Flash Flood in Mesa County, Colorado

Training storms off the La Sals resulted in waterfalls off terrain just southeast of Gateway (approx 1900 UTC). No impacts other than inundating basecamp for the Turner Gulch fire, which was set up in a floodplain along the Dolores river, southeast of town (by bridge with USGS gage). Flooding was not associated with the ongoing Turner Gulch Fire to the west of the flood location. Reports associated with this event were provided by fire personnel at the Turner Gulch Basecamp. While the land around the basecamp was inundated, the camp itself was not impacted, and conditions dried out enough that no firefighting apparatus was stuck in the mud. Therefore there were no impacts or damages associated with this event. There were also no injuries or fatalities.

A somewhat classic monsoonal pattern set up in the days leading up to this flash flooding event. A high centered over the Southern Plains and a low off the West Coast, drawing tropical and subtropical moisture northward out of Mexico and the tropical Pacific ocean. In addition, a weak jet streak moving through the flow overhead helped provide some extra energy to afternoon showers and thunderstorms. By the afternoon, a line of showers and thunderstorms developed stretching from near Monticello, UT to Grand Junction, CO. Along this line lay the La Sal mountains, which provided some upslope enhancement to these storms. On the other side of the La Sals is the Dolores River valley, and the town of Gateway, where flash flooding occurred.