Thornton’s dismal 2024 / 2025 snow season comes to an end

Thornton, Colorado snow summary for the 2024 / 2025 season. (ThorntonWeather.com)
Thornton, Colorado snow summary for the 2024 / 2025 season. Click for larger view. (ThorntonWeather.com)

The snow season in Colorado runs July 1 to June 30 and thus today ends the 2024 / 2025 season officially. With the close, we can see Thornton did not fare too well this winter.

We ended up with 36.9 inches for the season. That is far below our 18-season running average of 54.6 inches per season. It also puts the 2024 / 2025 season into the books as the fourth least snowy over that period.

Out at DIA where Denver’s official measurements are taken, they fared better with 47.7 inches. The difference is largely due to a period from November 5 to November 8 in which the bulk of the snow for that event stayed just east of Denver. Over those four days, DIA recorded 18.2 inches versus 10.8 inches here in Thornton.

More snow data here.

Monday in Thornton offers cooler temperatures, a slight chance for a shower

A bit of a break from the heat today. Temps will be below average and aided by a good bit of cloud cover.

Mostly cloudy to partly clear skies will be above throughout the day due to a good bit of low level moisture. That moisture won’t likely translate into precipitation, however. We will have just a slight chance to see a few drops of rain this morning. High temperatures will top out in the upper 70s.

Tonight, partly cloudy skies will be above and conditions calm. Lows will dip to around 60 degrees.

June 2025 top shots: Monthly photo slideshow

June 11, 2025 - Bison on parade at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. (© Bill Hutchinson)
June 11, 2025 – Bison on parade at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge. (© Bill Hutchinson)

The month of June typically sees springtime severe weather reach its height of activity in northeastern Colorado.

This affords the opportunity to capture extraordinary images of amazing weather phenomena from monstrous supercell thunderstorms to heavy rain, hail and even tornadoes.

  • Slideshow updated June 30, 2025

Showcasing images captured by ThorntonWeather.com readers as well as some of our own, our monthly slideshow covers the entire gamut of weather and nature related imagery.

Sunsets, sunrises, wildlife and of course every type of weather condition are vividly depicted.  June brings some very dynamic weather and the photos are a great way to see the stunning variety.

To learn more about how to send your photo to us for inclusion in the slideshow, see below the slideshow.

What is missing in the slideshow above?  Your photo!

Our monthly photo slideshow is going to feature images that we have taken but more importantly images that you have captured.  The photos can be of anything even remotely weather-related.

Landscapes, current conditions, wildlife, pets, kids.  Whimsical, newsy, artsy.  Taken at the zoo, some other area attraction, a local park, a national park or your backyard.  You name it, we want to see and share it!

Images can be taken in Thornton, Denver or anywhere across the extraordinary Centennial State.  We’ll even take some from out of state if we can tie it to Colorado somehow.

We’ll keep the criteria very open to interpretation with just about any image eligible to be shown in our slideshows.

What do you win for having your image in our slideshow?  We are just a ‘mom and pop’ outfit and make no money from our site so we really don’t have the means to provide prizes.  However you will have our undying gratitude and the satisfaction that your images are shared on the most popular website in Thornton.

To share you images with us and get them included in the slideshow just email them to us or share them with ThorntonWeather.com on any of the various social media outlets.  Links are provided below.

So come on, get those camera’s rolling!

June 29 to July 5: This Week in Denver Weather History

This Week in Denver Weather History

The dog days of summer have begun to settle in and severe weather starts to become just a little bit less common. While the history books for the week still mention hail and tornadoes, we also see flooding rains, record setting heat and wildfires.

From the National Weather Service:

29

In 1874…eight different fires in mountain forests were visible from the city. All of the fires were extensive… And the volume of smoke from each was immense. Three of these fires had been burning from the 18th with varied intensity.

In 1911…an apparent dry microburst produced sustained winds to 45 mph.

In 1960…a strong gust of wind blew a small foreign sedan off the highway near Brighton…injuring the driver. East winds gusted to 40 mph at Stapleton Airport.

In 1961…thunderstorm winds estimated as high as 40 to 50 mph occurred over southeast Denver. No significant damage was reported.

In 1962…heavy rain and small hail caused some flooding in southwest Denver.

In 1995…upslope cloudiness with rain and fog cooled temperatures to record levels. Low temperature of 47 degrees equaled the record for the date. High temperature of only 54 degrees set a new record low maximum for the date. Rainfall totaled 0.90 inch at Denver International Airport and 0.41 inch at the site of the former Stapleton International Airport.

In 2003…a severe thunderstorm in Parker produced hail to 1 inch in diameter.

In 2011…two airmen from the Colorado National Guard suffered minor injuries when they were struck by lightning. They were hit while on duty at a flight line at Buckley Air Force Base. At Denver International Airport…a microburst produced a peak wind gust to 72 mph.

In 2022…a severe thunderstorm produced an isolated but intense microburst with a peak wind gust of 74 mph east of Centennial near Smoky Hill. At Denver International Airport…a peak gust to 34 mph was observed from the northwest. Blowing dust briefly reduced the visibility to one half of a mile…along with 0.05 inch rainfall.

