Flash Flood, Denver
- When
- August 17, 3:30 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
- Where
- Denver County, Countywide
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.762, -104.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flooding in Colorado, August 17, 2000
5 inches in spots, caused flooding and flash flooding problems in and around the Denver Metropolitan area. In Commerce City, a 37-yr old firefighter drowned while attempting to rescue a stranded motorist.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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.
Thunderstorms producing very heavy rain, up to 3.5 inches in spots, caused flooding and flash flooding problems in and around the Denver Metropolitan area. In Commerce City, a 37-yr old firefighter drowned while attempting to rescue a stranded motorist. According to a fire department spokesman, the firefighters were wading through the water when one of the men lost his footing and was sucked into a 10-ft deep culvert. He was swept away before anyone could reach him. Extensive flooding was also reported throughout Littleton and north Denver.
The radar
The Denver radar (KFTG), 28 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:28 UTC.
Event by event
4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Flash Flood, Adams
- When
- August 17, 3:30 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
- Where
- Adams County, West Central Portion
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.874, -104.338 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Arapahoe
- When
- August 17, 3:30 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
- Where
- Arapahoe County, West Central Portion
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 39.650, -104.339 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood, Weld
- When
- August 17, 3:30 PM MST
- Where
- Weld County, South Portion
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.555, -104.392 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Adams | 2000-08-18 | 37 | Male | In Water | Direct |
What these are
- 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
- Rip Current in California, August 17, 2000
- Flood and Damaging Wind in Arizona, August 17, 2000
- Flooding and Hail in Indiana, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, August 17, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kentucky, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Winds in Indiana, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Wisconsin, August 17, 2000
- Flash Flood and Damaging Wind in California, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Virginia, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 17, 2000
- Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, August 17, 2000
More
Every storm in Colorado in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, August 2000
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: 5170230, 5170231, 5170232, 5170294.