Flash Flood — Montrose, Colorado

2021-06-24 · near Olathe, Montrose, Colorado

Event narrative

Several homes were flooded with water, mud and debris in the Coal Creek area with 2 feet of water estimated over Kiowa Road between 4 and 6 PM MDT on the 24th. One home saw water levels up to 4 feet with significant damage to the residence and property. Several roads had minor damage from mud and cutting of the dirt in areas. Small rocks and boulders were displaced on steep drainages. Rainfall estimates from local residents varied, but averaged near 1.75 inches in less than 2 hours. No homes were declared a total loss and there were no injuries of note or fatalities. The flash flood was, in addition to the heavy rain, the result of overwhelmed canals and culverts.

Wider weather episode

A plume of moisture advected north into the region underneath a ridge of high pressure. Residual moisture from previous days convection helped to prime the atmosphere which led to an uptick in shower and thunderstorm coverage across western Colorado. Some storms produced heavy rain which led to localized flash flooding across Montrose County.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.5200, -108.0100)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 958807. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.