29-2

In 1990…almost a year to date after the record breaking heat in early July 1989…the third longest heat wave in Denver history started. From June 29th through July 2nd the temperature reached 100 degrees or more on four consecutive days. The highest reading of 102 degrees occurred on the 29th…30th…and 1st. Combined with the 102 degree reading on June 27th this would have been the longest heat wave on record…but the temperature climbed to only 98 degrees on June 28th.

29-15

On 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.

30

In 1879…dense smoke from mountain forest fires covered the city and obscured the sun as it set behind the mountains.

In 1900…a thunderstorm produced northwest winds to 44 mph with gusts to 58 mph…but only a trace of rain.

In 1917…north winds were sustained to 47 mph with gusts to 52 mph.

In 1942…a strong thunderstorm produced hail and heavy rainfall in south Denver. Leaves were stripped from trees and heavy rain caused street flooding which halted traffic. Hail of unknown size reached a depth of 9 inches on the ground.

In 1965…funnel clouds were observed to the south of Stapleton International Airport and in Jefferson County…15 miles southwest of the airport. Later…a tornado touched down briefly 1 mile east of Littleton…causing only minor damage. Another tornado was observed 12 miles southwest of Stapleton International Airport in Jefferson County. Hail to 3/4 inch in diameter fell in the bear valley area…12 miles south- southwest of Stapleton International Airport. Yet another tornado was sighted 10 miles northwest of the airport. Cloudbursts accompanied by hail battered areas of Arapahoe and Adams counties east of Denver…damaging ripening grain fields. At Lafayette…3.50 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes…causing some flooding.

In 1982…numerous funnel clouds were observed over southwest metro Denver. Only one funnel touched down near the intersection of Jewell and Kipling. The tornado was on the ground for about 5 minutes and caused no damage except for uprooting some trees. In addition…thunderstorms produced heavy rain and hail in the foothills west of Denver. Over an inch of rain fell in a short time near Idaho Springs… Causing Clear Creek to overflow its banks and flood a few low lying areas of the town. A few people were evacuated… And water and mud entered several stores. The heavy rain also washed out several roads. Hail piled up to a depth of 3 to 4 inches near Idaho Springs. Hail to 3/4 inch was reported at many places across metro Denver including Stapleton International Airport. Lightning struck a chemistry building on the University of Colorado campus in Boulder and started a small fire. Thunderstorm wind gusts to 60 mph were reported near Brighton.

In 1984…heavy rain caused some street and basement flooding in Littleton. One location received 1.56 inches of rain in 75 minutes.

In 1987…a weak tornado near Watkins stayed on the ground for 5 minutes.

In 1990…a small twister touched down in an open field just north of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. No damage was reported.

In 1998…hail as large as 1 inch in diameter fell near Evergreen.

In 2005…a severe thunderstorm produced hail as large as 3/4 inch near Roggen. The hail destroyed a wheat field.

In 2006…the temperature reached a high of 98 degrees at Denver International Airport. This marked the 19th day in June with a maximum temperature of 90 degrees or more setting a new all-time record for the month.

In 2011…very strong thunderstorm winds were also observed across portions of the urban corridor. A peak wind gust to 65 mph was recorded…2 miles northeast of Boulder with a gust to 63 mph at Front Range airport at Watkins and 7 miles southeast of Denver International Airport. The peak wind gust measured at Denver International Airport itself was 45 mph. A severe thunderstorm also produced one inch in diameter hail 2 miles south-southeast of Parker. In addition…a lightning strike destroyed a home in north Denver.

In 2019…eight hikers were injured by a nearby lightning strike at the Devil Head Lookout…west of Perry Park in Douglas County. Five hikers were able to walk out unassisted…while two other required assistance. Most complained of having tingling sensations…while two suffered from minor burns. The eighth victim suffered critical injuries and had to be carried out by stretcher and taken to a nearby hospital.

In 2023…a total of 5.35 inches of rain fell through the month of June…establishing the all time record for Denver. The previous record was 4.96 inches set 141 years earlier in 1882.

30-1

In 1873…heavy rainfall overnight totaled 1.42 inches. Mountain peaks to the southwest of the city were covered with fresh snow on the morning of the 1st.

Continue reading June 29 to July 5: This Week in Denver Weather History

Internet outage: Real time data currently not available (FIXED)

Update, 6/25/25, 1:00pm: Up and running – finally. Our router was replaced and all data is now feeding the website as it should.

Update, 6/21/25, 9:00am: It appears our router has died so we are still without an Internet connection. We have an appointment scheduled for Wednesday afternoon so, unfortunately, no live data will be available until then. We apologize for the outage.

Original posting, 6/20/25, 5:11am: As many across the nation experienced late yesterday, CenturyLink / Quantum fiber had a major outage. As of Friday AM, our Internet connection is still not functioning.

