Isolated severe thunderstorms produced intense microburst winds in portions of Denver, Larimer and Weld Counties. In Gill, a barn and farmhouse were damaged.
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.
Isolated severe thunderstorms produced intense microburst winds in portions of Denver, Larimer and Weld Counties. In Gill, a barn and farmhouse were damaged. A large tree was blown down near Galeton. Two airmen received minor injuries when they were struck by lightning at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora. A church in Fort Morgan was also struck by lightning.
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 29, 11:15 AM MST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1215 PM MDT WED JUN 29 2011 CORRECTED TO REMOVE WILLIAMS FORK FROM FLOOD ADVISORIES. .UPDATE...FORECAST RIGHT ON TRACK WITH EXPECTED HIGH BASED CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. CURRENT STAPLETON SOUNDING SHOWS AIRMASS WILL LIKELY BECOME WELL MIXED TO ABOUT 550 MB...AND GPS INTEGRATED PRECIPITABLE WATER IS UP TO 0.60 TO 0.70 INCH. LATEST MODELS RUNS HAVE APPROPRIATELY BACKED OFF PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES SLIGHTLY...BUT SHOULD STILL BE ABLE TO REACH 0.80 TO 0.90 BY EVENING AS PLUME OF MID/UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO SPREAD NORTHEAST ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. MIGHT HAVE TO INCREASE SHOWER/STORM COVERAGE SLIGHTLY BASED ON THIS. OTHERWISE NO CHANGES REQUIRED. && .AVIATION...LATEST HRRR AND RUC13 SHOW CONVECTION FIRING UP BY 22Z AND TEMPS ALREADY WARMING QUICKLY ENOUGH TO SUPPORT THAT AS THE START TIME OF CONVECTION. GUSTS TO 35 KNOTS MOST LIKELY IN/NEAR ANY SHOWERS/STORMS AND TEMPO GROUP FOR THAT IS GOOD. MAX GUSTS POSSIBLE WOULD BE NEAR 45 KNOTS BASED ON DRY ADIABATIC MIXING TO AROUND 550 MB...WHICH MAY CAUSE LANDING/TAKEOFF DELAYS. CHANCE OF THOSE STRONGER GUSTS IS NEAR 20 PERCENT. && .HYDROLOGY...UPDATED TO EXTEND ADVISORIES ON THE CACHE LA POUDRE. ADVISORIES FOR JACKSON COUNTY RIVERS AND WILLIAMS FORK ALSO CANCELLED. BIG THOMPSON RIVER THROUGH ESTES PARK THROUGH NOON THURSDAY. CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER AT THE CANYON MOUTH UNTIL SATURDAY AFTERNOON. CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER NEAR GREELEY UNTIL MONDAY AFTERNOON. COLORADO RIVER IN GRAND COUNTY UNTIL SATURDAY AFTERNOON. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 250 AM MDT WED JUN 29 2011/ SHORT TERM...THE BROAD RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT A BIT EASTWARD INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS BY LATER TODAY AS THE CLOSED LOW OFF THE CA COAST MOVES INLAND. THIS WILL RESULT IN THE FLOW ALOFT SHIFTING MORE SOUTHWESTERLY AND ENTRAIN MORE MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE INTO COLORADO. EVEN AT THIS HOUR...THERE ARE SOME SHOWERS AND A FEW LIGHTNING STRIKES ACROSS WESTERN COLORADO. INTEGRATED PRECIPITABLE WATER TRENDS FROM GPS INDICATE NEUTRAL TRENDS OVER THE PAST 6 HOURS OVER THE FRONT RANGE BUT THERE HAS BEEN SOME INCREASE OVER WESTERN CO DURING THE PAST 24 HOURS. FORECAST SOUNDINGS FROM BOTH GFS/NAM HAVE PRECIPITABLE WATER AMOUNTS CLOSING IN ON ONE INCH BY 00Z TONIGHT. SEEMS LIKE THIS MIGHT A BIT OVERDONE BUT THE TREND OF INCREASING MOISTURE SEEMS REASONABLE. SOUNDINGS INDICATE MOST OF THE MOISTURE WILL BE ABOVE 550MB WITH INVERTED V TYPE SOUNDINGS WITH DRY LOW LEVELS. SO THE MAIN THREAT WITH SHOWERS TODAY WILL BE GUSTY WINDS AND BRIEF RAIN. IF THE MOISTURE SOUPS UP ENOUGH AS THE