Power Outage in Fort Collins, CO

Heavy rain, ranging from 6 to 12 inches through the storm event caused widespread flooding, including the entire drainage systems of the Big Thompson and Cache La Poudre Rivers. Some of the hardest hit communities included: Estes Park, Drake, Glen Haven, High Park burn area and Loveland. Most of the parks, trails and open spaces in Larimer County suffered some degree of damage. Dams in the Big Elk Meadows area failed which drained into the Little Thompson River. Multiple structures were reportedly damaged, with several rescues from the flood and infrastructure damage. Power lines were also downed. Road closure included U.S. 36, from Estes Park to CO66. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents along the Big Thompson River on the west side of Loveland. The county experienced issues with water and wastewater plants due to flooding. In Fort Collins, an estimated 20 businesses and 10 homes were damaged by floodwaters. ||Preliminary damage estimates included $89 million to roads and bridges throughout the county. In addition, damage to the sewer system in Estes Park could total more than $20 million. At least 1,700 homes were destroyed in Larimer County, and an estimated 16,300 dwellings were damaged throughout the flood zone.

Heavy rain, ranging from 6 to 12 inches through the storm event caused widespread flooding, including the entire drainage systems of the Big Thompson and Cache La Poudre Rivers. Some of the hardest hit communities included: Estes Park, Drake, Glen Haven, High Park burn area and Loveland. Most of the parks, trails and open spaces in Larimer County suffered some degree of damage. Dams in the Big Elk Meadows area failed which drained into the Little Thompson River. Multiple structures were reportedly damaged, with several rescues from the flood and infrastructure damage. Power lines were also downed. Road closure included U.S. 36, from Estes Park to CO66. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for residents along the Big Thompson River on the west side of Loveland. The county experienced issues with water and wastewater plants due to flooding. In Fort Collins, an estimated 20 businesses and 10 homes were damaged by floodwaters. ||Preliminary damage estimates included $89 million to roads and bridges throughout the county. In addition, damage to the sewer system in Estes Park could total more than $20 million. At least 1,700 homes were destroyed in Larimer County, and an estimated 16,300 dwellings were damaged throughout the flood zone.

Strong winds associated with a severe thunderstorm knocked down power lines.

A powerful tornado continued into Larimer County. A barn and two out buildings were destroyed near Timnath. A center pivot was overturned and a parked car was swept around the corner of a house and rolled over. The tornado finally lifted 6 miles west-northwest of Wellington.

Severe thunderstorms produced intense wind gusts across portions of Grand, Jackson, Larimer, Weld, and Washington counties. Peak wind gusts ranged from 60 to 80 mph. The most extensive damage occurred in Weld County, where several power poles were downed and buildings damaged.

A strong storm system moved across the area the afternoon of the 8th into the morning of the 9th. This system produced severe thunderstorms and high winds, across northeast Colorado, with snow across the mountains, valley areas and higher foothills. In addition rainfall amounts of 1 to 2 inches occurred across the plains. Storm totals included: 15 inches, 9 miles south-southeast of Gould and 7 miles northwest of Red Feather Lakes; 11 inches near Cameron Pass; with 4 to 10 inches elsewhere. Strong northwest winds developed across the northeast plains on the evening of the 8th into the early morning hours of the 9th, with peak gusts from 58 to 71 mph. ||Severe thunderstorms on the evening of the 8th, produced powerful and destructive wind gusts along with nickel to quarter size hail, over portions of northeast Colorado. Peak wind gusts up to 80 mph occurred, with localized gusts from 100 to 113 mph, in and near Akron. The swath of damaging winds extended from central Washington County into Logan County and across western areas of Phillips and Sedgwick counties. Widespread crop and property damage was observed.

