Thunderstorms produced very heavy rain in west central Chaffee County. The hardest hit area was in and around Alpine.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS PUB wrote it up.
Thunderstorms produced very heavy rain in west central Chaffee County. The hardest hit area was in and around Alpine. Mud flows from the south slope of Mt. Princeton were up to six feet deep...causing damage and destruction of roads and houses. People were evacuated to Buena Vista...and no one was seriously hurt. Clean up took several days.
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 Pueblo, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 2, 1:00 PM MST, 6 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 200 PM MDT THU AUG 2 2007 .SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND FRIDAY) ...HEAVY RAIN/FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL CONTINUES FOR NEXT 24 HOURS... CURRENTLY...WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND RUC MODEL UPPER AIR ANALYSES SHOWED A MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM CENTERED DIRECTLY OVER CO. PLENTY OF MOISTURE AROUND WITH 12Z/02 REGIONAL SOUNDING ANALYSES SHOWING PRECIPITABLE WATER INDICES AROUND 150 PERCENT ABOVE NORMAL. RELATIVELY HIGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IN PLACE WITH SURFACE DEW POINTS IN THE 60S GENERALLY UP AGAINST THE ERN CO MOUNTAINS...ALONG THE I-25 CORRIDOR AND EWD. TOUGH TO PICK OUT A FEATURE TO ENHANCE CONVECTION THIS AFTN...PRIMARILY LOOKING FOR PULSE TSTMS AND COULD POP UP JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE...LAUNCHING ADDITIONAL PULSE TSTMS. STORM SPOTTER REPORTS...RADAR ESTIMATES... AND SURFACE OBSERVATIONS SUGGESTED 2 TO 6 INCHES DID FALL AROUND THE WET AND SRN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS WED EVE THROUGH EARLY THU AM...MORE IMPORTANTLY IN EXTREME WRN PUEBLO COUNTY AROUND BEULAH. A STORM SPOTTER REPORTED 6.40 INCHES OF RAINFALL LAST WED EVE THROUGH EARLY THU AM. THE ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS ALREADY SUPPORT THE POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING IN THESE AREAS. EARLY AFTN REGIONAL RADAR SHOWED A FEW SHOWERS AND TSTMS TRYING TO GET GOING OVER THE PALMER DVD AND RATON MESA...BUT NOT MUCH ELSEWHERE. TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN SLIGHTLY COOLER IN THE SERN CO PLAINS TODAY. LATE THIS AFTN AND TNGT...NOT MUCH CHANGE ANTICIPATED IN THE MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVEL FLOW PATTERN. VERY TOUGH CALL EXACTLY WHERE STORMS WILL FORM...IF AT ALL. NOT MUCH IN THE WAY OF A SYNOPTIC SCALE TRIGGER/FEATURE TO ENHANCE PRE-STORM CONVECTION. RUC40 AND MESOSCALE MODELS SUGGEST TSTMS POPPING UP JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE THIS AFTN THROUGH THIS EVE. HARD TO TRULY PINPOINT THESE LOCATIONS IN PULSE TSTM ENVIRONMENTS. CONDITIONS ARE ALL IN PLACE FOR MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL...ESPECIALLY WITH CELL TRAINING AND MERGERS...MUCH LIKE LAST NIGHT. THIS IS SIMILAR TO BEING IN A ROOM OF PING-PONG BALLS ON MOUSETRAPS...THROWING A PING-PONG BALL INTO THE ROOM OF MOUSETRAPS AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE AND WHICH PING-PONG BALLS WILL BE SENT FLYING BY EACH OF THE MOUSETRAPS. ANYWAY... MIDLEVEL STEERING CURRENTS ARE <5KTS...H7-H5 SPECIFIC HUMIDITY VALUES ARE 6-8 G/KG...AND FREEZING LEVEL/WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS ARE 14K-17K FT MSL ALL SUPPORT THE HEAVY RAIN POTENTIAL...WHICH IS TYPICAL FOR CO IN AUG. INTENSE TSTMS COULD BE QUITE PROLIFIC HEAVY RAINERS WITH 1-3 INCHES PER HOUR.... ESPECIALLY IN TSTM MERGERS AND STORMS GETTING ANCHORED NEAR THE MOUNTAINS. THE LOCATION HAVING THE GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR FLASH FLOODING STILL LOOKS TO BE FROM AROUND PIKES PEAK THROUGH THE WET AND SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS GIVEN THE COMBINATION OF HEAVY RAIN...COMPLEX TERRAIN...WILDFIRE BURN SCARS...AND ANTECEDENT CONDITIONS. ACTUALLY...OTHER AREAS ACROSS CNTRL...S CNTRL...E CNTRL...AND SE CO COULD SEE LOCALIZED HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLY FLOODING. IT JUST DEPENDS WHERE THESE PULSE TSTMS FORM...TRAVEL... AND TRIGGER ADDITIONAL TSTMS. PLANNING TO KEEP CURRENT FLASH FLOOD WATCH GOING FOR THE SAME AREA...AND THE MENTION OF HEAVY RAIN JUST ABOUT EVERYWHERE TNGT. TSTMS COULD END AROUND MIDNIGHT...BUT TOUGH CALL AND WILL MAINTAIN POTENTIAL