Several landspout tornadoes developed along a boundary to the southeast of the Denver metropolitan area. In northwest Elbert County, minor damage was reported.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.
Several landspout tornadoes developed along a boundary to the southeast of the Denver metropolitan area. In northwest Elbert County, minor damage was reported. The damage consisted of downed power lines, broken windows and a damaged out building. Severe thunderstorms also produced very heavy rain and hail, up to the size of quarters.
In Douglas County, heavy rain caused flash flooding near the town of Westcreek. Private drives to residences in the Trail Creek subdivision were washed out. A mudslide closed State Highway 67, near Rainbow Falls Road. The road in the YMCA Camp Shady Brook was also washed out and bridges were damaged. In the camp, the gullies carved by the floodwaters were 6 feet wide by 5 feet deep.
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 Aug 24, 2:12 PM MST, 2 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 312 PM MDT SUN AUG 24 2008 .SHORT TERM...ISOLATED STORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...MOST OF THE ACTIVITY OVER LARIMER AND PARK COUNTIES. PLAINS CURRENTLY REMAIN CAPPED...AS NOTED BY LATEST ACARS SOUNDINGS AND LAPS SURFACE ANALYSIS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW WEAK CAP PERSISTING THROUGH THE EVENING. MAY BE HARD TO GET STORMS GOING ACROSS PLAINS. BUT LATEST WATER VAPOR LOOPS SHOWING SOME SORT OF SHORT WAVE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL WYOMING INTO NORTHERN COLORADO MOUNTAINS. THIS FEATURE MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO GET SOME STORMS GOING AS IT MOVES ACROSS PLAINS THIS EVENING. COULD ALSO SEE SOME BOUNDARIES FROM FOOTHILL CONVECTION MOVE ONTO PLAINS WHICH MAY ALSO AID IN STORM DEVELOPMENT. WILL CONTINUE WITH THE CURRENT CHANCE POPS FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND SLIGHT CHANCE FOR PLAINS. FLOW ALOFT WEAK... BUT PLATTEVILLE AND VAD WIND PROFILERS SHOWING ENOUGH SHEAR THAT THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE SMALL HAIL. BUT SEVERE THREAT LOW DUE TO MARGINALLY UNSTABLE AIRMASS AND WEAK SHEAR. COULD SEE SOME HEAVY RAIN WITH THE STORMS GIVEN THE SLOW STORM MOTION. STORMS SHOULD END BY MIDNIGHT AS AIRMASS STABILIZES AND QG ASCENT MOVES INTO KANSAS. BOUNDARY LAYER WIND AND HUMIDITY PROGS SUGGEST AN INCREASE IN MOISTURE ACROSS THE PLAINS. COULD SEE A RETURN OF LOW CLOUDS TO PORTIONS OF PLAINS...THOUGH BULK OF MOISTURE WILL STAY EAST OF DISTRICT. ON MONDAY...LITTLE CHANGE IN WEATHER PATTERN AS RIDGE REMAINS OVER AREA. QG VERTICAL VELOCITY PROGS SHOW NEUTRAL TO WEAK DESCENT THROUGH THE DAY. BUT...DAYTIME HEATING SHOULD PROVIDE ENOUGH INSTABILITY FOR SOME AFTERNOON STORMS OVER THE HIGH COUNTRY. STEERING WINDS REMAIN LIGHT...SO STORMS WILL BE SLOW MOVING AND COULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN. ACROSS PLAINS...FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW MID LEVEL CAP CONTINUING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. SO STORM DEVELOPMENT WILL RELY ON ANY BOUNDARY INTERACTION. MODELS SUGGEST DEVELOPMENT OF A DENVER CYCLONE WHICH COULD ACT AS A FOCUS FOR STORM DEVELOPMENT. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW CAPES ACROSS PLAINS RANGING FROM AROUND 700 J/KG ALONG FOOTHILLS TO AROUND 2400 J/KG FAR NORTHEAST CORNER. IF STORMS DEVELOP IN NORTHEAST CORNER...A FEW COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH HAIL AND DAMAGING WIND THE MAIN THREAT. TEMPERATURE AND THICKNESS PROGS AS WELL AS GUIDANCE SUGGESTS HIGHS AROUND 90 ACROSS PLAINS. CURRENT TEMPERATURE GRIDS LOOKING ON TRACK...NO CHANGES NEEDED. .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY...THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE FOUR CORNERS WILL FLATTEN AND GET SUPPRESSED FURTHER S AS THE NEXT TROF MOVES INTO THE NRN ROCKIES. LINGERING MSTR OVR CO AHD OF THE APPROACHING TROF WL BE SUFFICIENT FOR A SLGT CHC OF TSTMS IN THE MTNS AND PLAINS. BEST CHC LATE TUE AFTN AND EVNG MAY BE IN ZONES 49>51 WITH FCST CAPES PROGGED TO BE AROUND 2000 J/KG. THIS COUPLED WITH INCRG SHEAR CUD PRODUCE A FEW SVR STORMS. ALONG THE URBAN CORRIDOR THE AMS WL BE DRIER SO JUST A FEW HIGH BASED STORMS POSSIBLE. THE UPPER TROF IS STILL PROGGED TO PASS WELL N OF COLORADO TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY