Very strong winds developed in the Front Range Foothills as well as parts of the Interstate 25 Corridor. The winds downed trees and power lines and caused extensive property damage.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.
Very strong winds developed in the Front Range Foothills as well as parts of the Interstate 25 Corridor. The winds downed trees and power lines and caused extensive property damage. Downed power lines sparked a 12 acre wildfire near Conifer. Scattered power outages were reported in the Big Thompson Canyon and in Loveland, affecting 460 residents and businesses. A tree was blown on to a vehicle in Greeley. Roof damage in addition to broken windows and skylights were observed in Boulder, Louisville and Longmont. A roof was blown off a home in Loveland. In Fort Collins, a nursery was badly damaged. The windstorm caused approximately $10,000 in damage to property and another $50,000 to the plants in the greenhouse.
Peak wind gusts included: 100 mph, 7 miles west-northwest of Berthoud; 84 mph, 9 miles southwest of Boulder; 75 mph in northwest Longmont, 71 mph at the National Wind Technology Center and 4 miles south-southwest of Superior, 67 mph in Fort Collins, 61 mph in Broomfield, 60 mph at Wellington, 58 mph at Keenesburg and 56 mph at Erie.
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 May 3, 2:05 PM MST, 10 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 305 PM MDT MON MAY 03 2010 .SHORT TERM...INCREASING WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS OVER THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS TONIGHT. ZONAL FLOW OVER THE WESTERN U.S. OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS WITH A BROAD UPPER JET AROUND 100 KTS SAGGING OVER WYOMING TONIGHT. THE NAM MODEL SHOWS 700 MB WINDS ON OUR NORTHERN BORDER REACHING 50KTS BY 06Z AND THEN CONTINUING THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. CROSS SECTIONS SHOW A HEALTHY MOUNTAIN WAVE DEVELOPING OVERIGHT WHICH WILL ENHANCE THE WIND ALONG THE LEE SLOPES OF THE FOOTHILLS. WITH THE STRONGEST FLOW ALOFT REMAINING OVER WYOMING INTO TUESDAY MORNING...DO NOT BELIEVE WINDS WILL GET STRONG ENOUGH FOR A HIGH WIND WARNING...SO NO HIGHLIGHTS FOR NOW. FAST FLOW ALOFT CONTINUING ACROSS WYOMING THROUGH TUESDAY ALONG WITH STRONG LEE TROUGH WARMING AND MIXING WILL KEEP GUSTY WINDS GOING ON THE PLAINS THROUGH MOST OF TOMORROW. SMALL AMOUNTS OF MOISTURE EMBEDDED IN THE WESTERLY FLOW MAY ALSO GENERATE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE WESTERN FACING SLOPES OF THE MOUNTAINS. ON THE PLAINS...TEMPERATURES WILL CLIMB INTO THE MID 70S BUT BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL ALSO CONTINUE. WINDS ACROSS THE PLAINS WILL BE AROUND 20 KNOTS WITH HUMIDITIES DROPPING TO THE LOWER TEENS. HOWEVER...FIELDS HAVE GREENED UP IN THE PAST WEEK OR TWO... SO THREAT OF DANGEROUS WEATHER CONDITIONS DOES NOT LOOK HIGH ENOUGH TO WARRANT ANY FIRE WEATHER HIGHLIGHT. SNOW COVER IN THE MOUNTAINS WILL PRECLUDE ANY NEED FOR FIRE WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS UP THERE. .LONG TERM...COLD FRONT WILL PUSH ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO EARLY TUESDAY EVENING WITH A COOLER AIRMASS SETTLING ACROSS THE AREA. THE RISK OF ANY SHOWERS/STORMS IN THE EVENING SHOULD BE CONFINED TO THE HIGH COUNTRY NEAR THE WYOMING MOISTURE BUT EVEN THERE THE MOISTURE IS QUITE LIMITED. ON WEDNESDAY...THE COOL AIRMASS IS NOW ADVERTISED TO BEGIN ERODING AS STRONGEST SURFACE PRESSURE FALLS OCCUR TO OUR NORTH AND WEST IN ADVANCE OF THE NEXT TROUGH. HOWEVER...TEMPERATURES ARE STILL EXPECTED TO BE AT OR BELOW SEASONAL NORMS WITH SOME INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER. THE MAIN THREAT FOR ANY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL AGAIN BE CONFINED TO THE HIGH COUNTRY AND ESPECIALLY AREAS NEAR THE WYOMING BORDER. SOME OF THESE SHOULD ALSO PUSH ONTO THE FAR NORTHERN PLAINS