Why does colorado have thunderstorms

Privacy Policy. Colorado Lightning Statistics as compared to other States Weather. Current Hazards. Local Radar. Rivers and Lakes. Climate and Past Weather. Follow us on Twitter. Follow us on Facebook. Follow us on YouTube. You may have heard about the unfortunate incident last weekend, where lightning killed a hiker near Boulder. Colorado receives a lot of lightning strikes, and this fascinating map from a study led by NWSPueblo shows where they happen.

The most susceptible parts of the Denver metro area to lightning are the foothills west of the city, and the Palmer Divide to the south of it. In detail, the most lightning-hit areas include: Douglas, western Jefferson and parts of Arapahoe Counties in the Denver metro area. Measuring at 4. Hailstones can do tremendous damage to crops, either as large hailstones or as a large number of small hailstones accumulate to a depth of several inches.

If you find yourself outside in a hailstorm, the first thing you should do is immediately find cover however you can. Hailstones can fall to the ground at 40 to 60 mph and can be the size of tennis balls or softballs, and something of this magnitude flying toward the ground can cause injuries to humans and animals. Parking your car under some sort of cover will help minimize damage to your vehicle but hail is rather tough to predict, especially where the large, damaging hail will fall so being prepared for strong storms, in general, is the best way to offset any unexpected encounters.

Lightning usually kills and injures more people in Colorado than any other thunderstorm hazard. Looking at lightning data from the National Weather Service, from through , lightning has killed 99 people and injured people in Colorado.

Lightning also ignites most forest and rangeland fires in the Centennial State. Many of these wildfires occur when lightning is generated from thunderstorms which produce little or no rainfall. This type of lightning is referred to as dry lightning. The safest thing for you to do, if you are outside and lightning or thunder begins to occur, is to immediately get inside a substantial fully-enclosed building such as a house, a business or a church.

Metal-topped cars and trucks also offer excellent protection from lightning. Once inside, keep all windows and doors closed and do not touch any metal inside the vehicle. It is recommended that you wait at least 30 minutes from the last rumble of thunder before returning outside. As severe weather season continues, remember to take these threats seriously and always know the forecast before you go out to explore our wonderful state.