Flash Flood — Logan, Colorado

1997-07-30 · near Atwood, Logan, Colorado

Event narrative

Monsoon moisture continued over the area with thunderstorms drenching the Pawnee National Grasslands, north of Stoneham, with 6 to 8 inches of rainfall. Runoff from the storms eventually turned Pawnee Creek into a huge river. The wall of water, 12 feet high and 200 feet wide made its way downstream flooding the towns of Sterling and Atwood in western Logan County. Highway bridges were washed out, trees uprooted and a portion of Burlington Northern track ripped out. In addition, a 100-ton culvert was torn away and carried downstream approximately 50 feet. In Logan County, 1000 homes and 200 businesses were impacted by the floodwaters as scores of families were evacuated. Some homes in the towns of Sterling and Atwood were under 8 feet of water. At least 13,700 acres of cropland was damaged. Damage estimates of at least $12.9 million were reported to property. A breakdown of the damages included: $10.0 million to homes in Sterling alone, $900,000 to businesses, $1.0 million to a junior college, and at least $1.0 million in damage to state roads, highways and bridges.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5607434. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.