Colorado, 1997

Tornado and Hail in Colorado, June 23, 1997

June 23, 1997 · NWS BOU · 8 events in 3 counties and zones

6 hail, 1 lightning, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$4.1 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
8

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), 28 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 hail, 1 lightning, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Denver

When
June 23, 4:25 PM MST
Where
Denver County, Denver
Property damage
$1.0 million
Coordinates
39.762, -104.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck the tower of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The bolt knocked chunks of rock from the top of the tower and blew a 4-ft wide hole about half way down the side. It also punched at least two holes in the tile roof and shattered part of the stone railing.

Tornado, Adams

When
June 23, 5:57 PM MST
Where
Adams County, 5 mi E of Strasburg
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
39.720, -104.200

Hail, Weld

When
June 23, 7:14 PM MST
Where
Weld County, Greeley
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
40.420, -104.680

Hail, Weld

When
June 23, 7:15 PM MST
Where
Weld County, 3 mi W of Greeley
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
40.420, -104.730

Hail, Weld

When
June 23, 7:20 PM MST
Where
Weld County, Greeley
Measured
1.5 in hail
Coordinates
40.420, -104.680

Hail, Weld

When
June 23, 7:25 PM MST
Where
Weld County, 3 mi N of Greeley
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
40.470, -104.680

Hail, Weld

When
June 23, 7:45 PM MST
Where
Weld County, Greeley
Measured
1.25 in hail
Coordinates
40.420, -104.680

Hail, Weld

When
June 23, 7:50 PM MST
Where
Weld County, Greeley
Measured
1.5 in hail
Property damage
$3.1 million
Coordinates
40.420, -104.680

Large hail, up to golfball size, hammered the Greeley area causing extensive damage. Estimates included $2.25 million to homes with another $840,000 in automobile claims.

What these are

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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: 5617968, 5617969, 5617970, 5617971, 5617972, 5617973, 5617974, 5617975.