Colorado, 1997

Tornado and Flash Flood in Colorado, June 6, 1997

June 6, 1997 · NWS BOU · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

1 tornado, 1 flash flood, 1 hail, 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
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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), 62 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:17 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 tornado, 1 flash flood, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Boulder

When
June 6, 1:15 PM MST to 1:25 PM MST
Where
Boulder County, 3 mi SE of Boulder
Rating
F1
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
39.980, -105.230

A tornado touched down near Baseline Reservoir. The tornado struck a home, tearing off part of the roof. A storage building nearby was nearly levelled and 5 trees were uprooted. The twister then moved onto Baseline Reservoir forming a huge waterspout. Several recreational vehicles and a boat dock were also damaged.

Flash Flood, Adams

When
June 6, 3:00 PM MST to 5:30 PM MST
Where
Adams County, Thornton
Coordinates
39.874, -104.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A nearly stationary line of thunderstorms dumped 4.6 inches of rain onto portions of Thornton. Extensive flooding of streets, underpasses and other low lying areas was reported. Several businesses were flooded and basement in the area damaged.

Hail, Adams

When
June 6, 3:35 PM MST
Where
Adams County, 2 mi S of Henderson
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.880, -104.870

What these are

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.
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.
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: 5607321, 5607322, 5607323.