Winter Weather — West Jackson & West Grand Counties Above 9000 Feet, Colorado

2023-05-11 to 2023-05-12 · West Jackson & West Grand Counties Above 9000 Feet, Colorado

Event narrative

Storm totals included 9 inches, 9 miles south-southeast of Gould.

Wider weather episode

A slow moving storm system produced flooding and flash flooding across the urban corridor and northeast plains, with heavy snowfall in the higher mountains of the Front Range. Storm total rainfall during the 3-day event ranged from 4 to 7 inches across the urban corridor and Palmer Divide, with 2 to 5 inches across the plains. Additionally, from 1 to 2 feet of heavy wet snow occurred above 10 thousand feet. The heaviest rainfall occurred over Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, Elbert and southern Jefferson counties. Consequently, swollen creeks and streams produced flooding and flash flooding. Numerous roadways were damaged or completely washed out including access roads to Cherry Creek State Park and National Wildlife Refuge at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. Numerous hiking trails in Castlewood Canyon State Park were closed as they were underwater and impassable. Dozens of roads in Adams and Weld counties were hit by flooding and were closed due to damage. In Denver, a 24-hr daily record of 2.92 inches occurred on the 11th, with a 3-day total of 4.40 inches from the 10th-12th. Three men in the foothills of Douglas County had to be rescued when their vehicle got stuck in snow along Rampart Range Road in Pike National Forest. The heavy snow toppled trees which blocked the road. Rescuers had to use chainsaws to cut through the downed trees to reach the stranded men; the rescue took nearly 21 hours to complete.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1100921. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.