Flood — Weld, Colorado

2023-06-30 · near Prospect Valley, Weld, Colorado

Event narrative

A person was killed after the car they were driving was swept away by floodwaters. The accident occurred near Weld County Roads 73 and 16 . The occupant of the car drove past the roadblocks that are there to prevent vehicles from entering the dangerous floodwaters in the area. The car was found floating in the water with a driver inside the car. In total, there were six vehicles submerged into floodwaters, six human rescues, and five police dog rescues performed by deputies.

Wider weather episode

Severe thunderstorms produced large hail, from penny to tennis ball size across parts of Jefferson, Adams, Arapahoe, Denver and Washington counties. The hail along with heavy rain caused flooding and flash flooding problems. In Adams County, widespread hail accumulated up to 6 inches deep on the roadways between Watkins and Bennett, with localized accumulations up to a foot reported. Highway 36 was closed due to flooding between Watkins and Schumaker Road. Numerous vehicles were stranded with reports of roads washed out and active water rescues. One motorist south of Roggen died when he ignored a barricade and drove into floodwaters. South Strasburg, intense straight-line winds snapped a power pole.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.1059, -104.3823)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1116715. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.