As a result, real-time data from our weather station is currently down. We have no ETA as to when we will be back up and running as that depends on the provider.

Much of our website, other than the real-time data, remains fully functional. This includes the forecasts, watches / warnings and more.

We apologize for the inconvenience.

June 22 to June 28: This Week in Denver Weather History

This Week in Denver Weather History

Stormy skies are common this time of year as we see in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. Dangerous lightning, damaging hail and wind, and of course tornadoes have made their appearances.

From the National Weather Service:

21-22

In 1941…strong thunderstorms produced cloudbursts of rain in Boulder County…starting during the late evening of the 21st and continuing overnight. The heavy rains over the Boulder Creek…Left Hand Creek…and south St Vrain River basins produced flooding in already swollen streams and turned dry gulches into raging torrents. The force of the floodwaters swept a man from the arms of his wife to his death…severely damaged canyon homes and swept others away… And hurtled a car down a steep embankment after the driver narrowly escaped. West of Boulder…the Boulder Canyon highway was littered with rocks and debris and collapsed when two culverts were washed away. The flood waters washed much debris down four mile canyon…damaging the road near the creek bed. A bridge over dry creek just south of Niwot was completely washed away.

In 1964…scattered hail and rain caused property damage and local flooding in Boulder.

In 1989…an unseasonably cold weather system produced strong winds over much of metro Denver and snowfall in the foothills as low as 7500 feet elevation. One to 6 inches of snow fell in the foothills west of Denver with 15 inches reported on the summit of Mount Evans. Six inches of snow were measured at Conifer. Rainfall totaled only 0.09 inch at Stapleton International Airport where northwest winds gusted to 29 mph on the 21st.

22

In 1872…small sandstorms…frequently seen on the prairie… Occasionally passed through the city.

In 1983…3/4 inch hail was observed at Deckers…and a thunderstorm produced wind gusts to 55 mph at Littleton.

In 1988…a tornado was spotted one mile east of Brighton; it remained on the ground for about 6 minutes…but did no reportable damage. Lightning damaged a home near Castle Rock.

In 1991…thunderstorms produced golf ball size hail in Lafayette. The strongest storms occurred north of metro Denver.

In 1992…nickel size hail was reported just east of Parker.

In 1995…large hail 3/4 to 1 3/4 inches in diameter fell in Castle Rock where a funnel cloud was sighted. Hail 3/4 inch to 1 inch in diameter fell in south Denver and Aurora. A funnel cloud was also sighted over Chatfield Reservoir. In Bennett…very strong dry microburst winds of unknown speeds ripped a 14- by 48-foot metal roof off of a barn. The roof was tossed approximately 250 yards. A few 150- pound railroad ties were moved 10 to 15 feet.

In 1997…a tornado touched down near the Adams County fairgrounds northeast of Denver…uprooting several trees and damaging a car. A dry microburst produced a brief wind gust to 69 mph at Jefferson County Airport. A small brief tornado was sighted near Hudson…but did no reported damage.

In 1998…3/4 inch hail fell near Hudson.

In 1999…thunderstorm winds gusted to 63 mph at Denver International Airport.

In 2003…hail as large as 2 inches in diameter was measured in Fort Lupton with 3/4 inch hail in Erie and near Boulder.

In 2006…a small tornado (f0) touched down near Franktown… But caused no damage.

In 2008…strong winds from dry microbursts developed over parts of southern Weld and western Arapahoe counties. A peak gust of 60 mph was observed in Centennial. Near Frederick…strong winds snapped 3 power poles and sparked a small grassfire near State Highway 52 and interstate 25. At Denver International Airport…a peak gust of 31 mph was observed.

In 2009…hail up to 2 inches in diameter was observed near crescent in Boulder County.

In 2023…an tornado touched down just south of CO-470 in Highlands Ranch and lifted just west of I-25 near Lone Tree in Douglas County. Most of the damage was EF0 but there were some pockets of EF1 damage; it was on the ground for 26 minutes. The severe thunderstorm also produced large hail up to 2 1/2 inches in diameter. The tornado track was from 2 miles west of Highlands Ranch to 2 miles north-northeast of Surrey Ridge with a path length of 8.36 miles. The maximum width of the tornado was approximately 50 yards There were no injuries.

22-26

In 2012…the maximum temperature exceeded 100 degrees for five consecutive days. Two of the high temperatures on the 25th and 26th peaked at 105 degrees…which set the all-time record for the month of June and tied the all-time maximum temperature for Denver.

23

In 1874…a thunderstorm pelted the city with hail and brief heavy rain. Rainfall was 0.30 inch in 10 minutes. Total rainfall was 0.36 inch for the day. Hail to 1/4 inch in diameter destroyed the strawberry fields near the limits of the city. The thunderstorm dropped the temperature from 93 degrees to 80 degrees in 5 minutes.

In 1887…north winds were sustained to 42 mph.

In 1954…the temperature climbed to a high of 102 degrees… Setting a record for the date.

