Colorado, 2000

Flash Flooding and Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 17, 2000

July 17, 2000 · NWS BOU · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

2 flash flood, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
1
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), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 flash flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Jefferson

When
July 17, 1:00 PM MST to 1:45 PM MST
Where
Jefferson County, Pine
Reported by
FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
Coordinates
39.586, -105.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

An estimated 2 inches of rain reportedly fell in less than an hour. As a result two secondary roads in Buck and Miller Gulches, in the Hi Meadows burn area, washed out. Water also covered County Road 68 which connects to Bailey. Homeowners in Pine Valley Estates attempted to divert some of the runoff by piling stacks of hay above their homes.

Flash Flood, Elbert

When
July 17, 2:30 PM MST to 3:30 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, 6 mi NNW of Elizabeth
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.287, -104.136 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Torrential rainfall, up to 3.5 inches in an hour, caused flash flooding along Whiskey Gulch near Elizabeth. Several roads were washed out and basements flooded during the storm. Along County Road 13, about 6 miles north-northwest of Elizabeth, rushing water washed away a 15-ft section of the road. The floodwaters forced debris and mud into four huge culverts, sending water onto the road.

Lightning, Denver

When
July 17, 3:00 PM MST
Where
Denver County, Denver Intl Arpt
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.762, -104.876 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A United Airlines ground crew worker was struck by lightning as she was loading a Boeing 747 jumbo jet. The woman was injured when lightning either hit the jet or the loading equipment that she was working near. The 25-yr old woman received minor injuries.

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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, July 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: 5173265, 5173266, 5173267.