Debris Flow — Ouray, Colorado

2018-07-08 · near Ouray, Ouray, Colorado

Event narrative

Around 4 to 10 feet of mud and rock covered Colorado Highway 550 about 2 miles south of Ouray as a result of heavy rainfall. A section of the highway and cribwall that supports the highway were destroyed from the rock slides and debris flows that occurred. Highway 550 was closed for almost 24 hours until the debris was removed, and then the highway was limited to one lane for many weeks thereafter as the road was repaired.

Wider weather episode

Subtropical moisture trapped underneath a ridge of high pressure produced some thunderstorms with heavy rainfall in Ouray County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.9886, -107.6497)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 758208. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.