Colorado

Flash flood warning issued for Northern Colorado

Published

8 months ago

June 17, 2025

Flash flood warning issued for Northern Colorado

A flash flood warning was issued by the National Weather Service in Denver at 11:40 a.m. on Tuesday, June 17. This warning applies to Larimer County.

The NWS warns: “Move to higher ground now. Act quickly to protect your life. THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION! Heavy Rainfall will cause extensive and severe flooding of creeks, streams, roads and culverts in the affected part of the Cameron Peak burn area. Rock slides or debris flows can also be expected across roads in the warning area.”

See weather radar for Northern Colorado

What are NWS meteorologists saying?

At 11:40 a.m., the NWS issued a statement:

“The National Weather Service in Denver has issued a Flash Flood Warning for: Central Larimer County in north central Colorado, Until 2:15 p.m. MDT. At 11:40 a.m. MDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain near Pennock Pass, or 21 miles west of Fort Collins, moving east at 10 mph. Between 0.5 and 1 inch of rain has fallen. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected to begin shortly. The storm producing the flooding is over rural areas of Central Larimer County, moving east at 10 miles per hour.

HAZARD: Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms producing flash flooding on the Cameron Peak burn scar.

SOURCE: Radar indicated.

IMPACT: Life threatening flash flooding of creeks and streams, roads, and low lying areas. Some locations that will experience flash flooding include: Pennock Pass and Glen Haven.”

What is a flash flood?

A flash flood is a flood caused by heavy or excessive rainfall in a short period of time, generally less than 6 hours, according to the NWS. Flash floods are usually characterized by raging torrents after heavy rains. A flash flood can be sudden and violent and take just minutes to develop. It is possible to experience a flash flood in areas not immediately receiving rain.

What’s the difference between a flash flood watch and a flash flood warning?

A flash flood warning is issued when a flood is imminent or occurring, the NWS says. If you are in a flood prone area, you should move immediately to high ground.The NWS issues a flash flood watch when flash flooding is possible.

What to do during a flood warning

If advised to evacuate, do so immediately.
Use a battery-operated radio or television to get the latest emergency information.
Do not walk through floodwater. Just six inches of floodwater can sweep you off your feet if it is moving swiftly.
Turn around, don’t drown; do not drive into a flooded street. Cars can be swept away by two feet of moving water or there may be unseen damage to the road. If you come to a flooded area turn around and go another way. Most flood-related deaths are caused by people driving through water.
Watch out for fire hazards.
Move to higher ground.
Stay alert, turn weather notifications on.
Do not allow children to play in flowing water. Waters can hide rocks, trees and debris.

Reporters Jana Hayes and Victoria Reyna-Rodriguez contributed to this article.

This weather report was generated automatically using information from the National Weather Service and a story written and reviewed by an editor.

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Colorado

Caught in a brown out? Colorado safety experts share what to do

Published

4 hours ago

February 19, 2026

Press Room

Caught in a brown out? Colorado safety experts share what to do

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KKTV) – Colorado State Patrol says Tuesday’s deadly car pile-up just south of Pueblo stemmed from a brown out.

High wind and dry terrain can cause low to no visibility in an instant.

Colorado State Patrol Sergeant Ivan Alvarado said brown outs are very unpredictable. You can’t tell where the wind is going to hit, and if it hits a dry field or farm, you could find yourself in the middle of a brown out in the blink of an eye.

This could last for a few seconds or a few minutes, meaning you can’t predict when you may be able to see clearly again.

Alvarado said there are two things you should not do when caught in a brown out, do not come to a complete stop, and do not continue to go the speed limit.

A mixture of these two actions on the road can be deadly.

Sergeant Alvarado said drivers should slow down, put their hazards on, and pull over to the right shoulder if possible.

Alvarado said being caught in a brown out is a scary situation, and people should be aware of this, but they should also do their best to stay calm.

“Everybody has to learn that we do have to be cautious,” Alvarado continued, “Be a little bit fearful, but it doesn’t mean let the fear take the wheel and do something that could be more chaotic.”

If you are able to avoid driving through a brown out, that’s your best option.

If you see one ahead of you, don’t wait until poor visibility makes it difficult to safely pull off the roadway.

The high wind is not over yet.

The Colorado Department of Transportation is telling people to keep an eye out for possible safety closures in areas south of U.S. Highway 50, including Interstate 25 South of Pueblo, through February 19.

Alvarado said Colorado has a wide range of weather, so he also suggests that drivers check the weather in the area they’re headed to before traveling there.

He said just because it’s warm in one spot doesn’t mean it won’t be snowing or windy in a different spot.

Alvarado added that while agencies like CDOT and CSP are monitoring situations, it’s important that you are being your own advocate as well.

“Just because you didn’t get told you shouldn’t be on the road doesn’t mean it isn’t your responsibility to assess, should I be on the road right now?” said Alvarado.

CDOT said when winds reach 60 mph, that is usually when it starts making decision on any possible restrictions on high profile vehicles and other semis. The 11 alert weather team says wind gusts topped at 61 miles per hours on Tuesday.

