SPM 2022-07-24: Debris Flow on East Troublesome Burn Scar, Rain Across Colorado

Issue Date: Sunday, July 24th, 2022
Issue Time: 10:30 AM MDT

Summary:

There were high winds yesterday in the northwest quadrant of Colorado, the highest of which was a 57 mph non-thunderstorm wind gust. The Southern Plains also saw some high winds, this time associated with overlapping thunderstorm warnings issued for approximately 6:30-7:45 yesterday evening. There was also a flood advisory issued for the same area. The winds in this area reached up to 75 mph, reported near Lamar, along with up to 0.63” in precipitation. The Northern Plains had some rainfall as well, but only a few hundredths of an inch.

The northern Front Range received many flood advisories from the precipitation yesterday, notably on the Cameron Peak, East Troublesome, and Calwood burn scars. From Fort Collins down to Broomfield, the Urban Corridor received varying amounts of rainfall, from 0.15”- 0.7” depending on location. Many CoCoRaHS reports noted two rounds of storms.

Although it seems there was no flooding near Cameron Peak or Calwood, a debris flow was only reported over Highway 125 on the East Troublesome burn scar. Up to 0.47” was reported on the burn scar near where the debris flow occurred. The highway is closed by approximately 8:30 p.m. yesterday, between Trail Creek and FS Road 112, due to the debris flow and flash flooding. See below for photos from the Grand County Sherriff that show the extent of the damage.

A few photos of the Highway 125 closure due to a mud slide between Trail Creek & FS Rd. 112 on July 23.

Visit https://t.co/mXEnWDxY6Z to stay updated on road closures.#CO125 #COwx #COFlood #COTrip #GrandCounty @ColoradoDOT pic.twitter.com/1UZvLkLgM7

— Grand County Sheriff (@GrandCoSheriff) July 24, 2022

Across the rest of the state there was more rainfall, although quite less than above. Along the southern Urban Corridor, Colorado Springs and Denver saw totals at or below 0.2”. In the San Juan Mountains and south-central portion of the state, highest observations include:
– 0.4” near Gunnison
– 0.53” in Silverton
– 0.39” in Trinidad and Saguache

If you observe flooding in your area, remember to use the “Report a Flood” page to make any flood reports when you can safely do so. For precipitation estimates in our area, check out the map below.

Click Here For Map Overview

The map below shows radar-estimated, rainfall gage-adjusted Quantitative Precipitation Estimates (QPE) across Colorado. The map is updated daily during the operational season (May 1 – Sep 30) by 11AM. The following six layers are currently available: 24-hour, 48-hour and 72-hour total precipitation, as well as maximum 1-hour, 2-hour and 6-hour precipitation over the past 24 hour period (to estimate where flash flooding may have occurred). The accumulation ending time is 7AM of the date shown in the bottom right corner. Also shown optionally are vulnerable fire burn areas (post 2012), which are updated throughout the season to include new, vulnerable burn areas. The home button in the top left corner resets the map to the original zoom.