Colorado
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Douglas, Elbert, El Paso
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June 11, 2013
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Wildfire
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2
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$367,633,000.00
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$293,000,000.00
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The Black Forest Fire ignited during moderate drought conditions, on a red-flag-warning day where temperatures were in the 90s F and relative humidity was below 10%. It rapidly spread through densely forested suburban neighborhoods, destroying 511 homes in all, and burning over 14,000 acres. The second most destructive wildfire in Colorado history in terms of homes lost, behind the Marshall Fire in 2021.
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Colorado
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Larimer, Logan
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Fort Collins, Sterling
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July 27, 1997
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Flood
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5
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$364,232,000.00
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$200,000,000.00
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Two consecutive days of heavy convective precipitation in and near Fort Collins; on the 28th, over 10" fell in 6 hours in the Spring Creek watershed on the west side of Fort Collins. The resulting flash flood on Spring Creek heavily damaged Colorado State University and residential areas, and caused 5 fatalities. The following day, 13" fell on Pawnee Creek near Sterling, causing damaging flash flooding there.
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Utah
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Kane, Washington
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January 08, 2005
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Flood
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1
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$336,747,000.00
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$225,000,000.00
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After six years of drought, the Virgin River basin experienced heavy rain in October 2004, resulting in minor flooding and saturating the soil heading into the winter. During January 8th - 12th a Pacific storm system produced between 0.7" and 7.7" of rain on soil that was highly saturated, resulting in significant flooding. Damages included 30 homes destroyed and 20 more significantly damaged.
"In 2005, 12 inches of precipitation fell in a 48-hour period over southwest Utah. Record flows of over 6,000 cubic feet per second on the Santa Clara River destroyed over 28 homes adjacent to the river. Homes along the river had been built on river sediments deposited from earlier flooding. When this storm occurred, the sediments that the homes had been built on quickly eroded. The Upper Still Reservoir was also damaged by the flood and had to be drained for repairs to take place. Early estimates from Washington County placed the total damage of the devastating floods that occurred during the second week of January 2005 at roughly $150 to $180 million, with another $100 million possibly needed for river reclamation efforts. The raging waters of the Santa Clara River, and to a lesser extent the Virgin River, reached flows not seen in this part of the country since floods carried away several settlements and settlers during the winter of 1862." - National Weather Service
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Wyoming
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Park
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July 01, 1988
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Wildfire, High Wind
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2
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$296,496,000.00
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$120,000,000.00
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In 1988, Yellowstone National Park recorded almost no rain during the summer months. During the later half of summer, several smaller fires were started by lightning. High winds and dry conditions caused the fires to rapidly spread and merge. Before a cold front helped contain the fires, 9,000 firefighters, and 100 engines were mobilized to fight the blazes. Before containment, the complex burned 793,880 acres (36% of the park) and cost $120,000,000 in supression efforts. The fire destroyed 67 buildings along with backcountry and frontcountry infrastructure. The fires had far-reaching ecological impacts which have been the subject of numerous studies.
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Colorado
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Boulder
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Salina, Gold Hill
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September 06, 2010
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Wildfire
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$287,331,000.00
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$214,352,000.00
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The Fourmile Canyon Fire started after a month of extremely dry conditions, on a day with unusually strong winds for early September. Most of the 169 homes destroyed were burned on the first day of spread. About 6,500 acres were burned, and the city of Boulder itself was at risk on September 10.
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Wyoming
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Campbell, Sheridan, Park, Crook, Big Horn
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Wright, Sundance
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April 25, 1984
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Winter Storm, High Wind
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2
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$281,324,000.00
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$100,000,000.00
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2' to 3' of spring snow fell along with 65 mph winds, causing 15-20' drifts. The storm occurred during spring calving and lambing season, causing the loss of more than 200,000 sheep and cattle. High winds and the weight of snow on structures caused significant economic damage.
"From April 25-27, 1984, the worst late spring blizzard ever to hit Wyoming battered the northern part of the state for three days. The northeast section was the hardest hit as snowfalls of 2 to 3 feet were whipped into 15 to 20 foot drifts by 65 mph winds. A rancher near Wright and one near Sundance died of exposure as they were stranded while hauling hay to their livestock. All of northeast Wyoming was effectively shut down for two days. Major damage occurred to the livestock industry as more than 200,000 sheep and cattle perished in the storm. Some ranchers lost up to 95 percent of their sheep, and up to 50 percent of their cattle. Contributing factors to the very high losses were: a large number of the sheep had recently been shorn; the livestock were well into the spring lambing and calving season; and finally, the storm started as cold rain that changed to wet snow which stuck to everything. In addition, the weight of the record-breaking snow damaged many roofs, and high winds of 50 to 65 mph blew down quite a few structures. Total economic loss was estimated at more than $100 million. The storm is the costliest in Wyoming’s history." - WY Hazard Mitigation Plan 2021-2026
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Colorado
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Boulder, Jefferson, Denver, Arapahoe, Douglas
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September 29, 2014
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Hail
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$262,989,000.00
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$213,000,000.00
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Part of NCDC's billion-dollar disaster list. Estimated to be the eighth-most costly hailstorm in Colorado history.
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Colorado
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Larimer
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Windsor
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May 22, 2008
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Tornado
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1
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$262,696,000.00
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$193,500,000.00
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"A powerful tornado swept north-northwestward across Weld County and into Larimer 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 homes in eastern Windsor.
There was one fatality, and 78 injuries. One man was killed when he tried to escape the trailer park in his motor home. Preliminary estimates from FEMA indicated 850 homes were damaged, and nearly 300 homes were significantly damaged or destroyed. Privately insured damages totaled $147 million, and the Poudre Valley Rural Electric Associated reported $1 million of damage to electric transmission lines." - NWS
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Colorado
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Teller, El Paso
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Colorado Springs
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August 06, 2018
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Hail
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$201,377,000.00
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$173,000,000.00
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"A very strong severe thunderstorm develop over Teller County during the afternoon of August 6th, 2018, then traveled southeast over the Highway 24 corridor, reaching the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The severe thunderstorm dropped 3 - 4" hailstones over the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and southern Colorado Springs. The estimated damage caused by this event was $173 million. A good overview of the injuries at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo can be found here. Follow this link for a meteorological write-up of the event: https://www.weather.gov/pub/20180806_ElPasoHail" - National Weather Service
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Utah
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Statewide
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January 01, 1977
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Drought
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$197,758,000.00
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$41,000,000.00
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Drought forced 36% of municipal water suppliers to raise water rates in an effort to increase conservation. In 1977, crop losses in hardest-hit areas ranged from 40-100%. The 1976-77 winter snowpack was limited, causing economic hardship for the ski industry. The statewide summer Palmer Drought Index was -5.3, the 3rd lowest on record.
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