Flash Flood in Custer County, Colorado
Flash Flood July 22, 2019 · Custer County, Colorado
Where the report was made, with tornadoes recorded within 15 miles over the years.
What the National Weather Service wrote
Local FD reported that Hardscrabble Creek came out of its banks. Also, multiple rock and mudslides across US Hwy 96, shutting the road down.
The wider storm
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.
Began near Wetmore (38.1700, -105.1800).
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 847941. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.
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