One person was killed and seven people were injured Friday afternoon by lightning in Rocky Mountain National Park as a series of storms moved across the Front Range and on to the plains.
Kyle Patterson, park spokeswoman, said in a news release that staff members were notified about 1:20 p.m. about a lighting strike that happened on the Ute Crossing Trail.
The area is off of Trail Ridge Road between Rainbow Curve and Forest Canyon Overlook.
One woman was killed. Two injured people were transported by ambulance and five transported themselves to the Estes Park Medical Center, Patterson said. Three remained at the hospital Friday night.
The lightning death was reported on a day during which monsoon moisture soaked parts of Colorado, with downpours of up to 1 inch of rain in a 20-minute span reported.
The death was the first caused by lightning this year in Colorado, according to the National Weather Service.
Between 2004-13, Colorado had the second-highest rate of lightning deaths in the United States, with 18, the Weather Service reported. Wyoming ranked first.
During Friday’s storms, urban and small-stream flood advisories were issued for several urban counties, and a flash flood warning was issued for part of El Paso County.
The monsoonal pattern is expected to continue into next week, repeatedly bringing the chance of afternoon and evening thunderstorms.
