Flash Flood, Garfield
- When
- July 23, 4:30 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Garfield County, 2 mi E of Silt
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Crop damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 39.599, -107.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Flash Flood in Colorado, July 23, 1997
Flood waters from swollen creeks washed across six roads, including interstate 70, resulting in closures of varying periods. A man driving a pickup tried to cross one of the flooded roads and was swept away to his death.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Crop damage
- $50,000
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
Flood waters from swollen creeks washed across six roads, including interstate 70, resulting in closures of varying periods. A man driving a pickup tried to cross one of the flooded roads and was swept away to his death. His mangled pickup was found more than a quarter mile away. Three irrigation ditches were damaged, along with some fields of corn and hay. Six houses had minor damage, mainly from flooded basements.
The radar
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 65 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:32 UTC.
Event by event
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Garfield | 1997-07-23 | 50 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
What these are
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flooding and Lightning Strikes in North Carolina, July 23, 1997
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, July 23 to 27, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Arkansas, July 23, 1997
- Flooding in North Dakota, July 23, 1997
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in South Carolina, July 23 to 24, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Missouri, July 23, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Missouri, July 23 to 27, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Damaging Winds in Georgia, July 23, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Nebraska, July 23, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Alabama, July 23, 1997
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, July 23, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Alabama, July 23, 1997
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, July 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5610111.