In 1962…lightning struck and injured a man near Buffalo… Southwest of Denver…while he was riding in the back of a pick-up truck. He suffered multiple bruises…cuts…and shock.

In 1965…an apparent tornado was reported 18 miles east of Denver. No damage was reported.

In 1975…hail up to 3/4 inch in diameter fell at Stapleton International Airport and over other parts of metro Denver. Four funnel clouds were sighted: 10 miles northeast of Denver…south of Boulder…southeast of Boulder…and south of Aurora.

In 1976…heavy rain and eroding water collapsed a retaining wall in Thornton.

In 1981…a thunderstorm produced wind gusts to 60 mph in Littleton.

In 1982…two separate bolts of lightning injured three men in southwest Denver. Two buildings were slightly damaged.

In 1987…severe thunderstorms produced large hail across metro Denver. Golf ball size hail fell in Littleton…near Morrison…and in southeast Aurora with 1 1/2 inch hail recorded in south Lakewood and 1 inch hail reported in Littleton…Arvada…and at Cherry Creek dam. Two funnel clouds were sighted 20 miles southwest of Stapleton International Airport.

In 1993…non-convective high winds developed along the Front Range foothills. Wind gusts to 70 mph were common near the foothills with numerous tree limbs broken by the winds. North winds gusting to 36 mph were recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1999…hail as large as 1 inch in diameter was measured in the city of Denver with 3/4 inch hail in Littleton.

In 2001…a severe thunderstorm produced large hail in south metro Denver. Hail as large as 1 1/2 inch in diameter fell in Littleton with 1 1/4 inch hail near Sheridan.

In 2009…hail up to 1 inch in diameter was observed near Parker. At Denver International Airport…a total of 1.64 inches was measured in a 24-hr period…setting a new record for the date.

In 2014…severe thunderstorms produced large hail near Commerce City and Fort Lupton. The hail sizes ranged from 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

In 2016…a severe thunderstorm produced a peak wind gust to 60 mph near Strasburg.

Continue reading June 22 to June 28: This Week in Denver Weather History

June 15 to June 21: This Week in Denver Weather History

This Week in Denver Weather HistoryOur look back at this week in Denver weather history is dominated by some relatively common late spring / early summer weather events, especially lightning, hail and wildfires.

From the National Weather Service:

12-17

In 2000…two large wildfires developed in the Front Range foothills as careless campers and very dry conditions proved to be a dangerous combination. Strong winds gusting in excess of 60 mph on the 13th fanned the flames… Spreading both wildfires out of control. Winds gusted to 78 mph atop Niwot Ridge near the Continental Divide west of Boulder. The Hi Meadows wildfire…about 35 miles southwest of Denver…consumed nearly 11 thousand acres and 80 structures…mostly high priced homes. The Bobcat wildfire…located about 12 miles southwest of Fort Collins… Consumed nearly 11 thousand acres and 22 structures. Late on the 16th…a strong cold front moved south over the great plains into northeastern Colorado. Low level upslope conditions developed in the wake of the front…producing 2 to 4 inches of snowfall overnight at elevations above 8 thousand feet. Firefighters were able to contain both fires shortly thereafter.

15

In 1907…south winds were sustained to 40 mph. The winds were strong all day.

In 1908…the hail storm was unusually severe. Heavy clouds moved over the city from the north and northwest…and by late morning the weather had become very threatening. Heavy rain with intermittent hail from pea to 3/4 inch in diameter fell near noon. The fall of rain and hail totaled 0.68 inch of precipitation with 0.35 inch in just 5 minutes. The temperature fell from 71 degrees to 51 degrees during the storm. The hail did considerable damage to trees…gardens…and hot houses. On sidewalks with northern exposures…the hail ranged in depth from 2 to 6 inches. West winds were sustained to 29 mph during the storm.

In 1956…strong southeast winds raked metro Denver all day. Sustained winds at 44 mph with gusts as high as 61 mph were recorded at Stapleton Airport where blowing dust briefly reduced the visibility to 2 miles.

In 1984…golf ball size hail pelted southern and central Aurora. Rainfall of 2.06 inches over central Aurora in just over an hour produced local street flooding.

In 1987…golf ball size hail fell in the southern part of Lakewood.

