Colorado Chronicles : Denver's 2009 Summer Storm

Almost a year ago to the day, the Metro Denver area suffered the second costliest storm in the history of the state of Colorado. The video and slideshow here give you an idea of what the residents in the path of the storm saw as they emerged from their homes in its aftermath. The weather system that spawned the storm brought with it golf ball sized hail and 60 mph winds that uprooted trees, snapped power poles and two tornadoes. The final tally of the damage? $350 million dollars. Coupled with a storm in June, 2009, the total damage to the Mile High City and suburbs was a staggering one-half billion dollars. Seeing bad weather creeping over the Rockies in the distance is a unique experience. Probably similar to seeing an approaching dust storm in West Texas. Once, I was fishing about 30 miles north of Denver when I saw a storm coming over the mountains to the west. Menacing dark gray and black clouds in the distance rolling over and down the hills, soon to swallow them up like a cheap hamburger were headed my way. I fished for a few more minutes with my eyes glued to the approaching rain, when I felt the hair on my arms stand up. I dropped my graphite fishing rod like a bad habit. Lightning and graphite! I was a human lightning rod! Adios fish! About ten minutes later, it came a frog strangler. My advice to you is : if you see dark clouds pouring over the Rockies...leave the graphite at home.