Flood — Mesa, Colorado

2023-05-15 · near Fruita, Mesa, Colorado

Event narrative

Closures were implemented on the outer lane of I-70 at Skipper Island west of Fruita in both directions as a result of flooding along the Colorado River. The closure was updated to only include the right lane of I-70 westbound several days later.

Wider weather episode

Accelerated snowmelt from a near-record snowpack due to above normal temperatures produced high and fast flow on drainages in several counties across the Western Slope. As a result, flooding compromised various low-lying roads and areas. This included some lanes along I-70 west of Fruita, Colorado.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.1652, -108.7804)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1088003. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.