In 1988…several tornadoes developed across metro Denver. One tornado touched down just northeast of the rocky mountain arsenal. The twister moved very slowly and did no damage…except to demolish a small electrical substation… Even though it was on the ground for nearly 30 minutes. Later…another tornado was sighted east of Brighton about 2 miles north of Barr Lake. An f2 tornado cut a swath through northeast Denver. The main path went through a thickly wooded area for about 6 blocks and uprooted about 500 city owned trees…many of them large elms 75 to 100 years old. Hundreds of privately owned trees were also sucked from the ground by the slow moving twister…which was filmed by a news team in a helicopter as it uprooted trees. The replacement cost to the city owned trees was estimated at 1.5 million dollars. The twister did little damage to buildings. Some homes suffered roof and chimney damage…a gas main was ruptured…and some cars were damaged by falling trees. The uprooted trees also caused curb and sidewalk damage and cut some electrical wires. The funnel cloud passed close to Stapleton International Airport. Aircraft operations were shut down…and the tower was evacuated. The tornado was on the ground for almost 25 minutes. An f3 tornado cut an erratic path through south Denver for about 25 minutes…causing extensive damage in at least 3 areas. The twister damaged about 85 buildings… 20 severely; the total loss was estimated at 5 to 10 million dollars. Many cars were severely damaged; at least 15 vehicles were overturned. One trailer was lifted onto the top of a building that had just been unroofed; numerous antique cars inside the building were damaged. A Ford Bronco was blown over a church…and landed 100 yards away. A metal storage shed was deposited far above the ground in some power lines. The tornado uprooted many trees on a golf course. No one was seriously hurt…although seven people suffered minor injuries from flying debris. A golfer was thrown 40 feet…but was not hurt; a man clinging to a telephone pole was unscathed…but lost both shoes…a sock…and buttons off his shirt. A woman holding a baby was sucked through a broken convenience store window… But was unhurt. A dog…tethered to the ground by its leash… Was suspended in the air by the twister. Uprooted trees crushed cars and damaged curbs and sidewalks. People in downtown Denver could see three tornadoes occurring simultaneously. Hail as large as 1 3/8 inches in diameter fell in extreme southeast Aurora.

In 1997…a tornado touched down briefly at the Colorado National Speedway near Dacono north of Denver. The tornado ripped through the south grandstand causing at least 50 thousand dollars in damage to a shed…kiosk… Bleachers…and several concession stands.

In 2004…a tornado touched down briefly near Castle Rock and blew the roof off a machine shop. A tornado near Elizabeth destroyed a barn and caused roof damage to a home. Two other barns on nearby properties were damaged extensively. The twister also caused widespread tree damage in the area. A tornado also touched down near Bennett and Strasburg…but did no damage.

In 2009…thunderstorm winds knocked a tree on to two vehicles in Boulder. One of the drivers was injured when the tree smashed into the windshield of her car.

In 2012…a severe thunderstorm produced hail from quarter to half dollar size near Littleton and Highlands Ranch. A weak short lived tornado (ef0) also touched down near Bennett.

15-16

In 1963…heavy rain and hail ravaged metro Denver. In southeast Denver…heavy rain flooded homes and streets. Hail to a depth of 4 inches on the ground stripped trees and plants and drifted to depths of 3 to 4 feet in some areas. Flood waters on the valley highway were 19 feet deep in places…trapping many cars. Many creeks were running over their banks. On the 15th…the main thunderstorm cell passed over south Denver…dumping as much as 4 inches of rain in 90 minutes. Precipitation at Stapleton Airport totaled 0.91 inch on the 15th and 1.31 inches on the 16th. A funnel cloud was sighted briefly 4 miles to the south-southeast of Stapleton Airport on the 15th. Damage from hail and flooding amounted to near a million dollars.

15-17

In 2021…the temperature in Denver reached 100 degrees for three consecutive days: 101…100…100 respectively. Each established a new record high for the day. It was also the earliest occurrence of such a streak. A record high minimum of 68 also occurred on the 17th.

16

In 1950…very heavy rain and hail storms in southwest Denver caused an estimated 750 thousand dollars in hail and flood damage. Thunderstorms produced 2.06 inches of rain at Stapleton Airport with 2.23 inches of rain measured in downtown Denver.

In 1965…a tornado…15 miles south-southeast of Denver… Touched down and damaged two houses in northern Douglas County. Three golfers at a country club and a women who lived north of Castle Rock were injured by falling structures.

In 1983…a microburst wind gust to 54 mph was recorded at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1984…a tornado touched down briefly in Parker. No damage was reported.

In 1986…lightning injured 5 people just north of the Denver city limits in Adams County. The victims were members of a drum and bugle corps and were standing near a metal scaffold. Heavy rain from the storm also caused street flooding in the metro area.

In 1991…hail to golf ball size fell at Conifer.

In 1992…a rare mid-June high wind event wreaked havoc over metro Denver when a pacific cold front moved across the Rocky Mountains. Strong winds at speeds of 40 to 50 mph were common along the Front Range foothills. Winds reaching 107 mph in the foothills west of Denver and 79 mph at Longmont…caused damage ranging from trees being toppled to large trucks being rolled over. Strong winds estimated at 75 mph rolled a 35-foot truck carrying building supplies on U.S. Highway 36 north of Boulder. The truck driver and a passenger as well as the driver of another car were slightly injured. The winds downed power lines. The gambling towns of central city and Blackhawk were without power for a couple of hours. West winds reached 43 mph at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1996…a small tornado touched down in the foothills southwest of Boulder near Pinecliffe…knocking down 50 to 100 large pine trees. A house nearby sustained damage when shingles were ripped from the roof. The tornado also picked up a 17-foot sailboat with attached trailer and carried it 25 feet into a nearby tree. In addition… Thunderstorm wind gusts to 46 mph were measured at Denver International Airport.