Severe thunderstorms produced large hail, torrential rainfall and quarter size hail across parts of Larimer, Lincoln and Weld counties. The combination of heavy rain and hail overwhelmed the drainage system in Evans, and produced widespread street flooding. Nearly 2.4 inches of rain fell in less than 45 minutes. Greeley Public Works briefly closed the roadway near Centerplace and 47th Avenue due to high water. In Weld County, straight-line winds tore the roof off a large outbuilding and caved in an exterior wall. Farm equipment inside the structure was damaged in addition to nearby crops. According to Xcel Energy, about 5,000 customers were without power in the Greeley, Evans and LaSalle areas for nearly two hours. Strong winds and large hail struck between Keenseburg and Roggen. One farmstead reported their crops were completely flattened. In addition, sixty-six head of cattle were injured and later euthanized. Intense straight-line winds also uprooted trees and downed power lines in Lincoln County, near Punkin Center and along CO 71 north of Limon.

Powerful thunderstorms fired up along the Urban Corridor and produced damaging hail, strong outflow winds, heavy rain and lightning. Golf-ball size hail in Highlands Ranch caused extensive damage including broken windows on homes and windshields on vehicles. Heavy rainfall, over one inch in less than one hour produced street flooding as well.

Severe thunderstorms developed over the Front Range Foothill of Boulder, Larimer and Gilpin Counties; then spread east into the Urban Corridor and adjacent plains. Large hail, ranging from quarter to golfball size, was reported. In addition, damaging thunderstorm|winds snapped large branches and knocked down power lines.

Severe thunderstorms, producing hail from quarter to golfball size and damaging winds, swept across parts of Adams, Jefferson, Larimer, Morgan and Weld Counties. The hail was reportedly 5 inches deep in parts of Fort Collins. Several power poles and fences were damaged by wind in western Greeley. An estimated 5,400 residents lost power for about 90 minutes.

A severe thunderstorm caused minor tree damage and knocked down a power line in and around Berthoud. Lightning also sparked a fire to a home in Loveland causing extensive damage.

A severe thunderstorm produced damaging winds, large hail and very heavy rain across the western and southern suburbs of Denver. Widespread damage was observed in the cities of Arvada, Wheat Ridge and Lakewood. The intense straightline winds were the result of a wet microburst which downed hundreds of trees and snapped power poles. Winds gusts to 80 mph were reported along with nickel to golfball size hail. The combination of wind and hail produced widepread damage to homes and vehicles. The damage claim estimates totaled $350 million; about 32,900 claims were filed for homes, while another 19,500 claims were for vehicles. As many as 90,000 homes and businesses were left without power. In some areas it took up to 3 days to completely restore electrical service. Minor injuries were reported from broken glass during the storm, but no one was hospitalized. The storm crippled the computers at the Colorado Crime Information Center in Lakewood for nearly 3 hours. One weak tornado was also observed.||In Larimer and Weld Counties, severe thunderstorms produced widepread damage over approximately 150 square miles of farmland. In all, 400 farms were directly impacted by severe weather. Damage to crops alone was estimated to be around $4 million; most of the damage was observed in Weld County.

Severe thunderstorms produced damaging winds, large hail and flash flooding across parts of Larimer, Lincoln, Morgan and Washington Counties. Strong thunderstorm wind gusts to 83 mph were reported in Morgan County, near Brush. Several small trees and power lines were downed. The wind downed a power pole during a rodeo, forcing the evacuation of the fairgrounds for the first time in its history. Large hail up to the size of quarters was also observed. Rainfall of 2.61 inches was measured just west of Brush, most of which fell in less than 45 minutes. ||In addition, heavy rain caused flash flooding along and south of a line extending from Brush to around Midway, west of Akron. Floodwaters up to 1 foot in depth inundated streets and yards around Brush. Some houses, small businesses, and the hospital in Brush were flooded. Several patients had to be moved to the inner hallways of the building. High water forced the closure of State Highway 34, between Brush and Akron. Heavy rain also caused flash flooding over northern Lincoln County. State Highway 71, north of Limon, was covered in 2 to 3 feet of water; and several county roads were flooded.

