Colorado, 1998

Hail and Damaging Winds in Colorado, July 21, 1998

July 21, 1998 · NWS BOU · 17 events in 3 counties and zones

Damaging hail, severe thunderstorm winds and heavy rain hammered extreme northeast Colorado. Tennis ball size hail caused extensive roof damage in Iliff and some windows were broken.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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
$3,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
17

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 BOU wrote it up.

Damaging hail, severe thunderstorm winds and heavy rain hammered extreme northeast Colorado. Tennis ball size hail caused extensive roof damage in Iliff and some windows were broken. A state trooper on patrol had his windshield shattered. Thunderstorm winds gusting to 70 mph downed trees and power lines. Up to 2.5 inches of rain also fell in the area. Lightning sparked several small fires along State Highway 61.

The radar

The Cheyenne radar (KCYS), 135 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:56 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Logan

When
July 21, 2:55 PM MST
Where
Logan County, 6 mi W of Peetz
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.970, -103.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Logan

When
July 21, 2:55 PM MST
Where
Logan County, 6 mi W of Peetz
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.970, -103.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Weld

When
July 21, 3:44 PM MST
Where
Weld County, 20 mi NNW of New Raymer
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.800, -103.930

Hail, Logan

When
July 21, 5:17 PM MST
Where
Logan County, 8 mi SW of Sterling
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.550, -103.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Logan

When
July 21, 5:17 PM MST
Where
Logan County, 8 mi SW of Sterling
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.550, -103.300

Hail, Logan

When
July 21, 5:17 PM MST
Where
Logan County, 18 mi N of Sterling
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.900, -103.200

Hail, Logan

When
July 21, 5:27 PM MST
Where
Logan County, Atwood
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.550, -103.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When
July 21, 5:28 PM MST
Where
Washington County, (Ako)akron Weather S
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
40.150, -103.180

Hail, Logan

When
July 21, 5:35 PM MST
Where
Logan County, Iliff
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.750, -103.070

Hail, Logan

When
July 21, 5:35 PM MST
Where
Logan County, Iliff
Measured
2.5 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.750, -103.070

Hail, Logan

When
July 21, 5:41 PM MST
Where
Logan County, 10 mi NNE of Sterling
Measured
2.5 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.770, -103.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When
July 21, 5:45 PM MST
Where
Washington County, 20 mi NW of Akron
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.370, -103.470

Hail, Logan

When
July 21, 5:50 PM MST
Where
Logan County, 10 mi NE of Sterling
Measured
2.5 in hail
Property damage
$3,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
40.730, -103.070

Hail, Logan

When
July 21, 6:05 PM MST
Where
Logan County, 1 mi W of Sterling
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.630, -103.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Logan

When
July 21, 6:05 PM MST
Where
Logan County, 1 mi W of Sterling
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.630, -103.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When
July 21, 6:25 PM MST
Where
Washington County, Otis
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.150, -102.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When
July 21, 6:42 PM MST
Where
Washington County, 17 mi NNE of Platner
Measured
51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.350, -102.950

What these are

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

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, July 1998

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: 5662579, 5662580, 5662578, 5662581, 5662582, 5662583, 5662584, 5662585, 5662586, 5663358, 5663351, 5663352, 5663353, 5663356, 5663357, 5663354, 5663355.