In 2004…hail as large as 1 inch in diameter fell near Castle Rock. Hail to 3/4 inch was measured near Bennett.

In 2005…severe thunderstorms produced hail as large as 1 inch in diameter in Centennial.

In 2011…severe thunderstorms produced and damaging across parts of metropolitan Denver. In Lakewood…a tree blew down and landed on at least five cars. At Centennial Airport…a section of a roof on a hangar was ripped off the strong winds. A peak wind gust of 46 mph was recorded at Centennial Airport and Denver International Airport in the evening.

In 2022…severe thunderstorms produced large hail across parts of Boulder and Weld counties. The hail ranged from 1 to 1 1/2 inches at Allenspark…Ft. Lupton…Hudson and Lochbuie.

Continue reading June 15 to June 21: This Week in Denver Weather History

June 8 to June 14: This Week in Denver Weather History

This Week in Denver Weather HistoryJune is the month of the year when Colorado receives the majority of its severe weather and that is seen in our look back at this week in Denver weather history. Also notable are several historical wildfires, including the Hayman blaze.

From the National Weather Service:

1-30

In 2012…it was the hottest June in Denver since weather records began back in 1872. The average temperature for the month was 75.0 degrees which was 7.6 degrees above normal. There were a total of seventeen 90 degree days in the month of June. The highlight of record setting month was a stretch of five consecutive 100 degree days from the 22nd to the 26th. This was only the third time in Denver weather history in which this happened. Two of the high temperatures during the stretch peaked at 105 degrees… Which set the all-time record for the month of June and tied the all-time maximum temperature for Denver.

7-9

In 1979…rain…at times with thunder on the 7th…fell almost continuously through the morning of the 9th. Rainfall totaled 2.28 inches at Stapleton International Airport over the 3 days. High temperature of only 49 degrees on the 8th was a record low maximum for the date.

8

In 1873…lightning struck and killed one man and damaged several houses. The thunderstorms produced heavy rain in the city…which caused a great deal of water damage. At 2:40 pm heavy rain began and by 4:00 pm 1.40 inches of rain had fallen. Two buildings under construction…with a projected cost of 100 thousand dollars…were badly damaged. The stone foundation and some of the brick walls were carried away by the storm waters. Many basements were flooded…which damaged goods stored there. Rainfall totaled 1.71 inches.

In 1964…lightning struck a building in Boulder…starting a fire and burning two workmen.

In 1968…a severe thunderstorm flooded streets…and hail- damaged trees and gardens…including flowers at a large commercial nursery in Boulder.

In 1969…severe hail damaged property…trees…and gardens… And heavy rain flooded streets and underpasses throughout metro Denver. The heaviest amounts of rain fell in south Denver and Englewood where unofficial totals of 5 to 6 inches were reported. Hail accumulated to 3 or 4 inches on the level and 2 to 3 feet deep in drifts. Mud…debris…and hail carried by the heavy runoff clogged drains and increased the amount of flooding. About 40 cars and a large truck were inundated at an underpass on an interstate highway…and several more were inundated or buried in mud in other areas. A large number of basements were flooded. Streets and highways were heavily damaged in some areas. Rainfall totaled 1.66 inches at Stapleton International Airport.

In 1974…a late spring storm dumped 1.79 inches of rain over metro Denver…causing local flooding. Strong gusty winds accompanied the storm…downing some power and telephone lines. Northwest winds gusted to 56 mph at Stapleton International Airport where a trace of snow fell. Measurable snowfall occurred at mid-day over Aurora and suburban areas to the south of Denver. A number of people were temporarily stranded in the mountains west of Denver where heavy snow fell. Low temperature of 37 degrees equaled the record minimum for the date. High temperature of 50 degrees was a record low maximum for the date.

In 1986…strong thunderstorm winds blew down a garage wall in Littleton and caused minor roof damage to several homes. Boats were overturned and damaged at a sporting goods store nearby. As the storm moved northeast it produced a small tornado…which touched down in extreme southeast Denver and moved northeast into Aurora. The twister did most of its estimated one million dollars damage shortly after touching down in an apartment complex and a shopping center. Two apartments were completely unroofed; wooden chimney facings were demolished and metal pipes were twisted. Many trees up to 25 feet high in the complex were uprooted. Doors were ripped off their hinges…and several parked cars were damaged. In the shopping center…a wall of a building was stripped of its brick facing…and many windows were broken. The twister picked up an aluminum rowboat…carried it 250 feet over some apartments…and deposited it in a vacant storefront. Around 200 cars were damaged in the shopping center. Benches bolted to the pavement were knocked over. Six people suffered minor injuries caused by flying debris. After hitting the shopping center and apartment complex…the tornado moved northeast into a residential area where it toppled some trees and damaged several fences. The same storm later produced 3 separate small tornadoes 5 miles north of Watkins.