A powerful tornado swept north-northwestward across Weld County, carving a path of destruction, nearly 39 miles in length. The tornado, up to one-mile wide at times, initially touched down northeast of Platteville and finally lifted 6 miles west-northwest of Wellington. A tornado assessment in the aftermath of the tornado revealed extensive areas of damage. On the enhanced Fujita Scale there were pockets of EF3 damage, mainly near the Missile Silo Park Campground, and to businesses and home in eastern Windsor. Farmers also reported extensive damage to crops and irrigation equipment. ||There was one fatality, and 78 injuries ranging from broken bones to minor cuts and lacerations. One man was killed when he tried to escape a trailer park in his motor home. Tractor trailers were flipped along U.S. Highway 85, and over 200 power poles were snapped or blown down. Approximately 60,000 people were left without electricity. The tornado overturned 15 railroad cars and destroyed a lumber car on the Great Western Railway of Colorado. The tornado also flattened Windsor's main feedlot and destroyed a dairy barn. Most of the four-hundred cows were killed in the tornado or destroyed later. In addition to the damaging winds, the thunderstorm also produced hail up to the size of baseballs. ||Another tornado rated an EF1, from a separate severe thunderstorm, briefly touched down near Dacono and destroyed 5 buildings. The tornado overturned a five-wheel trailer and injured the man who was sitting inside. ||Preliminary estimates from FEMA indicated 850 homes were damaged, and nearly 300 homes were significantly damaged or destroyed. The Poudre Valley Rural Electric Association reported $1 million of damage to electric transmission lines. Privately insured damages totaled $147 million, making it the state's 4th costliest disaster.

Heavy rain caused flash flooding in the Fort Collins and Wellington areas. Nearly 5 inches of rain fell in Fort Collins, which triggered flash flooding along Fossil Creek. Extensive street flooding was western and southern portions of the city, along with scattered power outages. Six to eight residences were flooded in the Park Lane Mobile Home Park, off Interstate 25 and State Highway 14. Thirty of the 60 homes in the mobile home park were affected, forcing the evacuation of several families. Areas of the park were inundated with up to two feet of water. ||Major flooding was also reported at the Colorado State University Campus. Officials at C.S.U. reported minor flood damage to 18 buildings, ranging from wet carpet and ceiling tiles to soaked walls. Minor flood damage was also reported at Fort Collins City Hall, an old police station, an administrative building and a local television state. Up to a dozen residences had their basements flooded. Several cars were stalled in flooded streets and intersections. In Wellington, a trained spotter reported standing water up to waist deep in spots.

A mixture of a strong gradient wind, coupled with thunderstorm outflow winds, swept across parts of North-Central and Northeast Colorado during the afternoon. The strong wind downed power lines and knocked out electricity to approximately 19,000 customers on the east side of the Denver area. Peak wind reports from around the region included: 70 mph (61 kts) in Greeley, 68 mph (59 kts) in Longmont, 67 mph (58 kts), 12 miles northeast of Kiowa, 64 mph (56 kts), at Cheesman and 4 miles northwest of Masonville, 61 mph (53 kts), 3 miles northeast of Castle Rock and 11 miles north-northeast of Kremmling, 60 mph (52 kts) at Limon and 59 mph (51 kts) at Centenniel Airport.

Several thunderstorms producing large hail and destructive thunderstorm winds rumbled across the northeast plains of Colorado. Large hail was reported near Fort Collins, Longmont, Loveland, Greeley, Hugo and Boyero. Several homes and vehicles sustained damage. Thunderstorms wind ranging from 80 mph to 94 mph (82 kts) caused substantial damage across portions of southern Weld and Morgan County. The winds uprooted trees and downed several utility poles; causing scattered power outages. In Morgan County, between Weldona and Orchard, severe thunderstorm winds destroyed a barn, blew over 4 vehicles and a vacant mobile home. Two dairies received significant structural damage. Five miles northeast of Orchard, near Jackson Reservir, a grain silo and barn were also destroyed.