MODELS INDICATE MAY SEE SOME BRIEF HEAVY RAINERS WITH AMOUNTS STILL UNDER A QUARTER OF AN INCH ON THE EXTREME END WITH THE STRONGER SHOWERS. WILL NUDGE POPS UPWARDS ANOTHER 10 PERCENT OVER LOWER ELEVATIONS AS BOTH NAM/GFS DO SHOW SOME LIGHT QPF OVER THE FRONT RANGE BY LATER TODAY. IT IS CURIOUS THAT SREF HAS BEEN SHOWING HIGHER POPS OF 50-70 IN THE LAST FEW RUNS FOR THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. ANOTHER HOT DAY IN STORE ACROSS LOWER ELEVATIONS AND EXPECT TEMPERATURE EVEN A FEW DEGREES HIGHER THAN TUESDAY READINGS. THIS SHOULD PUT DENVER AROUND 98 DEGREES AND WOULDN'T RULE OUT A FEW STATIONS BUMPING THE 100 DEGREE MARK. THE RECORD TODAY IS 102 AT DENVER SO DON'T THINK WE'LL BREAK THAT. GFS MOS SHOWING 101 TODAY BUT THINK THERE WILL BE MORE CLOUD COVER THAT WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES IN THE UPPER 90S IN MOST LOCALES. LONG TERM...THE PRECIPITATION MINIMA TYPICALLY OBSERVED ALONG THE FRONT RANGE IN LATE JUNE CONTINUES AS ADVERTISED. PERHAPS THERE/S AN END TO THIS DRY SPELL NOT TOO FAR OFF. FOR NOW...ATTENTION IS ON THE RATHER POTENT MID-LEVEL CIRCULATION/SHORTWAVE TROUGH...FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR...MOVING THROUGH THE GREAT BASIN AND NRN ROCKIES TODAY AND TONIGHT. MODELS ARE IN GENERALLY GOOD AGREEMENT AS THEY SHOW THIS SYSTEM PASSING THROUGH THE AREA ON THURSDAY. THE NAM APPEARS A BIT SLOWER AND DEEPER WITH THIS SYSTEM AND ALL MODELS SHOW MOST OF THE LIFT...MOISTURE AND DEEP LAYER INSTABILITY PASSING OVER WYOMING. MODELS ALSO SHOW A RIBBON OF MID/HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE STREAMING N-NEWRD ACROSS COLORADO ON THURSDAY AHEAD OF THE 500MB TROUGH. IT ALL LOOKS A LITTLE MONSOONISH...HOWEVER MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW THE BULK OF THIS MOISTURE ABOVE 500 MBS. THEREFORE THE FRONT RANGE AND NERN PLAINS SHOULD GENERALLY STAY DRY AND WITH SLIGHT COOLING ALOFT DO NOT SEE MUCH MORE THAN A 2-3 DEG C DIP IN SFC TEMPS ON THURSDAY. SHOULD ALSO SEE SFC WINDS INCREASING THROUGH THE DAY AS THE TROUGH PASSES BY. COULD SEE WEST/SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS GUSTING 20-30KTS ALONG AND EAST OF THE FRONT RANGE BY AFTERNOON..IF NOT EARLIER. THE POSSIBILITY OF LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES AND THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE GOOD REASONS FOR THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH THURSDAY AFTERNOON/ EVENING FOR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS...SOUTH PARK AND PALMER DIVIDE INCLUDING LINCOLN COUNTY. SHOULD FUELS DRY OUT MORE THAN EXPECTED IN THE DENVER AREA AS WELL ZONES 45 AND 49 IN THE NEXT 24 HOURS...COULD SEE THESE AREAS ADDED TO THE WATCH...IF NOT A WARNING. LOW POPS NOW IN THE FORECAST FOR THURSDAY LOOK OKAY...HOWEVER REALLY NOT EXPECTED MUCH MORE THAN SPRINKLES AND GUSTY DOWNBURST WINDS FROM HIGH BASED CONVECTION ACCORDING THE MODEL SOUNDINGS. ENOUGH QUESTIONS REMAIN TO DELAY UPGRADING THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH TO A RED FLAG WARNING AT THIS TIME. BY FRIDAY...TROUGH MOVES OUT AND DRIER...SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR MOVES IN ON LIGHTER ZONAL FLOW ALOFT. SHOULD WE SEE ANY PRECIP ON FRIDAY...IT/LL BE LATE AND CONFINED TO THE FOOTHILLS AND FAR ERN PLAINS WHERE HIGHER DEWPOINTS/CAPES WILL RESIDE. AGAIN MAIN THREAT FM HIGH BASED CONVECTION WILL BE GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS AND LIGHTNING. PRETTY MUCH SEE A REPEAT OF THIS WEATHER THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEKEND