4 flash flood, 1 flood, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The Denver radar (KFTG), 20 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:31 UTC.
4 flash flood, 1 flood, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain caused flooding to occur in the Rancho Pecos apartment building. Several residents had to be evacuated from their apartments.
A woman received minor injuries when lightning struck her when it passed through the office window. She suffered temporary blindness for approximately 15 minutes.
The active monsoon pattern continued to cause flooding and flash flooding problems as another 3 to 5 inches of rain fell on to already saturated soils. Two feet of water reportedly covered portions of roadway near Kiowa. Highwaters also forced the evacuation of several residents in Simla. Highway 86, between Simla and Limon, was closed due to highwaters. In addition, I-70 was closed west of Limon when a nearby stream overflowed its banks covering a portion of the interstate with mud and water. The floodwaters also washed out one of Limon's main water lines.
Radar estimates of 5 to 6 inches of rainfall were observed over northern portions of Morgan County during the evening hours. The brunt of the flooding occurred between 10 pm and 12 am lst when the Weldona Valley Ditch broke. The ensuing floodwaters, up to 4 feet deep, inundated the entire town. Approximately 50 families had to be evacuated, many from their rooftops. Although no dollar estimate was available, 48 homes were damaged, 13 extensively, as well as at least 30 vehicles. Several homes had to be condemned. In addition, $2.0 million in damage was reported to roads, businesses and public buildings in town.
Monsoon moisture continued over the area with thunderstorms drenching the Pawnee National Grasslands, north of Stoneham, with 6 to 8 inches of rainfall. Runoff from the storms eventually turned Pawnee Creek into a huge river. The wall of water, 12 feet high and 200 feet wide made its way downstream flooding the towns of Sterling and Atwood in western Logan County. Highway bridges were washed out, trees uprooted and a portion of Burlington Northern track ripped out. In addition, a 100-ton culvert was torn away and carried downstream approximately 50 feet. In Logan County, 1000 homes and 200 businesses were impacted by the floodwaters as scores of families were evacuated. Some homes in the towns of Sterling and Atwood were under 8 feet of water. At least 13,700 acres of cropland was damaged. Damage estimates of at least $12.9 million were reported to property. A breakdown of the damages included: $10.0 million to homes in Sterling alone, $900,000 to businesses, $1.0 million to a junior college, and at least $1.0 million in damage to state roads, highways and bridges.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, July 1997
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: 5607431, 5607430, 5607432, 5607433, 5607435, 5607434.