Debris Flow — Ouray, Colorado

2023-08-26 · near Portland, Ouray, Colorado

$8K

Property damage

Event narrative

Mud and debris flowed across County Road 17 at Corbett Creek near the Dallas Trailhead as a result of heavy rain from thunderstorms. The road remained closed through the end of the month.

Wider weather episode

Even as high pressure began to build into the region, plenty of deep moisture remained entrenched across western Colorado. This led to another round of scattered showers and thunderstorms. Daytime heating and marginal instability fueled some stronger storms, particularly over the higher terrain. One such storm was nearly stationary over the east side of the Grizzly Creek Fire burn scar for an extended period of time, which resulted in some debris flows over I-70. Additionally, heavy rain from storms resulted in debris flows in portions of Ouray County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.0548, -107.6918)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1117874. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.