Debris Flow — Ouray, Colorado

2020-07-27 · near Red Mtn, Ouray, Colorado

Event narrative

Several mudslides occurred along Colorado Highway 550 as a result of heavy rain. One was reported at mile marker 83 which led to a partial closure for southbound traffic as the debris was cleared. Both Black Bear and Imogene Passes also closed on the Telluride side due to the debris flows.

Wider weather episode

Monsoonal moisture continued to advect into western Colorado on the backside of an area of high pressure. Numerous showers and thunderstorms developed over the area on July 27th, many of which produced periods of moderate to heavy rain. After receiving 1 to 3 inches of rain on average over the course of a few days, portions of southwest Colorado were well saturated and vulnerable to flash flooding and debris flows. A couple of mudslides were reported across San Miguel and Ouray counties as a result of the heavy rainfall.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (37.9262, -107.6887)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 896655. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.