AFTER MIDNIGHT. FRI...THERE IS A SLIGHT PATTERN CHANGE. THE MIDDLE AND UPPER LEVEL HIGH CENTERED OVER CO SHIFTS FURTHER E INTO THE CNTRL/SRN PLAINS. RELATIVELY DEEP S-SWLY FLOW DEVELOPS OVER CO. MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY REMAINS OVER THE CNTRL ROCKIES. MESOSCALE MODELS SUGGEST TSTMS TO BREAKOUT OVER THE MOUNTAINS AROUND NOON AND MOVE E-NEWD WITH THE FLOW. TSTM POTENTIAL IMPACT WEATHER WILL CONTINUE TO BE MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...AND GUSTY WINDS. HEAVY RAIN CONTINUES TO BE THE GREATEST THREAT GIVEN H7-H5 SPECIFIC HUMIDITY VALUES OF 6-8 G/KG OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND FREEZING LEVEL/WET BULB ZERO HEIGHTS 14K-17K FT MSL. STORMS MIGHT BE MOVING A LITTLE FASTER FRI AFTN GIVEN H7-H5 FLOW OF 15-20KTS. AGAIN...HEAVY RAIN COULD OCCUR JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE...SO WILL ADD TO THE FORECAST. TEMPERATURES ARE A TOUCH WARMER THAN TODAY. METZE .LONG TERM... (FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) ...WET MONSOONAL PATTERN TO CONTINUE NEXT WEEK... NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN THE LONG-TERM SYNOPSIS. MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD CONSENSUS IN MAINTAINING THE PERSISTENT RIDGE OVER THE GULF AND S CENTRAL U.S. THIS WILL MAINTAIN A FLOW OF MOISTURE UP FROM MEXICO AND INTO THE 4 CORNERS REGION. HAVE MAINTAINED CHANCE POPS OVER THE WRN PART OF THE CWA AND LOWER/SLIGHT CHCE POPS OVR THE PLAINS. TEMPS WILL CONTINUE TO BE AROUND CLIMO. FRIDAY...CANNOT RULE OUT A STRONG STORM OR TWO...PARTICULARLY OVER THE PALMER DVD...BUT SHEAR DOES NOT LOOK AS GOOD AS IT HAD IN EARLIER MODEL RUNS. HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN ISSUE ESPECIALLY WITH THE SATURATED SOIL CONDITIONS...HIGH PRECIP H2O...AND SLOW STORM MOVEMENT. WILL SEE A BIT OF A BREAK ON SAT...AS THE SHORTWAVE TO OUR NORTH MOVES INTO THE DAKOTAS AND WE SEE A BIT OF SHORTWAVE RIDGING BEHIND THIS SYSTEM. SHOULD BE FAIRLY SHORT-LIVED HOWEVER...AS WILL SEE A RETURN OF MONSOONAL FLOW ON SUNDAY. MONDAY MAY BE THE BEST BET FOR HEAVY RAINFALL...AS CO FALLS IN THE ENTRANCE REGION OF A 130+ KT JET STREAK OVER THE N PLAINS. LOW PRESSURE SHOULD DEEPEN SOMEWHERE INVOF THE SE PLAINS OR OK PANHANDLE...SETTING THE STAGE FOR FRONTOGENESIS OVR SERN CO. ALONG WITH THE CONTINUED PLUME OF MOISTURE MOVING TO THE N AND E THROUGH THE 4 CORNERS REGION...ALL THE INGREDIENTS MAY FALL IN PLACE FOR STRONG CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. EC AND GFS NOW BOTH ON BOARD WITH IDEA OF CUTTING OFF THE BASE OF THE PACNW TROUGH...WHICH WILL KEEP THE FLOW OF MOISTURE FLOWING INTO CO THROUGH AT LEAST THE FIRST HALF OF THE WEEK. MAY FINALLY SEE SOME SIGNIFICANT DRYING AS THIS W COAST TROUGH FINALLY MOVES EWD LATE IN THE WEEK. ROSE && .AVIATION... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED TSTMS WILL AFFECT KCOS...KPUB...AND KALS THROUGH 06Z/03 TNGT. THE MAIN THREAT WILL BE HEAVY RAIN WITH IFR-MVFR VIS/CIGS...ERRATIC WINDS WITH POTENTIAL GUSTS UP TO 35KTS...AND PEA SIZE HAIL. METZE && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 11 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR COZ072>081- 083-087. && 17/44
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 653 AM MDT THU AUG 2 2007 COZ058>089-093>099-031300- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST LAKE COUNTY ABOVE 11000 FT- LEADVILLE VICINITY/LAKE COUNTY BELOW 11000 FT- EASTERN SAWATCH MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- WESTERN CHAFFEE COUNTY BETWEEN 9000 AND 11000 FT- CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY BELOW 9000 FT- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST CHAFFEE COUNTY ABOVE 9000 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY WEST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY EAST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- LA GARITA MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY/EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS BELOW 10000 FT- EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- DEL NORTE VICINITY/NORTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- ALAMOSA VICINITY/CENTRAL SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- SOUTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 8500 AND 11000 FT- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FEET- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- NORTHWESTERN