|
|
"text": "The following events were reported: Flash Flood, Flood. These occurred near station USW00003017, approximately 31.7681 km away, between 2013-09-11 17:50:00 and 2013-09-15 18:45:00. The flood was caused by Heavy Rain. The events resulted in 3 injuries and 1 fatalities. The events caused property damage valued at 308440000.0 and crop damage of 2250000.0. Episode Narrative: A deep southerly flow over Colorado, ahead of a near stationary low pressure system over the Great Basin, pumped copious amounts of monsoonal moisture into the area. In addition, a weak stationary front stretched along the Front Range Foothills and Palmer Divide. As a result, a prolonged period of moderate to heavy rain developed across the Front Range Foothills, Palmer Divide, Urban Corridor. By the 14th, storm totals ranged from 6 to 18 inches, highest in the foothills of Boulder County. The headwaters then moved down the South Platte River and caused widespread flooding with record flood stages at several locations as it made its way downstream into Nebraska. Record high flood stages along the South Platte River were recorded at Balzac, Weldona and Julesburg. As a result, widespread flooding occur along the South Platte for several days as the headwaters continued downstream, with much of the damage reported from Fort Morgan and Brush to around Sterling. The floodwaters resulted in widespread evacuations. Numerous water treatment facilities were contaminated and had to be shut down. The headwaters remained at or above flood stage east of Sterling to Julesburg, but the flooding was not as widespread and the damage not as extensive. ||Initially, the showers that developed on the afternoon of the 11th were moving fast enough and were small enough to produce generally moderate rainfall amounts. However, rain along the Front Range began to intensify and become more widespread in the evening. A narrow band of very heavy rain began to organize just north of Denver and move westward toward the foothills. By 9 pm mdt on the 11th, heavy rain was becoming more widespread, with rainfall rates near 2 inches per hour in the heaviest showers. From 10 pm mdt to Midnight mdt, very heavy rain locked itself in against the Front Range. Flash flooding became more widespread, with several road closures from northwest Jefferson County northward through Boulder and Larimer Counties. The heaviest rain in the foothills of Boulder, Larimer and northern Jefferson Counties finally began to abate, but widespread flash flooding continued due to the extremely heavy rainfall during the evening and early morning hours of the 12th. Meanwhile, torrential rain redeveloped in southwest Weld, northeast Adams, eastern Denver and northwest Arapahoe Counties in the early morning hours of the 12th; which impacted northeast Denver and Aurora. ||Atypical for September in Colorado, 24-hour rainfall totals ending 7 am mdt on September 12th included 6.5 to 8.6 inches in Boulder; with 3 to 6.5 inches across the Larimer and Boulder County foothills, as well an area stretching from northeastern Metro Denver area into southwest Weld County. By 9 am mdt, heavy rain and considerable flash flooding continued through the morning in the Aurora area. Numerous streams remained at or above bankfull levels across Boulder, Larimer, and southwest Weld counties. By the evening of the 12th, flooding continued in many areas and increased in severity. Heavy rain, while not as widespread as the previous day, had a greater impact on stream levels as streams were already elevated and the ground was completely saturated. Two peaks of flows occurred on Boulder Creek near downtown. The peak flow on the evening of September 12th surpassed the 1969 Boulder flood, but initial indications are that it fell short of the 1938 and 1894 floods. Boulder Stream Gauge \ufffd\ufffd\ufffdpeak flows occurred near 0100 mdt on the 12th, and 2100 mdt on the 12th. Similar massive stream flows occurred on many other creeks and rivers up and down the Front Range, including: Big Thompson River, Lefthand Creek, Little Thompson, Cache la Poudre, St Vrain Creek, Coal Creek, South Boulder Creek and Sand Creek. Similar massive stream flows occurred on many other creeks and rivers up and down the Front Range, including: Lefthand Creek, Little Thompson, Cache la Poudre, St Vrain Creek, Coal Creek, South Boulder Creek and Sand Creek. The headwaters moved down the South Platte with floodwaters impacted Weld, Morgan, Washington and Logan Counties. Extensive flooding occurred in and around Greeley, Fort Morgan and Sterling. Large sections of the counties' roads and highways were washed away, with property and crops completely inundated. ||After little rainfall on Friday, September 13th, the flash flood threat returned for Saturday. This time, storms