1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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 local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Pueblo, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 27, 1:00 PM MST, 0 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 200 PM MDT TUE JUL 27 2004 .SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY) MORE POTENT SHORTWAVE TROF EVIDENT IN WV LOOPS MOVING INTO WRN CO ATTM WITH VERY APPARENT 300/200MB POTENTIAL VORT LOBE IN RUC DATA. AS THIS SHORTWAVE CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT...EXPECT AN INCREASE IN THUNDERSTORM COVERAGE FROM WEST TO EAST. SFC LOW HAS SET UP OVER LA JUNTA WITH DEW POINTS WEST OF THIS AREA IN THE LOWER TO MID 40S...AND DEW POINTS FOR LOCATIONS EAST OF THIS AREA IN THE LOWER 60S. THUS...BEST CAPES ARE ACROSS EASTERN BORDER AREAS WITH VALUES PROBABLY AROUND 1000-1500 J/KG...WHILE CAPES ALONG INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR ARE RUNNING AROUND 500-700 J/KG. DEEP LAYER SHEARS ARE STILL PRETTY LIGHT (20KTS OR LESS)...HOWEVER A FEW STORMS COULD BRIEFLY BECOME STRONG WITH SMALL HAIL UP TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH THE MAIN THREAT...STRONGEST STORMS COULD OCCUR NEAR THE CO/KS BORDER LATER THIS EVENING. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGER STORMS...BUT STORM MOTIONS LOOK A LITTLE FASTER THAN YESTERDAY...SO THIS THREAT SHOULD BE HIGHLY LOCALIZED. TONIGHT...PREFRONTAL SURGE WILL MOVE IN AS SFC LEE TROF MOVES INTO KANSAS IN RESPONSE TO PASSING UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE. APPEARS COLD AIR WITH MAIN FRONT WONT BE MOVING INTO AREA UNTIL TOMORROW AFTERNOON. HAVE KEPT THE POPS GOING ACROSS ALL OF THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS OVERNIGHT AS SHORTWAVE MOVES ACROSS. ON WEDNESDAY...LOW LVL FLOW SHIFTS AROUND FROM THE EAST WITH DEW POINTS CLIMBING BACK INTO THE 50S. ALL GUIDANCE VALUES ARE GIVING TEMPS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS IN THE LOWER 80S...BUT PREFER THE CURRENT COOLER THAN GUIDANCE VALUES IN CURRENT GRIDS AND WILL NOT MAKE MANY DRASTIC CHANGES. WITH MAIN TROF TO THE EAST...AREA MAY BE UNDER A MORE SUBSIDENT SYNOPTIC PATTERN ALOFT...THOUGH AS OFTEN IS THE CHALLENGE THIS TIME OF YEAR...THERE COULD BE A WEAKER SHORTWAVE ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE TROF WHICH MAY MOVE THROUGH THE AREA (GFS HINTS AT THIS). MODEL SOUNDINGS OFF THE MESO-ETA NOT SHOWING MUCH OF A CAP ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS (VS PAST COLD FRONTS)...AND WITH LOWER LVL EASTERLY WINDS BELOW UPPER LVL NORTHWEST FLOW...DEEP LAYER SHEARS WILL INCREASE. COULDNT RULE OUT A MARGINAL SEVERE THUNDERSTORM... ESPECIALLY NEAR THE COLORADO KANSAS BORDER...BUT MUCH WILL DEPEND ON AMOUNT OF WARMING...AND TIMING OF UPPER TROF/SHORTWAVES. FOR NOW WILL BROAD BRUSH SOME SCATTERED POPS ACROSS THE AREA FOR WED AFTERNOON. -KT .LONG TERM... (WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY) ...A WETTER PERIOD WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...THEN DRIER AND WARMER AGAIN... FEW CHANGES NEEDED TO FORECAST. SOUTHERN COLORADO TO BE UNDER SLIGHTLY CYCLONIC NORTHWEST FLOW WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. MODELS INDICATE PERIODIC SURFACE FRONTS TO MOVE THROUGH THE EASTERN PLAINS DURING THIS PERIOD...AND THIS MAKES SENSE BASED ON THE UPPER LEVEL PATTERN. THE LOW LEVEL UPSLOPE FLOW BEHIND THESE FRONTS SHOULD REALLY ENHANCE PRECIP OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING TIME FRAME...PROVIDING BOTH ADDED LIFT AND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. THE FACT THAT THE FLOW ALOFT WILL BE CYCLONIC WILL REDUCE THE CAP...ALLOWING EASIER FIRING OF CONVECTION. HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL WILL AGAIN BE THE BIG THREATS. BY SATURDAY...THE PATTERN STARTS TO SHIFT BACK TO A WARMER AND DRIER REGIME AGAIN. BIG UPPER RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD INTO THE AREA SATURDAY AFTERNOON...AND LOOKS FAIRLY STRONGLY ENTRENCHED FOR SUNDAY...MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THIS SHOULD REALLY DIMINISH THE THUNDERSTORM THREAT...WITH COVERAGE MORE ISOLATED AND THE HEAVY RAINFALL AND HAIL THREAT DOWN. TEMPERATURES SHOULD ALSO CLIMB BACK TO NEAR OR ABOVE SEASONAL LEVELS. LW && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 645 AM MDT TUE JUL 27 2004 COZ058>089-093>099-281300- ALAMOSA VICINITY/CENTRAL SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- CANON CITY VICINITY/EASTERN FREMONT COUNTY- CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY BELOW 9000 FT- COLORADO SPRINGS VICINITY/SOUTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7500 FT-CROWLEY COUNTY- DEL NORTE VICINITY/NORTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- EASTERN KIOWA COUNTY-EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY- EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- EASTERN SAWATCH MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- LA GARITA MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT-LA JUNTA VICINITY/OTERO COUNTY- LAMAR VICINITY/PROWERS COUNTY-LAS ANIMAS VICINITY/BENT COUNTY- LEADVILLE VICINITY/LAKE COUNTY BELOW 11000 FT- NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/MONUMENT RIDGE/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7500 FT- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FEET- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 8500 AND 11000 FT- NORTHWESTERN FREMONT COUNTY ABOVE 8500 FT-PIKES PEAK ABOVE 11000 FT- PUEBLO AND VICINITY/PUEBLO COUNTY BELOW 6300 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY EAST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY WEST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- SOUTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT- SPRINGFIELD VICINITY/BACA COUNTY- TELLER COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE ABOVE 7500 FT/PIKES PEAK BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT- TRINIDAD VICINITY/WESTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY BELOW 7500 FT- UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY/EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS BELOW 10000 FT- WALSENBURG VICINITY/UPPER HUERFANO RIVER BASIN BELOW 7500 FT- WESTERN CHAFFEE COUNTY BETWEEN 9000 AND 11000 FT- WESTERN KIOWA COUNTY- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST CHAFFEE COUNTY ABOVE 9000 FT- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST LAKE COUNTY ABOVE 11000 FT- WESTERN/CENTRAL FREMONT COUNTY BELOW 8500 FT- WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY BELOW 8500 FEET-WET MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- WET MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 6300 AND 10000 FT- 645 AM MDT TUE JUL 27 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS ALL OF SOUTHERN COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT FROM STORMS WILL BE WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. SOME SMALL HAIL...LESS THAN 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER...MAY ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE I-25 CORRIDOR AND EASTERN COLORADO PLAINS WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...WITH ONE OR TWO STRONG TO SEVERE STORMS POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY... AS AMPLE VERTICAL WIND SHEAR WILL BE IN PLACE...ALONG WITH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE POOLING ALONG AND BEHIND A FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOVING ACROSS EASTERN COLORADO. THE MAIN THREATS FROM STORMS WILL BE LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING... WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH POSSIBLE WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...MAINLY ACROSS THE FAR EASTERN PLAINS. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS...AND HIGH MOUNTAIN VALLEYS...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY...WITH THE MAIN THREATS FROM THUNDERSTORMS BEING LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...LIGHTNING...AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. &&
The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 97 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:59 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A lightning strike caused a 4-hour power outage to most of Cripple Creek. The outage shut down those casinos and other businesses and residences that did not have emergency generators.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, July 2004
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: 5413412.