Colorado, 1997

Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Colorado, June 13 to 15, 1997

June 13 to 15, 1997 · NWS BOU · 28 events in 10 counties and zones

16 hail, 4 lightning, 3 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain, 1 flood, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$54,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
28

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.

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:53 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 hail, 4 lightning, 3 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, 1 heavy rain, 1 flood, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Elbert

When
June 13, 4:53 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, 2 mi N of Cedar Pt
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.380, -103.900

Heavy Rain, Elbert

When
June 13, 4:53 PM MST to 8:06 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, Matheson
Coordinates
39.287, -104.136 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy rain, large hail, damaging thunderstorms winds and tornadoes ravaged southern portions of Elbert and southwestern Lincoln counties through the evening hours. Several farms and ranches were devastated south of the Simla and Matheson areas as 2 to 3.5 inches of rain fell in addition to golfball size hail. Approximately 18,000 acres of wheat was destroyed, Several homes sustained roof damage and large hail broke windows. County Roads 185 and 197 in Elbert County were washed out.

Lightning, Park

When
June 13, 5:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Park County, Fairplay
Coordinates
39.119, -105.717 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning knocked out radio communications between Platte Canyon and Fairplay. The time of the incident was approximated.

Hail, Elbert

When
June 13, 5:05 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, 4 mi NE of Cedar Pt
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.380, -103.850

Hail, Elbert

When
June 13, 5:05 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, 11 mi W of Simla
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
39.170, -104.230

Hail, Elbert

When
June 13, 6:33 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, 6 mi SE of Elbert
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.150, -104.450

Tornado, Elbert

When
June 13, 7:35 PM MST to 7:40 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, 4 mi NE of Kutch
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
38.930, -103.820

Hail, Elbert

When
June 13, 7:53 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, 7 mi NW of Kutch
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
38.970, -103.970

Hail, Lincoln

When
June 13, 8:06 PM MST
Where
Lincoln County, 10 mi NW of Karval
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.830, -103.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When
June 13, 8:06 PM MST
Where
Lincoln County, 10 mi NW of Karval
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates
38.830, -103.670

Strong thunderstorm winds gusting to 70 mph (60 kts) blew a car off the road near Punkin Center, northwest of Karval.

Lightning, Denver

When
June 13, 8:24 PM MST
Where
Denver County, Denver
Coordinates
39.762, -104.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a home in Denver. The extent of the damage was unknown.

Lightning, Arapahoe

When
June 13, 8:31 PM MST
Where
Arapahoe County, Littleton
Coordinates
39.650, -104.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a home in Littleton. The house caught fire but a damage estimate was not available.

Lightning, Larimer

When
June 14, 1:00 AM MST to 5:00 AM MST
Where
Larimer County, Loveland
Property damage
$4,000
Coordinates
40.666, -105.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a home in Loveland sometime during the afternoon. A meter box was blown up setting the garage on fire.

Hail, Larimer

When
June 14, 3:02 PM MST
Where
Larimer County, 5 mi SW of Loveland
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.350, -105.130

Hail, Arapahoe

When
June 14, 3:20 PM MST
Where
Arapahoe County, Deer Trail
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.620, -104.050

Hail, Arapahoe

When
June 14, 3:32 PM MST
Where
Arapahoe County, Littleton
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.620, -105.000

Hail, Larimer

When
June 14, 3:38 PM MST
Where
Larimer County, 7 mi N of Wellington
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
40.800, -105.000

Hail, Weld

When
June 14, 3:56 PM MST
Where
Weld County, Nunn
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
40.700, -104.770

Hail, Adams

When
June 14, 4:30 PM MST
Where
Adams County, Bennett
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
39.750, -104.430

Flood, Weld

When
June 14, 5:00 PM MST to 5:30 PM MST
Where
Weld County, 12 mi SSE of Roggen
Coordinates
40.555, -104.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Minor flooding developed as thunderstorms producing heavy rain and hail moved through the area. A section of roadway was washed out near the intersection of County Roads 81 and 4 in southeast Weld County. Eight to ten inches of water covered the road making it impassable.

Thunderstorm Wind, Weld

When
June 14, 5:21 PM MST
Where
Weld County, 22 mi NNW of Stoneham
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
40.900, -103.820

Hail, Weld

When
June 14, 5:21 PM MST
Where
Weld County, 22 mi NNW of Stoneham
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
40.900, -103.820

Flash Flood, Logan

When
June 14, 7:00 PM MST to June 15, 2:00 AM MST
Where
Logan County, Fleming
Coordinates
40.725, -103.110 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Up to 6 inches of rain fell near Fleming the evening of the 14th and early morning hours of the 15th. Excessive runoff from the torrential rainfall caused Frenchman Creek to overflow its banks as it rose 10 feet above its normal level at Holyoke. Over 30 homes and businesses in and around Holyoke were damaged, 7 homes were later determined to be unliveable. Three bridges and a portion of the railroad line were severely damaged or washed out. In addition, 80 percent of the crops in the area were lost. Three teenagers had to be rescued from atop of their vehicle when they drove into a flooded section of Highway 385 just outside Holyoke shortly after midnight. Highways 385, 6 and 23 were all closed due to flooding.

Hail, Logan

When
June 14, 7:08 PM MST to 7:13 PM MST
Where
Logan County, 7 mi SSW of Fleming
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
40.580, -102.880

Trees and crops were damaged but no estimate was available.

Tornado, Phillips

When
June 14, 7:45 PM MST
Where
Phillips County, 2 mi S of Paoli
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
40.580, -102.470

Hail, Phillips

When
June 14, 8:28 PM MST
Where
Phillips County, 7 mi SSE of Haxtun
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
40.530, -102.570

Hail, Larimer

When
June 15, 12:11 PM MST
Where
Larimer County, 6 mi NW of Wellington
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.770, -105.080

Tornado, Weld

When
June 15, 2:21 PM MST to 2:24 PM MST
Where
Weld County, 1 mi SW of Dacono
Rating
F1
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$50,000
Coordinates
40.070, -104.950

A tornado touched down briefly at the Colorado National Speedway. The tornado ripped through the south grandstand causing at least $50, 000 in damage to a shed, kiosk, bleachers and several concession stands.

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
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.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Colorado, 1997Warnings in Colorado, June 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: 5608462, 5608470, 5608472, 5608463, 5608464, 5608465, 5608466, 5608467, 5608468, 5608469, 5608471, 5608473, 5608790, 5608474, 5608475, 5608476, 5608477, 5608478, 5608479, 5608480, 5608481, 5608482, 5608789, 5608483, 5608484, 5608788, 5608791, 5608792.