In 1987…torrential rain produced extensive flooding across metro Denver. I-25 was closed for a time through central Denver…and a trailer park in Lakewood was partially evacuated due to high water. Several streets in Boulder were closed due to flooding. There was extensive basement flooding and water damage in Lakewood and southeast Denver. Lightning hit a power plant in Denver that supplied electricity to storm drain pumps which exacerbated street flooding in some areas. Rainfall from the thunderstorms totaled 1 1/2 to 2 inches at many locations in Lakewood central and northeast Denver. The heaviest amount of reported rain was in Lakewood where 2 1/4 inches fell in just 2 hours. At Stapleton International Airport…1.62 inches of rain fell in an hour. Rainfall totaled 1.76 inches for the day.

In 1988…a tornado touched down 15 miles northwest of Bennett and stayed on the ground for 15 minutes. The twister was observed by national weather service personnel at Stapleton International Airport. No damage was reported.

In 1989…a small tornado hit a neighborhood in southeast Aurora. The twister hit a dozen homes…blowing out windows…knocking down fences…and partially unroofing one house. About a half dozen trees were felled. A basketball pole was severely bent. The tornado was on the ground for about 2 minutes. Total damage was estimated at 50 thousand dollars. Lightning also struck a home in Parker…causing 25 hundred dollars damage.

In 1992…very heavy thunderstorm rains drenched southwestern weld and eastern Boulder counties. Measured rainfalls of over 2 inches an hour caused St. Vrain Creek to rise 2 feet out of its banks. Boulder creek was also out of its banks along U.S. Highway 287. I-25 flooded with 3 to 5 feet of water along a 9-mile stretch from the Erie exit to the Frederick exit. The highway was closed for over 6 hours while snowplow drivers and farmers with tractors rescued stranded motorists. Water rose into homes along south Boulder road in Lafayette. Several small county roads were washed out along the Boulder County/Weld County line. An off-duty National Weather Service employee measured 3/4 inch hail in Thornton. Several locations north of Denver had small hail up to 6 inches deep. A funnel cloud was spotted 18 miles northeast of Stapleton International Airport.

In 1998…severe thunderstorms dropped large hail across metro Denver. Hail as large as 1 3/4 inches in diameter fell near columbine in Jefferson County. One inch diameter hail fell in Aurora and Littleton with 7/8 inch hail in Arvada and 3/4 inch hail at Centennial Airport… Near greenwood village…and in Parker.

In 2004…heavy rain and large hail caused flooding and flash flooding across northeast Jefferson County. In Golden… Heavy rains triggered a small mudslide on U.S. Highway 6 near the intersection of Colorado highway 119. Automated rain gages in the area registered 2 to 3 inches of rainfall in one hour. Near the Colorado Mills mall…numerous streets were inundated with 1 to 3 feet of water and hail…which stranded several vehicles…including a fire engine. About 30 basements were flooded in Golden and Lakewood. Many windows in both homes and cars were shattered by the large hail. Hail as large as 1.5 inches in diameter was measured in and near Golden with hail to nearly an inch in diameter a few miles north of Evergreen.

In 2007…the low temperature in Denver bottomed out at 31 degrees…which established a new record minimum for the date. It also became the latest date of the last freeze in Denver.

In 2014…in Aurora…a tornado touched down near the Blackstone Country Club…it lifted some golf carts and flipped an empty construction trailer. One of the carts was thrown on top of a caddy walking nearby; he was taken to a hospital with minor injuries. It was assigned an EF-1 rating. In Englewood…lightning struck a tree which damaged two nearby homes and a truck. Large hail…from 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter…was reported near Buckley Air Force Base and near Castle Rock. Other short lived tornadoes touched down near Byers and Roggen.

In 2019…severe thunderstorms erupted around metro Denver late in the afternoon and spread eastward onto the plains. The largest hail fell around Castle Rock…where hail up to 2 1/2 inches was reported. Elsewhere…the hail ranged from 1 to 1 1/2 inches.

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In 1900…an apparent cold front produced north winds to 42 mph with gusts to 47 mph.

In 1923…heavy rainfall totaled 2.18 inches in downtown Denver…where northwest winds were sustained to 27 mph. Heavy rain also fell in Boulder…causing flooding on Boulder and south Boulder creeks.

In 1939…post-frontal sustained northwest winds to 35 mph produced some blowing dust…which reduced the visibility to one mile at times during the afternoon. Dusty conditions prevailed into the early evening. The airport station reported a maximum wind of 56 mph. A few minor injuries and some damage resulted. A few trees were uprooted…some fruit was blown from trees…and a section of power lines was blown down.

In 1959…dry thunderstorm winds…estimated to near 70 mph… Toppled a 40-foot-high poplar tree…which was 4 to 5 inches in diameter…near Cherry Creek dam. The Colorado state patrol reported a possible tornado 1 mile south of the dam.

In 1960…strong gusty winds tore the roofs from 2 patios in Aurora. One of the roofs was blown over a house and landed on a car damaging its top. A house trailer was also overturned. Other minor damage was reported to roofs… Windows…and trees in Aurora. A thunderstorm wind gust to 43 mph was recorded at Stapleton Airport.

