Heavy Rain — Clear Creek, Colorado

2019-09-06 · near Idaho Spgs, Clear Creek, Colorado

Event narrative

Heavy rain and hail produced a mudslide that covered the back patio of a local restaurant. The slide swept away chairs and tables onto a nearby highway and inundated the deck with debris.

Wider weather episode

Severe thunderstorms produced a combination of large hail and heavy rain over parts of Arapahoe, Clear Creek, Douglas and Jefferson counties. In Idaho Springs, a mudslide caused by a period of heavy rain and hail, pushed a debris flow across the deck of Two Bears Tap and Grill in Idaho Springs. Rock and mud forced the temporary closure of westbound I-70 at Floyd Hill as debris moved across the roadway. The slide also forced the closure of U.S. 40 from the top of Floyd Hill to U.S. 6. Elsewhere, severe thunderstorms produced hail from quarter to half dollar size. A brief tornado touched down in an open field near Highlands Ranch. A blast of lightning triggered a house fire in Douglas County, causing extensive damage.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (39.7476, -105.4381)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 857093. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.