BUT ONLY SLIGHTLY WARMER EACH DAY AS THE UPPER RIDGE SLOWLY BUILDS OVER THE REGION. PERHAPS COULD SEE A RETURN TO MID/UPPER 90S ON THE PLAINS THIS WEEKEND. VERY WARM DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME TEMPS WILL CONTINUE TO MELT THE LAST OF THE SNOW PACK IN THE HIGH COUNTRY...BUT DO NOT SEE MUCH OF A THREAT FOR NEW FLOODING. BY NEXT WEEK...MANY FACTORS POINT TO THE BEGINNING OF THE SUMMER MONSOON IN THE SOUTHWEST. STRONG HEATING AND RIDGING OVER THE SOUTH/SOUTHWEST...INCREASING SOUTHERLY LOW-LEVEL FLOW AND RISING PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES POINT TO A START IN ARIZONA AND NEW MEXICO. MODELS SOUNDING INDICATE A GRADUAL INCREASE IN ATMOSPHERE MOISTURE UP OUR WAY NEXT WEEK WITH VALUES CLIMBING ABOVE AN INCH TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY. MOST OF THIS MOISTURE APPEARS TO RESIDE UP HIGH. BUT SHOULD WE SEE MORE OF A SELY LOW-LEVEL FLOW ON THE PLAINS...THIS INFLUX IN SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE COULD EQUATE TO MORE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. FOR NOW WILL GO WITH LOW POPS EACH DAY BUT CHANCES ARE THAT WILL CHANGE. SEE TEMPERATURES NEXT WEEK AT OR SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE. AVIATION...DECENT DRAINAGE WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 15Z OR SO BEFORE SHIFTING SOUTHEASTERLY IN THE AFTERNOON. SOME HIGH BASED SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TODAY BETWEEN 21-03Z WITH GUSTY AND VARIABLE WINDS TO 35KT THE MAIN THREAT. CLOUD BASES SHOULD REMAIN ABOVE 9000 FEET AGL SO VFR CONDITIONS TO REMAIN. HYDROLOGY...ISOLATED SHOWERS OR THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE FOOTHILLS FROM 21Z-03Z. RAINFALL AMOUNTS WILL BE LESS THAN ONE QUARTER INCH. MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AREAS SHOULD CONTINUE ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER IN GRAND COUNTY...MICHIGAN RIVER IN JACKSON COUNTY...AND THE CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER IN EASTERN LARIMER AND WESTERN WELD COUNTIES THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY. WATER LEVELS ON THE BIG THOMPSON RIVER THROUGH ESTES PARK SHOULD ALSO REMAIN HIGH THROUGH THURSDAY WITH THE ANTICIPATED UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES. TEMPERATURES ABOVE 9000 FEET WILL REACH INTO THE UPPER 60S AND 70S TODAY...AND MOSTLY 60S THURSDAY...AND SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN THAT ON FRIDAY. LOW TEMPERATURES IN THE HIGH COUNTRY WILL REMAIN MOSTLY IN THE MID 30S TO NEAR 50 RANGE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. THIS SHOULD CONTINUE THE RAPID SNOWMELT. FORTUNATELY MOST TO THE HIGH COUNTRY SNOWPACK HAS ALREADY MELTED OFF. HOWEVER RESERVOIR RELEASES MAY RESULT IN INCREASED FLOWS SUCH AS ON THE WILLIAMS FORK BELOW WILLIAMS FORK RESERVOIR IN GRAND COUNTY FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. THE SLIGHT COOLING MENTIONED ABOVE MAY SLOW THE MELT DOWN OF THE SNOWPACK...THEREFORE WATER LEVELS ON RIVERS WILL SLOWLY SUBSIDE THROUGH THE WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS SIGNIFICANT PRECIPITATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED DURING THE PERIOD. FLOOD ADVISORIES... .RIVERS IN JACKSON COUNTY UNTIL 215 PM WEDNESDAY. .BIG THOMPSON RIVER THROUGH ESTES PARK THROUGH NOON THURSDAY. .CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER AT THE CANYON MOUTH UNTIL WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. .CACHE LA POUDRE RIVER NEAR GREELEY UNTIL WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. .WILLIAMS FORK BELOW WILLIAMS FORK RESERVOIR UNTIL THURSDAY AFTERNOON. .COLORADO RIVER IN GRAND COUNTY UNTIL SATURDAY AFTERNOON. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM THURSDAY MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING FOR COZ214>216-241-246-247. && UPDATES...BARJENBRUCH SHORT TERM...BAKER LONG TERM....ENTREKIN AVIATION...BAKER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1038 AM MDT WED JUN 29 2011 COZ030>051-301200- 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- 1038 AM MDT WED JUN 29 2011 ...FIRE WEATHER WATCH FOR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS...PARK COUNTY... AND PALMER DIVIDE FROM 11 AM MDT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THURSDAY... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ANOTHER HOT DAY IS IN STORE ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES REACHING THE 95 TO 100 DEGREE RANGE ACROSS MOST OF THE PLAINS. HIGHER MOISTURE LEVELS TODAY WILL ALSO LEAD TO A SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS BY LATE AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THE STORMS WILL BE GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH AND BRIEF RAIN. SEVERE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TODAY. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE FORECAST AREA WILL BRING THE VERY WARM TEMPERATURES...WITH DAYTIME HEATING RESULTING IN THE LATE DAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY ISOLATED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS LATE THIS WEEK AND OVER THE WEEKEND ARE EXPECTED TO PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS BUT LITTLE RAINFALL. HOWEVER...LATE DAY AND EVENING STORMS OVER THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE COULD MANAGE TO PRODUCE HAIL UP TO AN INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS OVER 50 MPH. THE GUSTY WINDS AND WARM TEMPERATURES ON THURSDAY MAY PRODUCE DANGEROUS FIRE BEHAVIOR CONDITIONS ACROSS THE AREA IN THE AFTERNOON. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH HAS BEEN POSTED IN PARK COUNTY...THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND OVER THE PALMER DIVIDE. BY EARLY NEXT WEEK THE CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORMS WITH APPRECIABLE RAIN WILL BEGIN INCREASING AS SOUTHERLY FLOW OVER THE STATE BRINGS MORE MOISTURE TO THE REGION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. BARJENBRUCH/DANKERS
The Cheyenne radar (KCYS), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:59 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind, 2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Microburst winds downed a large tree near Galeton. The tree fell near the intersection of Colorado 392 and Weld County Road 51, blocking traffic for a short time.
Intense microburst winds caused significant damage to a barn and farmhouse. The wind tore the roof off the barn, throwing large pieces of sheet metal across a nearby road. It may have also lifted the roof off the farmhouse and set it back down.
Two airmen from the Colorado National Guard recieved minor injuries when they were struck by lightning. They were struck while on duty at a flight line at Buckely Air Force Base.
Lightning struck the top of the bell tower at a church in town causing minor damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, June 2011
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: 319073, 319075, 319068, 317621, 317622, 319076.