In 1963…golf ball size hail fell at Cheery Creek Reservoir.

In 1967…a small tornado damaged trees and a dwelling in south Denver. The storm touched down at the intersection of 1st avenue and Harrison Street and moved northeast to the intersection of 3rd avenue and Albion Street. Damage included 3 small roofs removed…15-20 large trees uprooted…one car overturned and thrown against a house… Plus other minor damage. A funnel cloud reported at the same time 10 miles north of Denver possibly touched ground. Later…funnel clouds were reported 12 miles south-southeast of Stapleton International Airport…10 miles southwest…and 5 miles north. A tornado was sighted 3 1/2 miles east of Stapleton International Airport by weather bureau personnel for a duration of 5 minutes. Heavy rain and some hail fell over much of the area.

In 1974…the start of the shortest seasonal snow free period on record…94 days…occurred with the last snow of the season…a trace…on the 8th. The first snow of the next season occurred on September 11th when a trace of snow fell at Stapleton International Airport. A funnel cloud was observed just east of Aurora and a small funnel was sighted just northeast of Stapleton International Airport.

In 1985…a thunderstorm wind gust to 62 mph was reported at Golden Gate Canyon in the foothills west of Denver.

In 1986…a thunderstorm…which dumped heavy rain and caused some street flooding across north metro Denver…produced a small tornado 5 miles east of Brighton. No damage was reported.

In 1987…strong thunderstorm wind gusts in Conifer destroyed a porch on a house; the wind gust apparently picked up the porch and dropped it on a man…killing him. The wind also damaged the roof of the house and a nearby barn. The same thunderstorm spawned a tornado…which touched down briefly just south of Lakewood. No damage was reported. Up to 3 inches of rain fell in a short time 8 miles southwest of Littleton. A few businesses in Englewood suffered minor water damage. A tornado was sighted between Watkins and Bennett. It was on the ground for 15 minutes. A weak tornado also touched down 4 miles southwest of Castle Rock. The twister tossed an aluminum shed into the air and carried it about 100 feet. A funnel cloud was sighted 15 miles east-northeast of Stapleton International Airport.

In 1988…golf ball size hail fell in Conifer along with 1.30 inches of rain. Three miles north of Louisville…1.10 inches of rain fell in 20 minutes. Ping pong ball size hail was measured in Arvada.

In 1990…3/4 inch hail fell in Castle Rock.

In 1991…hail two inches in diameter fell near Evergreen. Hail to 1 inch diameter fell in Lakewood where a funnel cloud was also sighted. One inch diameter hail was also reported in Aurora.

In 2002…high temperatures…low relative humidities…and strong gusty winds allowed the Hayman wildfire…located in the foothills to the southwest of Denver…to become the largest wildfire in the state’s history. Although the fire was initially started by a U.S. Forest Service employee…the ongoing drought and dry conditions allowed the fire to spread rapidly out of control. The wildfire consumed nearly 138 thousand acres of forest land and 133 homes before it could be contained and finally extinguished on June 30th. About 1800 households had to be evacuated during the blaze. Southwest winds aloft swept the smoke plume directly over metro Denver…creating poor air quality and blocking the sun. Much of metro Denver choked on smoke with the southern suburbs receiving the most. Smoke and ash restricted surface visibilities to a mile or less at times in the Denver and Castle Rock areas and to 2 miles at Denver International Airport.

In 2003…thunderstorm winds gusted to 51 mph at Denver International Airport. The storm produced only a trace of rain.

In 2004…severe thunderstorms produced large hail across portions of metro Denver for the second day in a row. The most extensive damage occurred across southern sections of metro Denver in Aurora…Lakewood…Littleton…and south Denver. The combined damage to homes and vehicles…not including commercial buildings…was estimated at 146.5 million dollars…making the event the 4th costliest insurance disaster in the state’s history. Hail as large as 2 1/4 inches in diameter fell near southern Aurora with hail to 1 3/4 inches in the city of Denver and in Lakewood. Hail to 1 1/2 inches fell near Morrison with 1 inch hail measured in Thornton…near Buckley Air Force Base…and near Roggen. Hail to 3/4 inch diameter fell in Littleton and near Conifer. A small tornado touched down near Bennett…but did no damage.

Continue reading June 8 to June 14: This Week in Denver Weather History

Thornton’s June 2025 weather preview: Warmer temperatures, increased severe weather

June image

Extreme weather can occur during in month in Colorado we well know.  June however is when traditional spring severe weather arrives in the state oftentimes with hail, damaging wind and tornadoes.

Over 40 percent of the tornadoes that occur in Colorado happen during the month of June.  Far more common are thunderstorms with hail and wind, each responsible for extensive damage each year.

While severe weather is common, so too are brilliantly sunny and mild days as we close out spring and enter summer.  If you are looking for cold, it isn’t likely but it is possible as the Denver area has seen freezing temperatures and yes, even snow, during the month.

Read more about Thornton and Denver’s June weather and a look ahead at this year.

Weather, natural disasters & climate news and information.