Thunder and lighting, followed by heavy rain and hail, swept through the Denver area Wednesday evening, flooding some streets and sending pedestrians scrambling for cover.
The National Weather Service, just after 6:30 p.m., issued a severe thunderstorm warning for western Arapahoe County and south and central Denver until 7:15 p.m.; a flash flood warning was issued for western Arapahoe County, Denver, northeastern Jefferson County and southwestern Adams County, until 9:45 p.m.
The brunt of the storm, at about 6:30 p.m., was over western Aurora, about eight miles southeast of Denver and moving northwest at about 5 mph, according to the weather service. Winds gusting to 60 mph and quarter size hail were part of the storm, which was damaging roofs, siding, trees and vehicles.
#Developing: Flash flood warning issued for metro-Denver. This is street flooding right now at 17th & Humboldt in Uptown. #cowx @DenverChannel @MikeNelson247 pic.twitter.com/cRJ441MhMt
— Russell Haythorn (@RussellHaythorn) August 22, 2019
Also at about 6:30 p.m., the storm had dumped up to 1.5 inches of rain in some areas. Flash flooding was expected in widespread metro areas.
Aurora police, at about 7 p.m., issued an accident alert for the city because of the severe weather. Drivers in minor traffic accidents, without injuries, can exchange insurance information and move on, following up with a police report. The accident alert was dropped a short time later.
In Lakewood, a lightning strike sparked a small roof fire on a home in the 6700 block of West Jewell Place, according to West Metro Fire Rescue. The fire was contained and extinguished. No one was home at the time of the strike.
A lightning strike sparked a small fire on the roof of this house in the 6700 block of West Jewell Place in Lakewood. The fire did not get inside the attic and was contained to the outside. No one was home at the time. pic.twitter.com/6rn1EAq7y3
— WestMetroFire (@WestMetroFire) August 22, 2019
At Red Rocks Amphitheater, the Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweaters concert was delayed by the inclement weather. The show started late, after the weather settled down, at 8:30 p.m.
The weather service warned drivers, and pedestrians, to avoid flooded areas and not go through standing pools of water.
Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Denver CO, Glendale CO until 6:45 PM MDT pic.twitter.com/8p19FNMNUp
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) August 22, 2019
Earlier in the day, the NWS issued a severe thunderstorm watch including Denver and parts of Wyoming, cautioning residents of the possibility of scattered lime-sized hail, destructive winds and frequent lightning.
Heavy rain and localized flash flooding are also potential hazards for an area possibly impacting 4.9 million people, 1,389 schools and 68 hospitals, according to the National Weather Service in Boulder.
Isolated wind gusts could reach 70 mph and scattered hail could be the size of limes, the NWS said.
A severe thunderstorm watch has been issued for parts of Colorado and Wyoming until 9 PM MDT pic.twitter.com/mtPEvCEQie
— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) August 21, 2019
It’s expected to be much cooler in Denver than it has been, with a high temperature of 84 degrees Wednesday, instead of the upper 90s Denver has reached the past couple of days. The chance for precipitation is 60 percent.
Thursday and Friday should be nearly identical with isolated afternoon rain showers and thunderstorms both days. Even the high temperature is expected to be identical, with highs of 88 degrees.
Denver will be back in the 90s under mostly sunny skies on the weekend with high temperatures of 94 degrees on Saturday and 96 on Sunday.