with heavy rainfall were concentrated in Douglas County, but also extended northeast into the Aurora area once again. Up to 3 inches of rain fell in one hour. Plum Creek and other small creeks and streams flooded, along with significant street flooding. The last day of this prolonged period of very heavy rainfall was on Sunday, September 15th. Another weak front had pushed through the area Saturday night, leaving the atmosphere unseasonably moist and unstable. Heavy rain developed by mid morning and then became more widespread and peaked in intensity by the noon hour. This time, flash flooding was most significant in the northern portions of the Denver metro area from Northglenn to around Broomfield. Rain finally tapered off during the late afternoon and evening.||The devastating flood damage encompassed 4,500 square miles of the Colorado Front Range, left seven dead, forced thousands to evacuate, and destroyed thousands of homes and farms. Record amounts of rainfall generated flash floods that tore up roads and lines of communication, leaving many stranded. Nearly 19,000 homes were damaged, and over 1,500 destroyed. The Colorado Department of Transportation estimated that at least 30 state highway bridges were destroyed and an additional 20 seriously damaged. A preliminary assessment of the state's infrastructure showed damage of $40 million to roads and $112 million to bridges. Repair costs for state and and county roads were likely to run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. Miles of freight and passenger rail lines were washed out or submerged, including a section servicing Amtrak's iconic California Zephyr. The town of Lyons in Boulder County was isolated by the flooding of St. Vrain Creek, and several earth dams along the Front Range burst or were over-topped. Floodwaters also swept through Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park and a major tourist attraction, and damaged hundreds of buildings and destroyed large sections of the two main roads that led into town; U.S. 34 from Loveland and U.S. 36 from Lyons/Boulder. U.S. 34 suffered the most damage, with 85 percent of its roadway and bridges destroyed. In Weld County, approximately 1,900 gas wells were damaged and had to be closed off as the floodwaters inundated entire communities. ||Sewage treatment plants and other utilities were knocked out in a number of towns, and standing water left by floods on prairie farmlands posed the threat of significant damage to crops already planted in the region. Northeast Colorado Health Department has advised with the local CSU Extension office in Logan County regarding local crops and gardens that had been exposed to flood waters. As the flood waters in our area should be considered contaminated, local crops and gardens may not be considered suitable for human consumption or animal feed. In the flooded areas, an estimated 23,000 acres of cropland was impacted and stretched from Boulder to Logan Counties and included: alfalfa, corn, hay, silage and sugar beets. The estimated loss of production ranged from $3.4 million to $5.5 million. ||Governor Hickenlooper declared a disaster emergency on September 13th, in 11 counties across northeast Colorado including: Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Boulder, Denver, Jefferson, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Washington and Weld. By September 15th, federal emergency declarations covered those counties as well as Clear Creek County. Projected losses from the flooding statewide was nearly $3 billion in property damage. Half of the damage estimate was from housing and half from the commercial and government sectors, according to Eqecat, a catastrophe modeling firm; this was the first comprehensive estimate of the disaster's economic toll. The projected losses for residential property alone were about $900 million. Another $1 billion was attributed to commercial and goverment property, including roads and bridges. In addition, more than 11 thousand people were evacuated, reportedly the largest since Hurricane Katrina. President Obama declared a state of emergency for Boulder and Larimer Counties, with an additional 10 counties added September 16th including: Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Clear Creek, Denver, Jefferson, Morgan, Logan, Washington and Weld Counties. The president also declared a major disaster specifically for Boulder County, which provided for federal recovery assistance. ||There were six fatalities directly attributed to flash flooding. By county, those fatalities included 4 in Boulder County and 2 in Larimer County. Two 19-yr old teenagers died on the evening of the 11th, after they were swept away by floodwaters after abandoning their vehicle on Lindon Drive in Boulder. In Jamestown, a 72-yr old man was killed when the building he was in collapsed. An 80-yr old Lyons resident was killed in the early morning hours of the 12th, when his truck was swept into the St. Vrain River near his home. On the evening of the 12th, a 79-yr old Larimer County resident was killed when she was swept away while trying to climb to safety from her home in Cedar Point. A 61-yr old Cedar Point resident died when her home was swept down the Big Thompson River by the floodwaters. An indirect fatality occurred on the 16th. An 80-yr old Idaho Springs resident drowned in Clear Creek when the embankment he was standing on collapsed.