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Colorado

Colorado ski season could be several weeks shorter by 2050 as climate warms

Published

16 hours ago

February 18, 2026

Press Room

Colorado ski season could be several weeks shorter by 2050 as climate warms

Snowboarders and skiers prepare for a run at Breckenridge Ski Resort on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.
Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post

Skiers and snowboarders exploring Copper Mountain’s Resolution Bowl on a recent weekend dodged semi-exposed rocks, the tips of small trees and yellow tufts of exposed grass, sneakily covered by a slick layer of ice.

It felt like an early-season ski day, but it was late January. And this was smack in the middle of one of the biggest snowstorms of the unusually dry, warm winter.

Colorado’s ski season began with a slate of delayed openings, as resorts including Beaver Creek, Powderhorn and Purgatory pushed back the start of the season because of a lack of snow. In early February — two months from peak snowpack — at least a third of the runs at Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Eldora and Loveland remained closed. Winter Park Resort had opened less than a third of its terrain.

“The stuff that is open in the trees at Mary Jane is more likely to mess up your skis than be enjoyable,” Hunter Diveley, a 27-year-old who lives in Englewood, said of the section of Winter Park known for its advanced terrain.

Read more from Elise Schmelzer at DenverPost.com.

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Colorado

Arizona women’s basketball loses to Colorado in late fourth quarter collapse

Published

1 day ago

February 18, 2026

Press Room

Arizona women’s basketball loses to Colorado in late fourth quarter collapse

After a close and heartbreaking loss to Arizona State on Saturday, Arizona women’s basketball was looking to get back in the win column against Colorado.

“We were in a position to win it, and then we did a couple silly things where we gave them some hope,” head coach Becky Burke said after the loss to ASU.

The mission today was to limit turnovers and make sure the “silly things” did not follow them from Saturday’s game.

While the Wildcats were able to limit the turnovers and force Colorado into 25 turnovers, Arizona could not find a way to pull out the victory and the Buffaloes left Tucson with a 78-70 win.

The turnovers were huge for Arizona. In Boulder, the Wildcats forced 13 turnovers but only five of those came on steals, keeping them from exploiting the transition game. This time, Noelani Cornfield had six steals all by herself and the team ended with 12. That led to 31 points off turnovers and 20 fast break points.

Sumayah Sugapong started the scoring for Arizona with the first eight points of the game. Cornfield was the second Wildcat to score after she hit a 3 to cut Colorado’s lead to three.

After her third 3 of the first quarter, Sugapong was up to 11. Add in a Cornfield buzzer beater jumper, and Arizona had cut Colorado’s lead to four going into the second quarter.

“I thought Sumayah came out and she was being aggressive like she has been for the last month or so,” Burke said.

A steal by Nora Francois led to another Cornfield jumper to start the second quarter. Tanyuel Welch was then able to get to the line to tie the game at 23.

The Wildcats got their first lead of the game after Sugapong got a steal and Cornfield found Welch in transition for an easy bucket. After going up 29-28, Colorado quickly got the lead back with an easy layup.

The Buffaloes went into halftime with a one point lead. Arizona had forced 15 turnovers in the first half, keeping it within striking distance.

Sugapong continued her shooting success from behind the arc with her fourth 3 of the game to start the second half.

An unfortunate series of events unfolded for the Wildcats late in the third. Sugapong picked up her fourth foul of the game and also picked up a technical. Her night ended right there and then after having an amazing game up to that point.

“I wrapped my arm around her and tried to teach her and patted her on the back and talk her through this stuff, but it’s hurting our team, and it’s not the first time it’s happened this year, so it’s a compliment to her in the fact that it is so impactful when she does stuff like that and then she can’t be on the floor because of that,” Burke said.

Arizona pushed through the adversity of losing a key scorer by getting points from other places, including MJ Jurado and Molly Ladwig, but it was still mostly about Cornfield. The guard hit her second buzzer beater, this time from deep to give Arizona a one-point lead going into the fourth quarter.

“I got to do whatever I got to do to try to get a win, but it’s always nice when you have your crowd behind you,” said Cornfield.

A 6-0 run by Arizona to start the fourth began with back-to-back baskets by Ladwig. Then a Jurado fastbreak bucket put the crowd into a frenzy.

“I hope this just launches her into an upward trajectory that we’ll build off,” said Burke on Ladwig’s performance.

The Wildcats used solid defense to build a seven-point lead halfway through the fourth quarter. Following a Francois and-one play, Colorado went on a 9-2 run to tie the game.

Ladwig made one more layup before Colorado continued its run. The Buffaloes ended the game on a 18-3 run to steal the victory from Arizona.

“This is a group that I think what they’re doing and how they’re continuing to compete speaks volumes about their character,” said Burke. “They’ve just shown some good character and toughness down the stretch.”

Arizona will travel to Baylor to play the Bears on Saturday before returning to Tucson for the home finale against Houston. The Wildcats will honor Micky Perdue, Francois, and Cornfield on senior day against the Cougars.

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