Debris Flow — Archuleta, Colorado

2024-07-22 · near Chimney Rock, Archuleta, Colorado

Event narrative

Heavy rain from strong thunderstorms resulted in a rock slide across Highway 151 in an area between the intersection of Forest Service Road 618 and Highway 160. Colorado Highway 151 was closed in both directions due to the rock slide between mile markers 32 and 33.

Wider weather episode

High pressure to the west continued to advect much drier air across northern and central portions of eastern Utah and western Colorado resulting in a downturn in storm coverage. However, a small pocket of deep subtropical moisture still remained over the eastern San Juans and Archuleta County, resulting in a few stronger storms that produced heavy rainfall rates and localized flash flooding. One particular storm resulted in a debris flow over Archuleta County near Chimney Rock.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.2000, -107.2709)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1204574. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.