Debris Flow in Rio Blanco County, Colorado

At approximately 12:15PM MDT, the Rio Blanco Emergency Manager reported a debris flow over County Road 8 between mile-markers 10 and 11. This debris flow was the result of heavy rainfall on the recent Elk RBX burn scar, which was adjacent to the road. Road did need to be cleared, but was already closed to public traffic due to the ongoing Elk RBX fire. No additional damage, or injuries or fatalities were reported.

A plume of anomalously rich monsoonal moisture pushed into eastern Utah and western Colorado in the days prior to these debris flows. On the day of the flows, precipitable water values were in excess of 1.00 inch across the region. Daytime heating acting on the complex terrain of the region allowed for the formation of thunderstorms during the afternoon. These storms were capable of producing heavy rainfall with very high rain rates. Over the course of the day, multiple of these storms moved over the recent Lee and Elk RBX burn scars in Rio Blanco county, triggering multiple debris flows.