2 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 Denver/Boulder, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 14, 1:30 PM MST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 230 PM MDT MON JUN 14 2004 .SHORT TERM...ISOLATED STORMS NOW DEVELOPING OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. WITH ANOTHER COUPLE DEGREES OF HEATING...WE WILL REACH CONVECTIVE TEMPS ON THE PLAINS TO SUPPORT STORM SURVIVAL INTO THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. CAPES ARE LIMITED TO ABOUT 1000 J/KG OR LESS...BUT MID LEVEL WINDS ARE QUITE IMPRESSIVE WITH 40 KTS JUST ABOVE 600 MB. THIS WOULD SUPPORT ONE OR TWO HIGH BASED SUPERCELLS WITH HAIL AND HIGH WINDS BEING THE PRIMARY THREATS. LOW LEVEL JET DEVELOPS THIS EVENING AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES EAST THROUGH THE PLAINS. THIS SHOULD PROVIDE SLIGHTLY BETTER STORM COVERAGE AND HELP MAINTAIN CONVECTION A BIT LONGER OVER THE NORTHEAST CORNER. GOING FORECAST HANDLES THIS WELL. BY TOMORROW...COLD FRONT WILL BE BACKDOORING ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO. 12Z ETA LOOKED A BIT SLOW WITH FRONT AND 18Z SEEMS MORE REASONABLE. WITH THAT IN MIND...BEST POPS EXPECTED ACROSS THE PLAINS IN VICINITY OF FRONTAL AND TERRAIN INDUCED CONVERGENCE. WILL BOOST POPS A BIT ACROSS THE FAVORED ADAMS...ARAPAHOE...WASHINGTON... AND LINCOLN COUNTY AREA. LATER SHIFTS MAY HAVE TO RAISE POPS A BIT MORE DEPENDING ON LOCATION OF UPPER JET MAX AND POTENTIAL FOR EMBEDDED SHORT WAVE TO ENHANCE CONVERGENCE. SOME THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER WITH CAPES AROUND 1500 J/KG AND JUST ENOUGH SHEAR TO SUPPORT SUPERCELLS. COULD TURN INTO AN MCS BY TOMORROW EVENING. .LONG TERM DISCUSSION...BIG CHANGES IN THE UPPER AIR PATTERN OVER THE WESTERN CONUS WILL RESULT IN COLDER AND WETTER CONDITIONS FOR THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE LONG TERM. OVERALL...MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT ALTHOUGH GFS IS A BIT FARTHER SOUTH WITH THE COLD AIR ASSOCIATED WITH THE BIG UPPER TROUGH FCSTD TO DROP SOUTH OVER THE CENTRAL CONUS BY WEEK/S END. AS WAS ADVERTISED THE PAST 24 HOURS...STG JET FLOW STILL EXPECTED TO ROUND TOP OF HIGH AMPLITUDE RIDGE OFF THE WEST COAST AND DOWN SPINE OF THE NRN ROCKIES STARTING LATE TUESDAY. 1028MB SFC HIGH PRES AIR PROGGED TO ARRIVE IN NERN COLORADO AROUND 00Z/WED. STG SHEAR AND OVERRUNNING ALONG AN ADVANCING COLD FRONT EXPECTED TO IGNITE SCATTERED T-STORMS INITIALLY OUT NEAR THE EASTERN BORDER AND EVENTUALLY UP AGAINST THE SRN FRONT RANGE TUESDAY EVE AS THE MOIST AND UNSTABLE UPSLOPE FLOW DEEPENS. SEVERE HAIL AND WIND A POSSIBLITY. LATE TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY DEEP ANTICYCLONIC POST FRONTAL UPSLOPE FLOW IN PLACE EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. HIGH PLAINS AIRMASS LOOKS TOO COOL AND STABLE FOR ANY CONVECTION WEDNESDAY. LOW OVERCAST AND LIGHT STRATIFORM PRECIPITATION SHOULD HOLD TEMPS WELL BELOW NORMAL FOR THE DATE. TEMPS POSSIBLY COLD ENOUGH DURING THE MORNING FOR A BRIEF RAIN/SNOW MIX IN FOOTHILL AREAS ABOVE AROUND 8000 FT MSL. ANY MEASURABLE PCPN SHOULD BE LIGHT AND LARGELY CONFINED TO AREAS IN AND ALONG THE FRONT RANGE. TEMPS WEDNESDAY EAST OF THE DIVIDE POTENTIALLY 15 TO 25 DEGS BELOW NORMAL. THURSDAY...SFC HIGH SLIDES EAST OF THE STATE WITH BOUNDARY LAYER WINDS GOING SELY BY AFTERNOON. 700 MB TEMPS WARM 4-5DEG C WITH MAX TEMPS ON THE PLAINS RETURNING TO THE 70S. BY AFTERNOON TIGHTENING SFC PRES GRAD ON THE PLAINS AND STG PRES FALLS ACRS SRN WY AHEAD OF THE NEXT COLD FRONT CAUSES SELYS WINDS ON THE PLAINS TO STRENGHTEN AND A RAPID REBOUND IN DEWPOINTS. GRIDS SHOW HIGH THETA-E VALUES UP AGAINST THE FRONT RANGE AND WITH A POTENTIAL DENVER CYCLONE...COULD SEE ISOLATED SEVERE ON THE PLAINS LATE...POSSIBLY IN THE DENVER METRO AREA. FRIDAY...STG N/NWLY FLOW IN BETWEEN THE BIG RIDGE ALONG THE WEST COAST AND THE UNSEASONABLY COLD UPPER TROUGH DROPPING OVER THE GREAT PLAINS DRIVES AN EVEN STRONGER COLD FRONT IN NERN COLORADO LATE AS PER THE LATEST MODEL RUNS. THOUGH DIFFERENCES EXIST WITH THE MODELS...THE PAST FEW RUNS HAVE CONTINUED TO SHOW THIS COLD AIR OUTBREAK. EVEN SO...AFTER COORDINATING WITH SURROUNDING WFOS...DECIDED TO REFRAIN FROM GOING AS COLD FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS THE GFS WOULD HAVE US BELIEVE. F.Y.I. GRIDDED 850 MB TEMPS AND 1000-500 MB THICKNESSES LOOK COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW IN THE FRONT RANGE FRIDAY NIGHT/SATURDAY MORNING. WON/T BITE OFF ON THIS YET. SEE ONLY SLIGHT WARMING AND DRYING DURING THE WEEKEND WITH YET ANOTHER SHOT OF RELATIVELY COOL UPSLOPE AIR MONDAY...FOR WHAT ITS WORTH. LATER SHIFTS STILL HAVE TIME TO MAKE THE APPROPRIATE ADJUSTMENTS. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. BARJENBRUCH/BAKER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1113 AM MDT MON JUN 14 2004 COZ030>051-151200- JACKSON COUNTY BELOW 9000 FEET-WEST JACKSON AND WEST GRAND COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-GRAND AND SUMMIT COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-SOUTH AND EAST JACKSON/LARIMER/NORTH AND NORTHEAST GRAND/ NORTHWEST BOULDER COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST GRAND/WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST BOULDER/GILPIN/CLEAR CREEK/ SUMMIT/NORTH AND WEST PARK COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-LARIMER AND BOULDER COUNTIES BETWEEN 6000 AND 9000 FEET-JEFFERSON AND WEST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET/GILPIN/CLEAR CREEK/NORTHEAST PARK COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PARK COUNTY-LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES BELOW 6000 FEET/WEST BROOMFIELD COUNTY-NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/DENVER/WEST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES/ EAST BROOMFIELD COUNTY-ELBERT/CENTRAL AND EAST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET-NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTH WELD COUNTY-MORGAN COUNTY-CENTRAL AND EAST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES- NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN COUNTY-SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY- 1113 AM MDT MON JUN 14 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A RISK OF ONE OR TWO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN PLAINS OF COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL FIRST DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS BY THE NOON HOUR AND THEN SPREAD AND DEVELOP EASTWARD ACROSS THE PLAINS AFTER 2 PM. THE STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO INTENSIFY AS THEY MOVE INTO SLIGHTLY MORE UNSTABLE AIR OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. WHILE INSTABILITY IS LIMITED... THERE IS SUFFICIENT WIND SHEAR IN THE ATMOSPHERE TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF ONE OR TWO SEVERE STORMS. THE MAIN THREAT AREA OF SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE EAST OF A LINE FROM GREELEY TO BENNETT AND KIOWA...WITH THE PRIMARY THREATS BEING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS. THE MAJORITY OF STORMS TODAY WILL PRODUCE JUST A BRIEF PERIOD OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN AND WIND GUSTS AROUND 40 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP AGAIN ON THE PLAINS AND OVER THE FRONT RANGE OF NORTHEAST COLORADO TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A COLD FRONT BACKING IN FROM THE NORTHEAST DURING THE DAY AND STRONG SOLAR HEATING WILL PROVIDE THE LIFT AND INSTABILITY NEEDED TO PRODUCE THUNDERSTORMS...A FEW POSSIBLY BECOMING SEVERE IN THE AFTERNOON. LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING DOWNBURST WINDS WILL PROBABLY BE THE MAIN SEVERE WEATHER THREAT WITH THESE STORMS. ON WEDNESDAY...COOL AND MOIST UPSLOPE CONDITIONS WILL SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE RISK OF THUNDERSTORMS AND SEVERE WEATHER FOR THE OUTLOOK AREA...PARTICULARLY EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. THURSDAY...A RETURN TO WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS MAY RESULT IN A FEW LATE DAY STORMS...ALTHOUGH SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATE. FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...AREAS EAST OF THE MOUNTAINS WILL SEE A RETURN TO UNSEASONABLY COOL AND MOIST CONDITIONS. CONSEQUENTLY...HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT ANTICIPATED THIS WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED EAST OF THE I-25 URBAN CORRIDOR AFTER 3 PM. BARJENBRUCH/BAKER
The Denver radar (KFTG), 77 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:01 UTC.
2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning sparked two small fires, one in Geer Canyon, and another 7.5 miles up Sunshine Canyon. Both were quickly contained and caused no damage to structures in the area.
Lightning struck a power pole in Castle Rock igniting a small fire and injuring a 12-yr old girl standing nearby. The girl received minor injuries from the electrical shock. Lightning also sparked a small brush fire. The fire was quickly extinguished without incident.
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, June 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: 5402197, 5402198.