Today looks to be a repeat:
A Flash Flood Watch has been issued for the Front Range Foothills and Urban Corridor including Metro Denver from 11am thru midnight. #COwx
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NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) July 08, 2012From the Fort Collins Coloradoan (Robert Allen):
People waded through waist-deep water Saturday evening in Wellington, where firefighters worked to pump flooded basements — one of which was filled 8 feet to the top step with brown, murky water…
Highway 34 west of Loveland to Drake was closed at 6 p.m. and still hadn’t re-opened by 10 p.m. as crews worked to clear roads of rock- and mudslides along Big Thompson River. Farther south, Interstate 25 was closed at Dacono in both directions for most of the evening…
There’s a 60 percent chance of storms today, with a risk of flash floods especially in burned and previously-soaked areas. On Monday, the chance of storms is 30 percent. Now that much of the ground is soaked, the risk of flooding increases…
In the 24-hour period between 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, the rain gauge near Lemay and Mulberry in Fort Collins received 2.6 inches, according to the city’s website at http://www.fcgov.com. Most areas received about an inch.
Here’s a drought-related release from the Eagle River Water and Sanitation District (Diane Johnson):
Drought is intensifying all over Colorado, according to the weekly Drought Monitor. Extreme conditions exist in 71 percent of the state, including Eagle County. This week’s map shows exceptional drought conditions are present in two areas, with the rest of Colorado experiencing severe or extreme conditions.
About 47 percent of the nation’s land area is in various stages of drought, with 8.64 percent of the country in either extreme or exceptional drought.
Local drought conditions reflect this winter’s record low snowpack and continued hot, dry, and windy weather. Flows in local streams are correspondingly low, at 15 to 25 percent of historic averages for this time of year. The Vail Mountain SNOTEL site recorded one-tenth of an inch of precipitation on July 4, the first measurable amount since May 24. If conditions continue to be hot and dry, local streamflows will further decline and may affect the supply of water available to Eagle River Water & Sanitation District.
Should community demand for water outpace the available supply in the public water system, the district will restrict outdoor water usage beyond the current normal regulations, which allow outdoor water use up to three days per week, before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Residents are strongly encouraged to evaluate their outdoor water use and allot water to their highest priorities so the overall community demand for water is reduced.