||Along the South Platte River, the crest of the flood at Kersey was near 18.8 feet on September 14th, which was significantly higher than the record crest of 11.73 feet set on May 8, 1973. On September 15th, the flood crest was near 13.7 feet at Balzac which exceeded the record of 13.3 feet set on June 18, 1965. On September 18th, the flood crest was at Julesburg was 10.6 feet, which broke the previous record of 10.44 feet set on June 20, 1965. ||In Boulder, some of the monthly records broken included: one-day all-time record: 9.08 inches which shattered the previous wettest day of 4.8 inches set on July 31, 1919; one-month record of 18.16 inches, which broke the previous all-time monthly record of 9.59 inches set in May of 1995; wettest September on record which broke the previous record of 5.5 inches set in September of 1940; one-year record of 34.15 inches broke the previous wettest year of 29.93 inches set in 1995. In Denver, the total precipitation for the month of September was 5.61 inches, which was 4.65 inches above the normal of 0.96 inches. This is the most precipitation ever recorded in Denver for the month of September. A deep southerly flow over Colorado, ahead of a near stationary low pressure system over the Great Basin, pumped copious amounts of monsoonal moisture into the area. Event Narrative: Heavy rain, ranging from 4 to 10 inches through the entire storm event, caused widespread flooding along the entire drainage system of the South Platte River. Flooding and flash flooding inpacted Riverdale Golf Course and the Regional Park. The gulch that ran through those two areas caused flooding and erosion in several places including the newly created reservoirs between the Regional Park and 120th Avenue.|The Regional Park shop was also flooded as well as the Riverdale Golf Shop. All combined, the county\ufffd\ufffd\ufffds estimated damage at the Park alone, not including the golf course, was about $637,000. Parts of Colorado Boulevard between CO7 and 168th Avenue were closed due to significant damage to the road surface and foundation.|Additional damage also occurred at retention ponds, parks and trails. The cost to roads and bridges was approximately $400,000 for repairs. Approximately 755 households were impacted by flooding. Heavy rain, ranging from 4 to 12 inches through the entire storm event, caused widespread flooding along the entire drainage systems of East Tollgate and Coal Creeks. The areas around Parker Road and Piney Creek were flooded as several holding ponds did overflow their banks. Some of the worst flooded in Centenniel occurred along Arapahoe Road near Cottonwood. According to FEMA, 2,138 households were impacted by flooding.||Road closures included: East Fitzsimons Pkwy. and North Peoria, East 26th Ave and Fulton St., East 17th Ave and Dayton St., East Colfax and Peoria St., East 12th Ave. between Xanthia St. and Xenia St, East 12th Ave. and Yosemite St., East 11th Ave. and Willow St., East 11th Ave. and Xanthia St., East 11th Ave. and Xenia St., Del Mar Pkwy. and North Havana St., East 1st Ave and Moline St., East Alameda Ave. and South Havana St., South Peoria St. just North of East Ford Ave., South bound 225 and East Alameda Ave., East Alameda Ave. and East Alameda Dr., East Florida Ave. and South Galena St. Heavy rain, ranging from 6 to 16 inches through the storm event, caused widespread flooding and included the entire drainage systems of Bear, Coal, Clear, Leyden, Ralston and Van Bibber Creeks. In Arvada, Quaker St. near W. 82nd Ave. was closed due to flooding and infrastructure damage. Evacuations were ordered in the area of 68th Ave. and 82nd Ave., between McIntyre and Alkire Streets. Flooding washed out sections of W. 82nd Ave, east of CO93. Flooding was reported near the intersection of W. 92nd Ave. and Indiana St. A section of South Golden Road was washed out near Lena Gulch. Golden Gate Canyon was closed between CO93 and Robinson Hill. Many other roads in northern Jefferson County were inundated by floodwaters. Evacuations were also orders between Bear Lake Dam and Echo Lake Drive on Upper Bear Creek.