet snow caused hundreds of power poles to snap and topple. About 20 square miles of Denver were blacked out. Precipitation from the storm totaled 1 to 3 inches. At Stapleton International Airport...snowfall totaled 7.1 inches with a maximum snow depth on the ground of only 2 inches due to melting. The high temperature of 40 degrees on the 17th was a record low maximum for the date. Due to the heavy moisture content of the storm...widespread street flooding occurred on the 18th when much of the snow melted under the warm May sun and temperatures climbed to a high of 57 degrees. In 1995...from the 16th to the 17th...significant moisture and upslope flow caused flooding across metro Denver. Moderate to heavy rains...which began on the evening of the 16th... developed in the foothills and spread eastward over metro Denver throughout the night. The heavy rains brought many creeks and small streams to bankfull or slightly over. Locations along the foothills received between 3 and 4 inches of rainfall from the storm. Boulder received 3.60 inches of rainfall for the 24-hour period...causing minor street flooding near small streams. To the northwest of Boulder...a bridge which crossed Fourmile Creek was washed out. Numerous rock and mudslides occurred in foothills canyons...closing portions of U.S. Highways 6 and 40 and State Highway 119 for a few hours at a time. Rocks were piled 6 feet deep on a stretch of State Highway 119 along with boulders as large as cars on U.S. Highway 6. A parking lot near a creek in Golden caved in leaving a hole the size of an 18-wheeler. Rushing water washed out a 50-foot stretch of a road in Westminster. Rainfall totaled 1.75 inches at Denver International Airport...but only 1.42 inches at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport. $$