Colorado
Flash flood warning issued for Northern Colorado
When the National Weather Service issues summer warnings
The National Weather Service issues special weather announcements, including tornado, thunderstorm, high wind and high fire danger warnings.
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.
See the latest weather alerts and forecasts here
Colorado
Dangerous fire situation looming for parts of Colorado’s Front Range, as another day of strong winds lies ahead
Dangerous weather conditions in Colorado are expected to team up for a surge in the Front Range fire danger. For most of the day Friday conditions will be favorable for rapid fire spread. Avoid outdoor burning and any activity that may produce a spark. Friday will be a First Alert Weather Day.
The triple threat of hurricane force winds, record heat and single digit relative humidity will all be in force from 10 a.m. to midnight on Friday. That is when a red flag warning for high fire danger is issued.
For the first time in Colorado, the National Weather Service office in Boulder has issued an extra warning know as “A Particularly Dangerous Situation” for northwest Jefferson and western Boulder counties for possible wind gusts of 85 to 105 mph.
The worst areas will be from Highway 93 up into the higher foothills. That, combined with single digit relative humidity, will make conditions worse that what the state experienced on Wednesday.
For the northern Front Range, the strongest winds will be west of I-25 into the foothills. Along and east of the I-25 corridor including the Denver metro area, winds may gust up to 40 mph with humidity levels as low as 8%. For that reason, the entire Denver metro area is in the warning area.
The strong winds will be warming downslope winds for eastern Colorado with highs on Friday shooting up into the 60s and 70s. Denver may have a new record high of 70 degrees. The old record is 67 degrees last set in 2023.
Top wind gusts may likely be stronger than Wednesday. Those gusts were hurricane force in some areas of the foothills and mountains with gusty winds comparable to those of a category 2 or 3 hurricane.
DENVER (KDVR) — Strong wind gusts at the speed of a Category 3 hurricane swept through two Colorado counties on Wednesday.
Strong winds blew through the state on Wednesday, leaving tens of thousands without power, causing safety road closures and recording wind gusts reaching over 100 mph. In some areas, winds were even higher, with Summit and Grand counties seeing 124 mph wind gusts.
At 9 p.m. on Wednesday, one weather station on top of Breckenridge Peak 6 picked up a wind gust of 124 mph in Summit County. Then, at 9:52 p.m., another weather station at Parsenn Bowl Summit in Grand County picked up a wind gust of 124 mph, according to National Weather Service records.
These two wind gusts weren’t only the strongest gusts on Wednesday, they were so strong that they were comparable to the strength of a devastating hurricane.
The Pinpoint Weather team said it was the strength of a high-end Category 3 hurricane. These winds also compare to a high-end EF2 tornado, which could damage one or two family residences, according to NWS.
These weren’t the only areas that saw high winds. Several counties across Colorado saw winds higher than 100 mph throughout Wednesday.
The Pinpoint Weather team expects the wind to continue into Friday with continued fire danger. The winds are expected to slow down throughout the weekend.
Some students at Colorado schools won’t be going to school on Thursday. That’s after strong winds on Wednesday on the Front Range and in the foothills caused power outages.
More than 100,000 customers were without power late in the day on Wednesday.
The closed schools include all of the Boulder Valley School District and 25 schools in Jeffco Public Schools. Schools in Gilpin County and Clear Creek County are also going to be closed.
See the full list of school closings.
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