WHERE THE BETTER MOISTURE AND LIFT WILL BE PRESENT. BY THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT...THERE IS CONSIDERABLE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GFS...NAM...AND ECMWF. THE NAM AND ECMWF ARE CONSIDERABLY FARTHER SOUTH WITH SURFACE CYCLOGENESIS OVER SOUTHERN COLORADO ON THURSDAY VERSUS THE GFS WHICH IS MUCH FARTHER NORTH AND EAST. STILL THINK THE GFS IS TOO PROGRESSIVE WITH THE SURFACE PATTERN...SO FAVORED THE ECMWF AND NAM FOR NOW WHICH WOULD SUPPORT BETTER UPSLOPE...COOLER WEATHER...AND A BETTER CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WILL MAKE ONLY MINOR CHANGES TO THIS FORECAST PERIOD GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTIES...AND ALSO MAINTAIN THE CHANCE OF SNOW ACROSS THE PLAINS GIVEN THE POTENTIAL FOR A DEEPER COLDER AIRMASS BEHIND A STRONGER FRONT PER THE ECMWF AND NAM. ANY PRECIPITATION CHANCES ARE LOOKING QUITE MINIMAL FOR FRIDAY AT THIS POINT AS AIRMASS STABILIZES. HOWEVER...TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN WELL BELOW NORMAL WITH COOL HIGH PRESSURE SETTLING ACROSS THE CENTRAL PLAINS. FOR THIS WEEKEND...TEMPERATURES WILL MODERATE AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES. WE WILL KEEP A SLIGHT CHANCE OF DIURNALLY DRIVEN SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS IN THE FORECAST PER CLIMATOLOGY. && .AVIATION...WESTERLY WINDS WILL BE PRIMARY CONCERN OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. WIND SPEEDS OF 20-30 KTS SHOULD CONTINUE THROUGH ABOUT 01Z THEN DIMINISH AND BECOME MORE SOUTHWESTERLY OR STRAIGHT DRAINAGE. ON TUESDAY...STRONG LEE TROUGHING AND WARM TEMPERATURES WILL ALLOW FOR DEEP MIXING AND INCREASING WEST WINDS AFTER ABOUT 16Z. WEST WINDS 15-25 KTS SHOULD PREVAIL THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE...CIGS AND VSBYS WILL BE UNLIMITED. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. KDRBY/BARJENBRUCH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1051 AM MDT MON MAY 03 2010 COZ030>051-041200- 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- 1051 AM MDT MON MAY 03 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WARMER CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL TODAY AS A WEAK UPPER LEVEL RIDGE MOVES ACROSS THE STATE. WEST WINDS WILL INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AND BECOME STRONG TONIGHT IN THE FOOTHILLS. THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP AFTER MIDNIGHT IN THE FOOTHILLS WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH POSSIBLE. GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO OCCUR NEAR THE FOOTHILLS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL SPREAD FROM THE FRONT RANGE EASTWARD ACROSS THE PLAINS ON TUESDAY. THIS WILL BRING ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES TO THE FORECAST AREA. WIND GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED ABOVE TIMBERLINE AND ACROSS WIND PRONE AREAS OF THE FOOTHILLS...WITH GUSTS BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH ACROSS THE PLAINS BY AFTERNOON. BY TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...COOLER WEATHER CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE PLAINS BEHIND A WEAK COLD FRONT. THIS FRONT WILL ALSO LEAD TO A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY NEAR THE WYOMING BORDER. RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS MAY BECOME MORE NUMEROUS BEHIND A STRONGER COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE AREA THURSDAY OR THURSDAY NIGHT...BUT THE CHANCE OF ANY SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION WITH THIS NEXT SYSTEM APPEAR TO BE DECREASING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. DANKERS/BARJENBRUCH
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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, May 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: 225013, 225012, 225016, 225014, 225015.