Colorado, 2004

Flash Flooding and Hail in Colorado, June 8, 2004

June 8, 2004 · NWS BOU · 12 events in 4 counties and zones

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

Where it happened

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.

  • 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
None recorded
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.

What forecasters said that day

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 8, 2:00 PM MST, 2 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 8, 2:00 PM MST, 2 hours 52 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
300 PM MDT TUE JUN 8 2004

.SHORT TERM...TNGT-WED...POST-FRONTAL LO LEVEL UPSLP FLO HAS
INCREASED LO LEVEL MOISTURE AND COOLED TEMPS OVR HI PLAINS
THIS AFTN.  COOL AIR MASS OVR PLAINS HAS CAPPED ALL CONVECTION
BUT MDLS SHOW SUM COOLING ALF BY 00Z THAT WILL BREAK THE CAP.
CAPES ARE QUITE HIGH WHEN THIS OCCURS WITH FCST CAPE AT DEN
OVR 2500J/KG.  THUS THERE IS A THREAT OF SVR TSTMS THIS EVE.
RETURN FLO WILL OCCUR OVR PLAINS ON WED BUT FCST CAPES ARE LESS
THAN 700J/KG.  WILL KEEP POPS LOW ATTM.  TEMPS WILL BE ABOUT
THE SAME AS TODAY.  WILL MAKE ONLY SML ADJUSTMENTS TO MOS TEMP
GUIDANCE.

.LONG TERM DISCUSSION...WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY...THE SWLY
FLOW ALF OVER COLORADO WILL INCREASE AS A PACIFIC TROF OVER NRN NV
WEDNESDAY NIGHT...SHIFTS NORTHEAST INTO WYOMING BY THURSDAY AFTN.
MAIN DYNAMICS WITH THIS TROF ARE PROGGED TO RMN TO THE W AND N OF
THE CWFA FOR THE MOST PART.  IN THE LOWER LEVELS A STRONG SELY FLOW
WILL BE IN PLACE THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING...WITH GOOD LOW LEVEL
MSTR ASSOCIATED WITH IT SO THERE COULD BE SOME FAIRLY STG CELLS OVR
THE NORTHEASTERN PLAINS AT THAT TIME AS THE WIND SHEAR PROFILE GETS
INCREASES.  ON THURSDAY MORNING HOWEVER THE FLOW AT THE SFC AND ALF
WILL BE SOUTHWESTERLY...WHICH WILL SHIFT THE LOW LEVEL THETA-E RIDGE
E TOWARDS KANSAS.  QUITE A RANGE OF CAPES BY LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON
WITH VALUES ONLY AROUND 100 J/KG AT DENVER AND AROUND 2800 J/KG FROM
THE SIDNEY NEBRASKA ETA BUFFER SOUNDING.  WILL KEEP ANY POTENTIAL
FOR THUNDERSTORMS ON THURSDAY EAST OF THE URBAN CORRIDOR.  ON FRIDAY
...A DRIER AND MORE ZONAL FLOW WILL BE IN PLACE OVER COLORADO WITH
THE FLOW INCRG AND BECOMING MORE SWLY AHD OF ANOTHER APPROACHING
STORM SYSTEM.  THE ECMWF APPEARS TO SHOW ONE CONSOLIDATED TROF
MOVING OVR COLORADO SATURDAY NIGHT...WHILE THE GFS (AVN) SLIPS A
WEAKER SYSTEM ACROSS COLORADO SATURDAY NIGHT...AND ANOTHER ONE
ACROSS THE STATE BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON.  ALL MODELS BRING ITS
ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE CWFA ON SUNDAY.  FOR NOW
WILL THROW SOME ISOLD POPS IN THE MOUNTAINS ON SATURDAY AFTN/EVNG
...AND BROAD BRUSH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF STORMS FOR THE ENTIRE CWFA ON
SUNDAY.

