Flash Flood — Custer, Colorado

2019-07-22 · near Wetmore, Custer, Colorado

Event narrative

Local FD reported that Hardscrabble Creek came out of its banks. Also, multiple rock and mudslides across US Hwy 96, shutting the road down.

Wider weather episode

Monsoonal airmass was in place during the afternoon and evening of July 22, 2019 allowing for heavy showers and storms to develop over the high country and slowly move towards the east-southeast. A few of the storms near Westcliffe merged and became nearly stationary producing close to 3.5 inches of rain within 90 minutes.

Storms that developed east of Westcliffe moved southeast towards the Junkins burn scar and San Isabel National Forest where rock slides and debris flows occurred along portions of US Highway 96.

Over the Spring burn scar rainfall rates increased dramatically with gauges on the burn scar reporting over an inch in 20 minutes. Mudslides, stream gouging, boulder movement, and flash flooding all occurred in the hardest hit drainage, Middle Creek.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.1700, -105.1800)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 847941. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.