Hail — Arapahoe, Colorado

2012-06-07 · near Byers, Arapahoe, Colorado

Wider weather episode

Severe thunderstorms brought damaging wind and hail, heavy rain, along several tornadoes, one of which was rated an EF-2. The storms produced hail from 1.5 to 2.75 inches in diameter. In addition to the large hail, heavy rainfall from 1 to 2 inches also accompanied the storms. The combination of hail and heavy rain caused extensive street flooding across Aurora, Castle Rock, Centennial, Cherry Creek, Englewood, South Denver, Highlands Ranch, Lakewood and Littleton. The hail was reportedly knee deep in several areas making roads impassable. As a result, snow plows had to be summoned to clear the streets. In Castle Rock, a King Soopers supermarket sustained extensive damage when roof partially collapsed under the weight of the hail. Total property damage estimates along the Front Range for the 6th and 7th combined was 321.1 million dollars.

A tornado touched down in Elbert County Thursday evening, June 7th, producing considerable damage to homes and several farm buildings in south central Elbert County. The tornado was rated an EF-2 at it's strongest point near Elbert County Road 82 and just west of Elbert County Road 97. The tornado initially touched down approximately at County Road 101 about 1 mile north of County Road 90, and then traveled south-southwest into El Paso County. It was approximately one half mile wide at one point and produced a debris width of 1.5 miles. One minor injury occurred due to broken glass. Two other tornadoes touched down but did no damage. In Elbert County alone, at least 136 homes were damaged; 32 sustained moderate to severe damage.

Severe thunderstorms also produced large hail and damaging winds across parts of Larimer, Weld and Morgan Counties. In Weld County, a flash flood washed out a section of State Highway 392 just east of Lucerne. During the storm, a culvert underneath the road was washed out in addition to a section of the roadway, approximately a 30 foot by 30 foot section.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.7100, -104.2200)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 387832. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.