Lightning in Colorado
Every lightning event the National Weather Service has filed in Colorado, year by year, with the most significant episodes. A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
The most significant on the map
The most significant lightning episodes in Colorado.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 475
- Deaths
- 50
- Injuries
- 308
- Damage
- $12 million
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Hail and Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 24, 2008Two graduate students at Colorado State University were struck by lightning while standing under a tree. One man was killed instantly, the other died of his injuries a week later.
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 31, 2003The two victims had been riding horses in a remote area of Battlement Mesa when the storm arrived. They sought shelter under a tree which was struck by lightning. The surviving horses which were not under the tree did not get struck by lightning.
- Flash Flood and Hail in Colorado, May 8, 2017Severe thunderstorm broke out across Denver and the surrounding metro area and produced large damaging hail, strong winds, heavy rain and flash flooding.
- Tornado and Hail in Colorado, June 7 to 12, 1997Lightning injured a man while talking on the telephone. The bolt passed through the phone line burning his ear. He received minor injuries.
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Colorado, July 12, 2000Heavy rain fell across a portion of the Hi Meadow burn area near Buffalo Creek, causing localized flash flooding. Approximately three quarters of an inch /0.75/ of rain fell in 30 minutes across Miller Gulch. Some culverts became plugged by debris from the fire.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Colorado, May 26, 2010Severe thunderstorms pounded parts the Urban Corridor and Northeast Plains with very large hail, damaging wind and tornadoes. The hail, ranging from golfball to baseball size, hit northeast Denver, Brighton and Commerce City the hardest.
- Tornado and Flash Flood in Colorado, July 30, 1997Heavy rain and hail triggered a flash flood which sent a wall of water through the window of the financial aid office at the University of Colorado campus.
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Colorado, June 6, 2012Severe thunderstorms broke late in the evening, striking areas hardest from Denver southward. Locations impacted by the storms included but were not limited to: Aurora, Castle Rock, Centennial, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker, Surrey Ridge.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Colorado, May 25, 2024Thunderstorms moved across the mountains and plains producing gusty winds up to 65 mph, though mostly less than 55 mph. A lightning strike killed a 51 year old man while he was feeding his herd. In addition, 34 cattle were killed as well.
- Flash Flooding and Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 12, 2014One man was killed, and four others injured, when they were struck by lightning in Rocky Mountain National Park. The incident occurred near Rainbow Curve along Trail Ridge Road, not far from where another woman was struck and killed by lightning approximately 26 hours earlier.
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 8, 1997One construction worker was killed, two others injured, when a strong wind gust caused the scaffolding they were standing on to collapse.
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 11, 2014One woman was killed and seven others injured by a lightning strike in Rocky Mountain National Park; she was the first lightning fatality in the park since 2000.
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Colorado, August 11, 1997Large hail, strong winds and torrential rain hammered portions of Lakewood and South Denver. Nearly 1 inch of rain fell in the span of 10 minutes in South Denver with a storm total of 1.81 inches reported.
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Colorado, May 30 to 31, 2001Four soldiers on Fort Carson were struck by lightning. Three were taken to area hospitals, treated and released. The other remained in a coma for three weeks, and died of his injuries on June 20th.
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, May 29, 2004A father and son practicing on the driving range at the Meadows Golf Club were were struck by lightning. The father was killed by the bolt and his 16-yr old was son seriously injured. Three others standing nearby received only minor injuries.
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, August 1, 2004Lightning killed a woman as she was hiking in French Gulch near Breckenridge. Four other people hiking with the woman were knocked down but suffered only minor injuries.
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, September 23, 1998Terry Hendricks, 32, died and three others were injured while working at a hog farm when lightning struck. Hendricks was carrying a metal object when the lightning struck and died at the scene.
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, September 2, 2007Four people seeking shelter in a tent on a ridge along Gold Camp Road in western El Paso county were struck by lightning. One fatality occurred, and the three other people were injured.
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 17, 2015Lightning struck four people on the Denny Creek Trail above timberline. One woman perished.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Colorado, August 19, 2016In Larimer County, a man was struck by lightning while talking on his cell phone. He was standing outside a cabin between two 60-feet-tall trees when he was struck.
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 21, 1999Lightning killed a 35-yr old man and seriously injured his wife and young daughter. The family was hiking near the Gore Range Overlook along Trail Ridge Road when the thunderstorm developed, at an elevation of 11,700 feet.
- Lightning Strike in Colorado, August 7, 1999Lightning killed one hiker and injured two others, while they were hiking a remote drainage in Rocky Mountain National Park.
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Colorado, May 7, 2017In Sedalia, a 37-year-old woman and her horse were killed after lightning hit a nearby tree. A teenage girl was also seriously injured. Damaging microburst winds downed trees and power poles across parts of Adams, Arapahoe, Denver and Douglas Counties.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Colorado, July 20, 2000Lightning struck a residence and caused a small fire on the roof and into the attic. The smoke and water damage was contained to the attic and roof.
- Hail and Lightning Strike in Colorado, June 14, 1999Damage from several hailstorms that struck areas in and near the Denver Metropolitan area from June 11th-14th totalled $35 million. Approximately $17.5 million was from automobile claims , with another $17.5 million in homeowner claims.
More
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.