||Preliminary damage estimates totaled more than $6 million. The most significant damage to roadways, homes and commercial buildings occurred in Evergreen, Coal Creek Canyon and Golden Gate Canyon. County officials said 14 residences were destroyed and 215 damaged. In addition, 27 commercial properties were damaged. Thirty-five minor structures were destroyed and 57 damaged. Running water, up to a depth of 12 inches, and 50 feet wide was running across the intersection of 95th Street and Lookout Road near Niwot. The floodwaters forced the closure of Erie Parkway. Later a 4 to 5 ft wall of water, was reportedly observed running through the area. Flash flooding forced the closure of Erie Parkway, between Briggs Street and Weld County Road 7. In Boulder, many vehicles were abandoned near Lookout Road and Spine due to floodwaters. Significant flooding was reported at the Justice Center; the Juvenile Detention Center had to be evacuated to the second floor. Floodwaters to a depth of 2 feet inundated Hawthorne Street in north Boulder. Moderate flooding was observed along Boulder Creek. Boulder Canyon was closed due to flash flooding. Numerous rock and mudslides made Lefthand Canyon impassable. Major structures were lost in Jamestown. In Lyons, rock and mud slides were also reported and the Waste Water Treatment Plant was breached. An 80-yr old man was killed when his truck was swept into the St. Vrain River. He had returned to his home to look for his wife. His vehicle was found 200 yards from their residence. In town, 82 properties were destroyed. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in Longmont, along the Lefthand and St. Vrain Creeks. In Longmont, 53 properties were destroyed. Flash flooding in Coal Creek Canyon caused a gas line break which impacted 1500 homes. The areal coverage of the flooding increased along Coal Creek. Flash flooding forced the closure of CO36, between Wadsworth Blvd and Flatirons. Heavy rain, ranging from 6 to 10 inches through the entire storm event, caused widespread flooding, including the entire drainage system of South Boulder, Big Dry and Walnut Creeks. Due to extensive flooding, the Spruce Meadows section of the Broomfield Trail was closed due to significant collapses of the embankment between the trail and the adjacent irrigation ditch. Continuous heavy rainfall produced flash flooding. Floodwaters were reportedly breaking through basement windows west of Brighton. Commerce City officials ordered about 400 residents to leave a neighborhood near the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge due to the potential that further retention ponds would breach. Extensive flooding was reported in Commerce City with flooded basements, homes and roads under anywhere from 1 to 3 feet of standing water. County officials also issued flash flood emergencies downstream for Fort Lupton, Dacono, Platteville and other farming areas as debris piled up near bridges. East Alameda Parkway between South Chambers Road and South Sable Boulevard was completely underwater. Evacuations were ordered for the Fairfax Park neighborhood in Commerce City, with numerous road closures throughout the city. Standing water at Tower Road caused delays for travelers going to and from Denver International Airport. Continuous moderate to heavy rainfall produced flash flooding. Weld County Roads 18 and 20 were flooded. Roadways running parallel to Interstate 25, near County Road 11, were inundated with 6 to 8 inches of water. In Frederick, County Road 18 was washed out at Godding Hollow Pkwy. County Road 7 was washed out between County Road 20.5 and CO119. Welland Loop Dr. was also washed out between Drake St. and W. Conservation Dr. Heavy rain continued to produce widespread flash flooding. Denver Police evacuated Colfax Avenue to 11th Avenue from Verbena Street to Xanthia Street due to high water in the area. Aurora's Prairie Waters, a water recycling and purification system, was shut down due to flooding. Four of the facility's 17 wells where water is siphoned from the South Platte River in Brighton were flooded. Prairie Waters provides up to 20 percent of the city's water. Heavy rain continued to produce widespread flash flooding along Leyden Creek. The creek remained near bankfull on the 13th. Heavy rain continued to produce widespread flash flooding over areas already inundated by floodwaters. Road closures included: East Fitzsimons Pkwy. and North Peoria, East 26th Ave and Fulton St., East 17th Ave and Dayton St., East Colfax and Peoria St., East 12th Ave between Xanthia St. and Xenia St., East 12 Ave. and North Havana St., East 1st Ave. and Moline St., East Alameda Ave. just North of East Ford Ave., South Bound 225 and East Alameda Ave., East Alameda Ave. In Aurora, a mother and her baby had to be rescued when her car stalled in a flooded street. The