Thunderstorm Wind, El Paso
- When
- August 4, 6:48 PM MST
- Where
- El Paso County, Colorado Spgs
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Coordinates
- 38.830, -104.820
Flood and Damaging Wind in Colorado, August 4, 1997
Heavy thunderstorm rains across Colorado Springs produced urban and small stream flooding, and caused drainage ditches to run rapidly swell to levels of 6 to 8 feet. Two boys playing in a storm drain were caught by the fast flowing water.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PUB wrote it up.
Heavy thunderstorm rains across Colorado Springs produced urban and small stream flooding, and caused drainage ditches to run rapidly swell to levels of 6 to 8 feet. Two boys playing in a storm drain were caught by the fast flowing water. One boy was able to pull himself to safety; the other boy, 6 year old Steven Powell, drowned and was found 5 miles downstream early the next morning.
The radar
The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 69 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:49 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind, 1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flood, El Paso
- When
- August 4, 7:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
- Where
- El Paso County, Colorado Spgs
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 38.832, -104.526 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flood, El Paso | 1997-08-04 | 6 | Male | In Water | Direct |
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
- Flood
- Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Hail in Kentucky, August 4, 1997
- Flash Flood in Nevada, August 4 to 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, August 4, 1997
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Tennessee, August 4, 1997
- Hail in Kentucky, August 4, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Carolina, August 4, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Connecticut, August 4, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 4, 1997
- Flash Flood in Utah, August 4, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Iowa, August 4, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Tennessee, August 4, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 4, 1997
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, August 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5615762, 5615763.