MORNING. INITIAL SURGE OF COOL AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE CWFA TUESDAY NIGHT. MAINLY NEUTRAL OR DOWNWARD QG VERTICAL VELOCITIES PRESENT AT THE SFC AND ALOFT ON WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS A DRY WNWLY FLOW DISPLACES ANY MSTR (SFC AND ALOFT) TO THE EAST AND SOUTH OF THE CWFA. PW VALUES FM THE SOUNDINGS DCRS SIGNIFICANTLY AT THAT TIME. AS A RESULT A SLIGHT COOLER AND MUCH DRIER AIRMASS WILL BE IN PLACE. ALL THE MDLS SEEMS TO BE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE TIMING OF THE UPPER TROFS PASSAGE...SO WENT AHD AND DROPPED THE POPS ALTOGETHER FOR BOTH WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. A SECONDARY COLD FRONT IS PROGGED TO MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHEAST PLAINS ON THURSDAY. THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL REBUILD OVER THE WEST THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. LOW LEVEL E TO SELY FLOW ON FRIDAY COULD HELP BRING SOME BOUNDARY LYR MSTR BACK INTO THE NERN PLAINS OF COLORADO BY LATE FRIDAY. IF THIS PANS OUT THEN ISOLD TSTMS CUD RETURN ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE BUT SUBSIDENCE ALOFT COULD COUNTER THIS AND CAP THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANY DEEP CONVECTION. FOR NOW WL KEEP FRIDAY DRY. THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS WILL SHIFT TO THE CENTRAL PLAINS BY SUNDAY WITH A BAND OF SUBTROPICAL MSTR STRETCHING FM MEXICO INTO WRN UT AS THE FLOW ALOFT BECOMES SSWLY. IT LOOKS TO BE TOO FAR WEST TO WARRANT THE INCLUSION OF ANY POPS IN THE HIGH COUNTRY FOR THE WEEKEND AT THIS TIME. && .AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL THROUGH MONDAY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THROUGH 03Z THIS EVENING...MAINLY ALONG FOOTHILLS AND PALMER DIVIDE. GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS TO AROUND 35KS COULD AFFECT AREA AIRPORTS. ISOLATED STORMS TO DEVELOP ALONG FOOTHILLS AFTER 18Z MONDAY. GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS FROM STORMS COULD AFFECT AREA AIRPORTS. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. DL/COOPER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1043 AM MDT SUN AUG 24 2008 COZ030>051-251200- 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- 1043 AM MDT SUN AUG 24 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS... FOOTHILLS...SOUTH PARK AND OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE THIS AFTERNOON WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED ELSEWHERE. THE STORMS WILL LINGER INTO THE EVENING HOURS. GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH...SMALL HAIL AND MODERATE RAIN WILL ACCOMPANY THE STORMS. A FEW STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE EAST OF A LINE FROM NEW RAYMER TO WIGGINS TO DEER TRAIL TO MATHESON...WITH HAIL UP TO ONE INCH IN DIAMETER...WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH AND HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY THERE WILL MAINLY BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH THE BEST CHANCE OVER THE MOUNTAINS ON MONDAY. FOR THE REST OF THE PERIOD...THE MOISTURE WILL DECREASE WITH LITTLE IF ANY THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY OR TONIGHT. LESZCYNSKI/COOPER
The Denver radar (KFTG), 42 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:30 UTC.
4 tornado, 3 hail, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
A tornado touched down but did no damage.
A landspout tornado touched down briefly. Minor damage was reported which consisted of downed power lines, broken windows and a damaged out building.
A tornado touched down but did no damage.
A landspout tornado touched down but did no damage.
Flash flooding occurred near the town of Westcreek. Private drives to residences in the Trail Creek subdivision were washed out.
The road in the YMCA Camp Shady Brook was washed out and bridges were damaged. Flood damage was observed at the YMCA Camp. Excessive sediment washed back into the pond, at the top of the camp, as Fourmile Creek flooded. In the camp, the gullies carved by the floodwaters were 6 feet wide by 5 feet deep.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Colorado, 2008Warnings in Colorado, August 2008
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: 122890, 132757, 122892, 122887, 122901, 125353, 122888, 122889, 125356.