Flash Flood in Colorado, August 8, 2002

Name: Flash Flood in Colorado, August 8, 2002
Start: 2002-08-08T13:45
End: 2002-08-08T15:00
Location: Colorado

August 8, 2002 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A flash flood several feet deep roared down the mountain and damaged two houses. The flash flood also temporarily closed County Roads 250 and 253 where it deposited nearly two feet of mud and debris.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $40,000
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.

A flash flood several feet deep roared down the mountain and damaged two houses. The flash flood also temporarily closed County Roads 250 and 253 where it deposited nearly two feet of mud and debris. One house was filled up to two feet deep with mud. A large propane tank was ripped from its moorings and pushed against another house. Some residents were marooned and occupants of five vehicles were stranded for about two hours along County Road 253.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Junction, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 8, 12:50 PM MST, 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 8, 12:50 PM MST, 55 minutes before

WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
150 PM MDT THU AUG 8 2002

THE LAST STORMS BEFORE THE QUIET.  CURRENTLY...40 DEWPOINTS AND 60KT
JET STREAK ORIENTED INTO CENTRAL COLORADO HAVE COMBINED FOR SOME
STRONG THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY FROM THE TAVAPUTS SOUTH. WEAK
COOL/DEWPOINT FRONT IS DRAPED IN NE UTAH AND HAS SQUELCHED
THUNDERSTORMS TO ITS NORTH AND WEST.  WATER VAPOR IMAGERY INDICATES
THE JET STREAK IS SLOW MOVING AND THERE APPEARS A WEAK RIPPLE ALONG
THE AZ/UT BORDER NOT INITIALIZED IN THE MODELS. MODELS SHOW LITTLE
AGEOSTROPHIC FORCING FOR THIS EVENING. BUT AS THE FRONT BEGINS TO
MOVE EAST AND SOUTH THIS EVENING...THIS MAY PROVIDE A GOOD FOCUS FOR
FURTHER CONVECTION. SO FAR THIS AFTERNOON SPOTTERS HAVE REPORTED ONLY
BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AS STORMS HAVE PRODUCED VIL DENSITIES OF 0.8-0.9...
AND LRM HIGH OF 1-2 PIXELS OF VIP 6.

TONIGHT-FRIDAY: SMALL HAIL AND 50 MPH OUTFLOWS APPEAR POSSIBLE OVER
THE COLORADO CENTRAL MOUNTAINS THIS EVENING. BOTH COAL SEAM AND
MISSIONARY RIDGE BURN SITES REMAIN VULNERABLE TO DEBRIS FLOW FLOODING
THIS EVENING. MODELS SAG THE FRONT THROUGH THE SOUTHERN ZONES LATE
TONIGHT...BUT THIS MAY BE TOO FAST. WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF A
BOUNDARY AND LINGERING MOISTURE SOUTH...WILL KEEP ISOLATED STORMS FOR
FRIDAY.  ONCE THE CLOUDS CLEAR TONIGHT...TEMPERATURES MAY REACH
RECORD LOWS FOR A FEW LOCATIONS ACROSS THE NORTH AND CENTRAL ZONES.
THE COOLER LOW TEMPERATURES FOR THE SOUTHERN ZONES MAY BE FRIDAY
NIGHT.  OTHERWISE FRIDAY THRU SUNDAY WILL BE BENIGN/MOSTLY CLEAR WITH
A WARMING TREND. WEAK FRONT APPROACHES THE NORTHERN ZONES SUNDAY FOR
POSSIBLE AFTERNOON BREEZES.   99/RAMEY

(SUN-THU)...12Z AVN DROPS WAVE OUT OF CANADA INTO THE NRN PLAINS LATE
SUNDAY PUSHING SURFACE FRONT DOWN MAINLY THE EAST SIDE OF ROCKIES
SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. WILL KEEP NORTHERN ZONES DRY BUT WILL TWEAK
TEMPS DOWN A BIT FOR THE NRN MTNS MON AND TUE. REMNANT TAIL END OF
FRONT MAY HANG AROUND INTO MIDWEEK FOR WEAK FOCUS FOR AFTERNOON TSTMS
IN THE CO MTNS...BUT NW FLOW SHOULD REMAIN PRETTY DRY SO WILL KEEP
THE FORECAST THAT WAY TOO. TEMPS GENERALLY NEAR SEASONAL LEVELS.  JAD

.GJT...NONE.

The radar

The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 200 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:44 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, La Plata

When: August 8, 1:45 PM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: La Plata County, 1 mi NE of Durango
Property damage: $40,000
Reported by: EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates: 37.287, -107.843 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in Colorado in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, August 2002

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: 5317986.