combination of heavy rain, coupled with extremely saturated ground conditions, produced additional flash flooding. A section of 60th Ave. in Commerce City had to be closed where Sand Creek crossed the road. Heavy rain, ranging from 6 to 18 inches through the storm event, caused widespread flooding along the entire drainage systems of Boulder and St. Three vehicles were partially submerged when floodwaters undercut Dillon Road near CO287, between Lafayette and Broomfield. When the road first collapsed, several people were able to get out of the water quickly, but three were trapped in their vehicles and had to be rescued. The three drivers were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Extensive flooding was reported in Longmont and forced several road closures. Floodwaters tipped over two storage tanks containing sulfuric acid at the Longmont Brewery. Several shelters were set up for evacuees. Numerous bridges, culverts and roads were damaged in eastern Boulder County. The town of Lyons was completely isolated by floodwaters. The wastewater treatment plant was destroyed. There were numerous rock and mud slides in the area. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for the entire town of Lyons. Train tracks were washed out near the intersection of the Diagonal and Jay Road in Boulder. Boulder Canyon was closed from Nederland to Magnolia. South Boulder Road was closed due to flooding between Cherryvale and 55th. About 40 buildings on the University of Boulder campus were damaged and 400 students evacuated. ||According to FEMA, 10,588 homes were impacted by flooding. Preliminary damage assessments for Boulder, Lyons, Longmont, Jamestown, Superior and unincorporated Boulder County included: 337 homes destroyed; 428 homes with major damage; 3,426 homes with minor damage; 33 commercial buildings with major damage; 54 commercial buildings with minor damage. The most extensive damage impacted lakes and rivers; in particular, along and near the St. Vrain River corridor. ||The breakdown for the damage estimate in Boulder County included: $132 million for the city of Longmont; $91.2 million in damage to government facilities, roads and bridges in unincorporated Boulder County; $49 million for the city of Boulder's infrastructure, parks and open space; $25 million for the county's parks, trails and open spaces. Flash flooding forced the closure of the Boulder-Denver Turnpike, from McCaslin Blvd. to the Boulder city limits. The roadway was inundated by 2 ft of standing water near Superior. Water was reportedly overtopping all the cross bridges along Table Mesa Blvd, from Lehigh to Broadway. Baseline and 76th was flooded and impassable. Flash flooding was observed on Marshall Road, about 4 miles south of Boulder. Another road was washed out at 4th and Hawthorne. In Superior, one property was destroyed. In Erie, Kenosha Rd. between 119th and Lombardi was 15 ft. deep and impassable. CO52 was closed east of the county line road, as it was washed out at Weld County Road 10-1/2. Boulder Creek completely flooded the Boulder/Weld County Line and CO52 intersection. The most extensive flooding occurred where Coal Creek and Boulder Creek merged. Continuous heavy rainfall produced widespread flash flooding. A prolonged period of heavy rain produced widespread flooding. Several inches of water was reported running through the intersection of Lincoln Ave. and Parker. Significant flooding was reported at the intersections of Jordan Road and Broncos Parkway, and at Jordon Road and Bluebell. Cars were stalled in several inches of standing water at the intersections of Alameda Ave. and Havana as well as Mississippi Ave. and Kalispell. Flash flooding forced the closure of Wolfsenburger Road, west of Castle Rock. In addition, Cherry Creek near Parker was 1.5 feet above flood stage. As a result of the heavy rain, a retention pond at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal breached. The retention pond was approximately 300 yards wide, and 15 to 20 feet deep. Numerous cars were stalled in several inches of standing water near Interstate 225 and Iliff Ave. Significant over running of ponds and streams was also observed near Chambers Road and Quincy Ave.||Other road closures included: 26th and Picadilly, a 50-ft stretch East and West Bound had moving water flowing over it; I-225 South Bound Closed at Alameda, I-225 South Bound just north of Mississippi Ave down to 1 1/2 lanes of traffic; Alameda and Sable East Bound; Alameda and Chambers West and North Bound, Florida and Abilene South Bound, Expo and Abilene North and South Bound, Jewell and Abilene North Bound, Potomac and 6th North Bound, Hoffman and Potomac West Bound, 14th and Potomac South Bound, Alameda and Havana, All directions; and the intersection of 6th and Havana.",
|
