Colorado, 1998

Tornadoes and Hail in Colorado, May 24, 1998

May 24, 1998 · NWS BOU · 12 events in 3 counties and zones

10 hail, 2 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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
$100,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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), 83 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:17 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 hail, 2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lincoln

When
May 24, 9:20 AM MST to 9:35 AM MST
Where
Lincoln County, 10 mi N of Limon
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.420, -103.700

Large hail was piled up 6 inches deep in spots.

Hail, Elbert

When
May 24, 10:05 AM MST
Where
Elbert County, 9 mi SE of Agate
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.370, -103.830

Tornado, Arapahoe

When
May 24, 12:32 PM MST
Where
Arapahoe County, 10 mi SE of (Bkf)buckley Fld Nas
Rating
F0
Path length
0.1 mi
Path width
25 yd
Coordinates
39.600, -104.620

Weak landspout touched down briefly in an open field.

Tornado, Arapahoe

When
May 24, 12:46 PM MST to 12:51 PM MST
Where
Arapahoe County, (Bkf)buckley Fld Nas to 9 mi NE of (Bkf)buckley Fld Nas
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$100,000
Coordinates
39.700, -104.580

A tornado struck a wooden hangar at Aurora Airpark. The hangar collapsed damaging a car and a single engine plane parked inside. A neighbouring steel hangar sustained only minor damage. The tornado moved northeast, hopped Interstate 70, and touched down again in an open field. The path length and duration of the tornado were estimated.

Hail, Elbert

When
May 24, 2:00 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, 13 mi NE of Simla
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.300, -103.870

Hail, Elbert

When
May 24, 2:03 PM MST to 2:08 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, 8 mi SE of Matheson
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.080, -103.880

Hail, Elbert

When
May 24, 2:08 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, 12 mi E of Matheson
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
39.170, -103.770

Hail, Lincoln

When
May 24, 2:20 PM MST
Where
Lincoln County, 25 mi NW of Karval
Measured
1.25 in hail
Coordinates
38.980, -103.870

Large hail broke the windows of a house.

Hail, Lincoln

When
May 24, 2:32 PM MST
Where
Lincoln County, 23 mi W of Karval
Measured
2.5 in hail
Coordinates
38.730, -103.970

Hail, Lincoln

When
May 24, 3:09 PM MST
Where
Lincoln County, 14 mi SW of Karval
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
38.580, -103.720

Hail, Lincoln

When
May 24, 3:10 PM MST
Where
Lincoln County, 8 mi SW of Karval
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.650, -103.630

Hail, Lincoln

When
May 24, 3:27 PM MST
Where
Lincoln County, 5 mi S of Karval
Measured
1.25 in hail
Coordinates
38.670, -103.530

What these are

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

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 historyThe tornado archive for Colorado, 1998Warnings in Colorado, May 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: 5642898, 5642899, 5642900, 5642901, 5642902, 5642903, 5642904, 5642905, 5642906, 5642907, 5642908, 5642909.