Lightning struck a Westminster townhome.
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.
Lightning struck a Westminster townhome.
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 6, 2:25 PM MST, 1 hour 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 325 PM MDT FRI AUG 6 2010 .SHORT TERM...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL MOVE ONTO THE PLAINS DURING THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. ONCE AGAIN...SHOWERS ARE MOVING EASTWARD AT 10-15 MPH...LIMITING THE THREAT OF EXCESSIVE RAINFALL. FOR SATURDAY...TEMPERATURES AT 700 MB ARE FORECAST TO WARM A FEW MORE DEGREES TO ABOUT +16C AS THE UPPER RIDGE STRENGTHENS OVER THE STATE. SOME LEE TROUGHING AT THE SURFACE IS ALSO FORECAST WHICH WILL HELP TO DRY THE AIRMASS ACROSS THE PLAINS. MOUNTAIN AREAS MAY BE THE ONLY PLACES TO RECEIVE ANY PRECIPITATION GIVEN THE ENHANCED FORCING OF THE ELEVATED TERRAIN. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE PLAINS SHOULD WARM INTO THE MID 90S...GIVEN THE WARMER TEMPERATURES ALOFT AND THE LEE TROUGH OVER THE EASTERN PLAINS. .LONG TERM...THE UPPER RIDGE CENTER IS WELL EAST-SOUTHEAST OF COLORADO SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. AN UPPER TROUGH IS PROGGED OVER THE WEST COAST OF THE U.S. DURING THAT SAME TIME. THE SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT FOR THE FORECAST AREA BECOMES MORE SOUTH-SOUTHWESTERLY SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. THE SYNOPTIC SCALE ENERGY IS TO REMAIN BENIGN ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. THE BOUNDARY LAYER FLOW IS PRETTY WEAK THROUGH THE PERIODS...WITH SOME UPSLOPE SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. FOR MOISTURE...MODELS STILL INDICATE AN INCREASE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. BOUNDARY LAYER DEW POINTS ARE IN THE UPPER 30S TO MID 40S OVER THE WESTERN HALF OF THE PLAINS...WITH 50S OVER THE EASTERN HALF SATURDAY NIGHT. ON SUNDAY...DEW POINTS ARE PROGGED IN THE MID 40S WEST TO THE MID 50S EAST. DEW POINTS ARE IN THE 50S FOR THE PLAINS AND LOWER FOOTHILLS SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE IN THE 0.80 TO 1.00 INCH RANGE SATURDAY NIGHT...THE 0.90 TO 1.20 INCH RANGE SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. BY LATE DAY MONDAY THEY INCREASE YET AGAIN. THERE IS A THETA-E AXIS OVER THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER LATE DAY SUNDAY...AND ONE OVER THE MOUNTAINS. THERE IS A BETTER AXIS OVER MOST OF THE PLAINS LATE DAY MONDAY. LAPSE RATE FIELDS KEEP THE MID LEVEL CAP IN PLACE THROUGH THE PERIODS. THERE IS SOME CAPE OVER THE FAR EASTERN BORDER AREAS SATURDAY EVENING. THERE IS MORE CAPE FOR LATE DAY SUNDAY ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA...WITH NONE OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL AREAS. THERE IS PRETTY DECENT CAPE AROUND LATE DAY MONDAY...ONLY THE MOUNTAINS WEST OF THE DIVIDE HAVE VERY LITTLE. THE QPF FIELDS HAVE MEAGER AMOUNTS OF RAINFALL SATURDAY EVENING. THERE IS MORE PROGGED FOR LATE DAY SUNDAY. LATE DAY MONDAY...THERE IS LITTLE ON THE NAM...WITH MORE ON GFS...ESPECIALLY MONDAY EVENING. SO FOR POPS...10-20%S ARE GOOD FOR SATURDAY EVENING...30-40%S FOR LATE DAY SUNDAY...AND 10-30%S FOR LATE DAY MONDAY. FOR TEMPERATURES... SUNDAY'S HIGHS ARE 1-2 C COOLER THAN SATURDAY'S. MONDAY'S HIGHS ARE 1-2 C COOLER THAN SUNDAY'S. FOR THE LATER DAYS...TUESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...MODELS SHOW THE UPPER RIDGE CENTER SOUTHWEST TO SOUTH OF COLORADO. MOISTURE LOOKS SPARSE. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO BE A BIT ABOVE SEASONAL NORMALS. && .AVIATION...A BAND OF SHOWERS WILL MOVE OUT ACROSS THE DENVER METRO AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND MIGHT HOLD TOGETHER LONG ENOUGH TO REACH KDEN. SHOWER ACTIVITY SHOULD BE DISSIPATING BY 02Z WITH SKIES CLEARING AFTER THAT. ON SATURDAY...WARMER TEMPERATURES ALOFT AND A BIT DRIER AIRMASS MAY LIMIT AFTERNOON SHOWER DEVELOPMENT. VISUAL APPROACHES EXPECTED AFTER 02Z THROUGH TOMORROW AFTERNOON. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. KDRBY/RJK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1050 AM MDT FRI AUG 06 2010 COZ030>051-071200- 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- 1050 AM MDT FRI AUG 06 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT DAYTIME HEATING AND MOISTURE LINGERING OVER COLORADO TODAY WILL ONCE AGAIN PRODUCE SCATTERED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS ALONG WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHEAST COLORADO PLAINS. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WILL BE THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS...BUT SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE WITH THE STORMS. AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORM COULD ALSO OCCUR OVER FAR NORTHEAST COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH HAIL TO ONE INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LATE DAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SATURDAY...THEN A CHANCE OF LATE DAY SHOWERS AND STORMS FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY. FOR THE REST OF THE NEXT WEEK...IT IS BACK TO A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR LATE DAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. DANKERS/RJK
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 407 PM MDT FRI AUG 6 2010 COZ039-040-062245- NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/DENVER/WEST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES/EAST BROOMFIELD COUNTY CO- BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES BELOW 6000 FEET/WEST BROOMFIELD COUNTY CO- 407 PM MDT FRI AUG 6 2010 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHEASTERN JEFFERSON COUNTY WEST CENTRAL ADAMS COUNTY CENTRAL DENVER COUNTY SOUTHWESTERN BROOMFIELD COUNTY AT 402 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM. THIS STORM WAS LOCATED OVER CENTRAL ARVADA...OR 11 MILES NORTHWEST OF DENVER...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. LOCATIONS IN THE ADVISORY INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO FEDERAL HEIGHTS...WHEAT RIDGE...WESTMINSTER...SOUTHERN THORNTON...SOUTHERN NORTHGLENN...NORTHERN LAKEWOOD...NORTHWESTERN DENVER...SOUTHWESTERN COMMERCE CITY...SOUTHWESTERN BROOMFIELD AND ARVADA. HEAVY RAINFALL...UP TO THREE QUARTERS OF ONE INCH IN 30 MINUTES...IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS CLOUD-TO-GROUND LIGHTNING. IF OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES AND MOVE INDOORS IF POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID USING LAND LINE TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. TRY TO UNPLUG UNNECESSARY ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES. REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE IN DANGER OF BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. HEAVY RAINS MAY FLOOD LOW-LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE ON A FLOODED ROADWAY. && LAT...LON 3992 10488 3975 10489 3975 10519 3991 10517 TIME...MOT...LOC 2202Z 272DEG 11KT 3983 10510
The Denver radar (KFTG), 42 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:46 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning sparked a fire at a townhome. The fire caused damage to the exterior roof and severe damage to the trusses in the attic.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, August 2010
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: 252471.