FREMONT COUNTY ABOVE 8500 FT- WESTERN/CENTRAL FREMONT COUNTY BELOW 8500 FT- WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY BELOW 8500 FEET- WET MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 6300 AND 10000 FT- WET MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- TELLER COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE ABOVE 7500 FT/PIKES PEAK BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT-PIKES PEAK ABOVE 11000 FT- CANON CITY VICINITY/EASTERN FREMONT COUNTY- NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/MONUMENT RIDGE/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7500 FT- COLORADO SPRINGS VICINITY/SOUTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7400 FT-PUEBLO AND VICINITY/PUEBLO COUNTY BELOW 6300 FT- WALSENBURG VICINITY/UPPER HUERFANO RIVER BASIN BELOW 7500 FT- TRINIDAD VICINITY/WESTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY BELOW 7500 FT- CROWLEY COUNTY-LA JUNTA VICINITY/OTERO COUNTY- EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY-WESTERN KIOWA COUNTY- EASTERN KIOWA COUNTY-LAS ANIMAS VICINITY/BENT COUNTY- LAMAR VICINITY/PROWERS COUNTY-SPRINGFIELD VICINITY/BACA COUNTY- 653 AM MDT THU AUG 2 2007 ...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING FOR THE SOUTHERN FRONT RANGE REGION... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT FLASH FLOODING WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN FRONT RANGE REGION. THIS AREA INCLUDES PIKES PEAK...THE WET MOUNTAINS...THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS...THE WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY AND THE ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY FROM SALIDA EAST TO CANON CITY. THE COMBINATION OF ABUNDANT MOISTURE THROUGHOUT THE ATMOSPHERE...SLOW STORM MOTION AND WET GROUND WILL SET THE STAGE FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF FLASH FLOODING THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ACROSS THE SOUTHERN FRONT RANGE REGION. ELSEWHERE ACROSS SOUTHERN AND SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO...WE EXPECT SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH...AND HAIL UP TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER. ALL STORMS TODAY WILL PRODUCE DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS...EACH DAY THROUGH THE REST OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD...THOUGH THERE IS HINT OF A DRYING TREND POSSIBLY STARTING TUESDAY. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...ALONG WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN...ESPECIALLY IN AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN FRONT RANGE REGION.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
336 PM MDT THU AUG 02 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0119 AM FLASH FLOOD 1 E BEULAH 38.08N 104.96W
08/02/2007 PUEBLO CO LAW ENFORCEMENT
HIGHWAY 78...THE PRIMARY ACCESS ROUTE TO THE MOUNTAIN
COMMUNITY OF BEULAH...WASHED OUT. AN 18 FOOT CULVERT
FAILED...ALLOWING A LARGE SWATH OF THE HIGHWAY TO
COLLAPSE. A VEHICLE HAD TO BE PULLED FROM THE COLLAPSED
AREA. THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SLIGHT HEAD
INJURY BUT IS FINE.
&&
LWALRODPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
338 PM MDT THU AUG 02 2007
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0119 AM FLASH FLOOD 1 E BEULAH 38.08N 104.96W
08/02/2007 PUEBLO CO LAW ENFORCEMENT
HIGHWAY 78...THE PRIMARY ACCESS ROUTE TO THE MOUNTAIN
COMMUNITY OF BEULAH...WASHED OUT. AN 18 FOOT CULVERT
FAILED...ALLOWING A LARGE SWATH OF THE HIGHWAY TO
COLLAPSE. A VEHICLE HAD TO BE PULLED FROM THE COLLAPSED
AREA. THE DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SLIGHT HEAD
INJURY BUT IS FINE.
0230 AM FLASH FLOOD BEULAH 38.08N 104.98W
08/02/2007 PUEBLO CO LAW ENFORCEMENT
NUMEROUS ROADS IMPASSABLE DUE TO FLASH FLOODING.
0230 AM HEAVY RAIN BEULAH 38.08N 104.98W
08/02/2007 M6.40 INCH PUEBLO CO TRAINED SPOTTER
FLASH FLOODING. ONE ROAD OPEN AT 0800 AM MDT.
&&
LWALRODThe Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 171 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:34 UTC.
1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Very heavy rain saturated quartz monzonite soil...and the soil and boulders flowed down to the Chalk Creek Canyon floor and County Road 162.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, August 2007
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: 56823.