Debris Flow in Colorado, January 11, 2005

Name: Debris Flow in Colorado, January 11, 2005
Start: 2005-01-11T21:00
End: 2005-01-11T21:00
Location: Colorado

January 11, 2005 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

An Amtrak train derailed west of Grand Junction in Ruby Canyon after it hit a 12 foot by 12 foot boulder. Three engines and five cars went off the tracks.

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
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 6
Property damage: $20,000
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.

An Amtrak train derailed west of Grand Junction in Ruby Canyon after it hit a 12 foot by 12 foot boulder. Three engines and five cars went off the tracks. An Amtrak spokesman said the accident injured four crew and two passengers "in the category of bumps and bruises."

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 debris flow. Local standard time, as filed.

Debris Flow, Grand Valley

When: January 11, 9:00 PM MST
Where: Grand Valley forecast zone
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.308, -108.185 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Debris Flow: A fast-moving slurry of mud, rock and debris, usually on a slope soaked by heavy rain or stripped by a fire.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Colorado in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, January 2005

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5436423.