Colorado, 1998

Flood in Colorado, December 23, 1998

December 23, 1998 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Extremely cold weather froze the Bear River from the bottom up, causing the water in the river to rise out of its banks. Two streets in downtown Yampa were flooded.

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.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$500
Crop damage
None recorded
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.

Extremely cold weather froze the Bear River from the bottom up, causing the water in the river to rise out of its banks. Two streets in downtown Yampa were flooded. Heavy equipment was used to break up the ice and avert a more serious problem. Only minor flood damage was reported.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, Upper Yampa River Basin/Steamboat Springs and Vicinity / C Routt

When
December 23, 3:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Yampa River Basin/Steamboat Springs and Vicinity / C Routt forecast zone
Property damage
$500
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.485, -106.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, December 1998

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: 5677993.