Editor’s note: This story was updated on the afternoon of Aug. 14 to reflect the latest information on the Black Hills Energy power outages.
A sudden and severe thunderstorm brought heavy rains and strong winds to Pueblo on Tuesday, knocking down trees, downing power lines, flooding streets and causing power outages in many parts of the city.
In at least one case, strong winds even ripped off most of the roof of a building on Elizabeth Street that housed several businesses.
According to fire department spokesman Tim Trujillo, the Pueblo Fire Department received “nonstop” calls for emergency services for about three hours during the weather event. Fortunately, however, the fire department did not respond to any storm-related emergency calls that resulted in injuries or deaths.
“Almost every unit in the city was on duty at the same time. We called our airport fire department to assist the community and they were busy running calls. We used our aerial ladder truck for tree removal, so we helped the public works department remove trees that were blocking major roads. So it was quite an afternoon,” Trujillo said.
During the storm, fire officials posted safety messages on social media, urging residents to never drive through standing water, avoid downed power lines and stay in their cars if their vehicle comes into contact with a power line.
“We want to thank the population for yesterday for not putting themselves in these dangerous situations,” Trujillo said. “When the storm started, the first thing we did was spread the message ‘turn around, don’t drown’ because there was water on the roads. We also spread messages about avoiding the power lines that were on the ground and what to do if they were lying on top of the car. And I think people complied,” he said.
“I know the storm came through quickly and was a surprise to everyone, especially us, but the community did a good job of keeping themselves safe and avoiding these hazards when they occurred.”
Why was the storm so violent?
Mark Wankowski, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pueblo, said the violent storm that passed through Pueblo was classified as a wet microburst, characterized by extreme winds and precipitation in a concentrated area.
“Normally we have dry microburst storms because our climate is generally drier. However, yesterday we had monsoon moisture … so plenty of available moisture. The storm developed and was definitely capable of producing strong outflow winds,” Wankowski said.
The brunt of the destruction from the wet microburst fell on northern Pueblo, where strong winds caused significant damage.
“The core where precipitation and rain fell was basically from Mineral (Palace) Park to Elizabeth (Street), the northern part of the city. It’s a relatively small area that was exposed to the strongest winds,” Wankowski said.
“We don’t have official wind measurements, but looking at the damage, it could probably have been up to 80 miles per hour, maybe even stronger,” he said.
As for the rainfall, Wankowski said the weather service received reports of up to a half-inch in Pueblo West, and in the core area where the microburst occurred, they received reports of between a half-inch and three-quarters of an inch of rainfall that “came relatively quickly. Probably all of the rainfall fell within an hour,” he said.
Wankowski said the moist microburst is a good reminder for Pueblo residents to always be alert to atmospheric conditions that can lead to severe weather.
“It just shows that we have to keep an eye on the weather all the time, because although we had a warning for this (thunderstorm), the weather can strike very quickly here,” he said.
The building authority continues to respond to emergency calls due to storm damage
After the storm subsided on Tuesday, the Pueblo Public Works Department received a steady stream of calls about fallen trees, branches and other hazards on sidewalks, streets and other city properties. Public Works Department Director Andrew Hayes said those calls continued to come in on Wednesday.
“We were still in response mode yesterday and spent all of last night and this morning clearing away the last of the things that were blocking the roads,” Hayes said.
“We’ve had storms before and the response took several days. Usually the first or second day afterward, we stop receiving calls and we start the cleanup work that’s necessary to clear the rights of way and so on.”
Hayes told the chief The city was working Wednesday to finalize plans for a drop-off point where Pueblo residents can dispose of their storm debris in a central location.
Traffic lights across the city were also affected by power outages, but most of those signal outages had been resolved by Wednesday morning, Hayes said.
“We are not aware of any damage to traffic lights caused by trees, and the lights that were out yesterday have generally been repaired,” Hayes said. “There may be some lights around town that are flashing occasionally or may still be off.”
“If we get reports, we will investigate them, but by and large, yesterday’s incident was primarily related to the power supply to the signals,” Hayes said.
Hayes said Pueblo residents who encounter signal outages should remember to consider these intersections as stopping points for all directions.
“We just want people to be extra cautious at these intersections, yield the right of way and treat the lights as if they were stop signs,” Hayes said.
Pueblo residents wishing to report damage to city property or roads or traffic signal failures may do so by contacting the Pueblo Department of Public Works at 719-553-2295.
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Black Hills continues to battle power outages
In a press release Wednesday, Black Hills Energy officials said the utility is continuing to work to restore power.
“The safety of our customers and employees is our top priority as we continue to make repairs to the system following yesterday’s storm,” Black Hills officials said in the press release.
Company spokeswoman Julie Rodriguez said 845 customers in Pueblo were still without power as of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. By 1:45 p.m., that number had halved to about 400 customers.
“Crews, contractors and vegetation team are actively working on the outages and doing cleanup. That number is coming down pretty quickly,” Rodriguez said.
Black Hills officials said in the news release that severe weather could damage a home’s utility pole and advised Pueblo residents to check their utility pole using the following steps:
- Look at the pole on the outside of your house, but do not touch it as it is live.
- If the pole appears loose, bent or damaged, contact a certified electrician to arrange repairs.
- The electrician calls us to come and disconnect the power to your home.
- The electrician repairs the meter base or service mast.
- The electrician will call an inspector to verify the repair.
- The inspector or electrician will call us to restore power to your home.
A separate press release from Black Hills on Tuesday included these additional safety instructions in the event of a power outage:
- If you see damaged outdoor electrical equipment, contact Black Hills at 1-888-890-5554.
- Do not attempt to remove foreign objects if they are on a power line or outdoor electrical device.
- When outdoors, never touch or attempt to pick up a downed power line. Assume that any downed power line is live.
- In the event of a power outage, unplug sensitive computers and electronic devices or protect them with a high-quality surge protector.
What is the weather forecast for the next few days?
Wankowski said the monsoon moisture that has been over the Pueblo area for the past week will soon be pushed out and the Pueblo area will “dry out and warm up again.”
“We’re expected to be above seasonal averages at least through the weekend,” he said. “Highs will be back in the 35s to 40s, we’re just expecting maybe a few showers over the higher elevations, so the I-25 corridor should stay dry at least through the weekend,” he said.
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Chieftain editor Zach Hillstrom can be reached at [email protected] or on X at @ZachHillstrom. Support local news, subscribe to the Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.
