Debris Flow — Pitkin, Colorado

2024-08-04 · near Redstone, Pitkin, Colorado

Event narrative

Multiple mudslides were reported by local law enforcement near Redstone, CO. These mudslides followed the Crystal River valley, along State Highway 133 near mile marker 53. This is roughly 1 mile north of Redstone. Slow storm motion, steep terrain, and heavy rain all combined in an area known to be susceptible to debris flows and mudslides. Highway 133 was closed for several hours for cleanup.

Wider weather episode

Rich monsoonal moisture and a passing wave combined with typical diurnal heating over the higher terrain to spawn scattered to widespread showers and thunderstorms over the northeastern Utah and northwestern Colorado. While the main threats with these storms were expected to be small hail, gusty winds, and lightning, in a few spots they also produced localized heavy rainfall. Slow storm motion kept these heavy raining storms over the same location for a prolonged period of time, triggering some debris flows over the steeper terrain of the Colorado headwaters region.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.2000, -107.2300)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1208141. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.