&&

.BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

GARD/COOPER
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 8, 10:31 AM MST, 6 hours 21 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1131 AM MDT TUE JUN 08 2004

COZ030>051-091200-
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-
1131 AM MDT TUE JUN 08 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL
COLORADO.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER NORTHEASTERN COLORADO THIS
EVENING.  LOW LEVEL MOISTURE HAS RETURNED TO THE PLAINS TODAY BEHIND
A COLD FRONT AND WILL CONTINUE TO STREAM INTO THE AREA ON UPSLOPE
WINDS THROUGH TONIGHT.  HOWEVER...WARMER AIR ALOFT WILL HINDER
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT UNTIL EVENING.

ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP BY LATE
AFTERNOON ALONG THE FRONT RANGE...WITH GUSTY WINDS AND LIGHTNING BUT
LITTLE OR NO RAIN.  STRONGER AND POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
DEVELOP OVER THE NORTHEASTERN PLAINS BY THIS EVENING WHERE THERE
WILL BE A POSSIBILITY OF LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS...AND HEAVY
RAIN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE FORECAST
AREA IN THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENING ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY.  IT
WILL BE DRIER ON FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM
POTENTIAL CONFINED TO THE MOUNTAINS.  SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY...A
COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHEAST PLAINS.
UPSLOPE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FRONT COULD HELP IMPROVE THE POTENTIAL
FOR THUNDERSTORMS ON SUNDAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL BE NEEDED AFTER 400 PM MDT THIS AFTERNOON.

GARD/COOPER

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 61 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:50 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 hail, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Elbert

When
June 8, 4:52 PM MST
Where
Elbert County, 3 mi N of Kutch
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.950, -103.867

Hail, Douglas

When
June 8, 5:11 PM MST
Where
Douglas County, Westcreek
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
39.150, -105.167

Flash Flood, Jefferson

When
June 8, 5:30 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where
Jefferson County, South Central Portion
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.586, -105.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Locally heavy rain caused flash flooding in the Hayman burn area. Up to a foot of water damaged sections of Trumbull Road and a maintainance road near Lazy Gulch.

Hail, Jefferson

When
June 8, 7:17 PM MST
Where
Jefferson County, 6 mi N of Evergreen
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
AMATEUR RADIO
Coordinates
39.717, -105.317

Hail, Jefferson

When
June 8, 7:25 PM MST
Where
Jefferson County, 6 mi N of Evergreen
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.717, -105.317

Hail, Jefferson

When
June 8, 7:34 PM MST
Where
Jefferson County, 9 mi NNE of Evergreen
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.750, -105.250

Hail, Jefferson

When
June 8, 7:36 PM MST
Where
Jefferson County, 1 mi NNE of Golden
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.767, -105.217

Hail, Jefferson

When
June 8, 7:38 PM MST
Where
Jefferson County, 2 mi N of Golden
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
39.783, -105.217

Hail, Jefferson

When
June 8, 7:46 PM MST
Where
Jefferson County, 1 mi WSW of Golden
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.750, -105.233

Hail, Jefferson

When
June 8, 7:46 PM MST
Where
Jefferson County, Golden
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.750, -105.217

Flash Flood, Jefferson

When
June 8, 7:59 PM MST to 10:45 PM MST
Where
Jefferson County, Northeast Portion
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.586, -105.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy rain and large hail caused flooding and flash flooding across northeast Jefferson County. In Golden, heavy rains triggered a small mudslide on U.S. Highway 6, near the intersection of Colorado Highway 119. Automated gages in the area registered 2 to 3 inches of rain in one hour. Near the Colorado Mills Mall, numerous intersections were inundated from 1 to 3 feet of water and hail, stranding several vehicles, including a fire engine. Approximately 30 basements were flooded in Golden and Lakewood and many windows, to both cars and homes, broken by large hail.

Hail, Larimer

When
June 8, 9:25 PM MST
Where
Larimer County, 3 mi W of Drake
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
40.433, -105.383

What these are

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

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, June 2004

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: 5402345, 5402346, 5402356, 5402347, 5402348, 5402349, 5402350, 5402351, 5402352, 5402353, 5402355, 5402354.