This combination was the perfect recipe for flash flooding. We were coming off of a year with extreme drought plaguing the state, we just had our most active wildfire season ever and we saw the monsoon season actually impact us this year for the first time in years. This year was a perfect setup for flash flooding. Wildfires, which are becoming more numerous and intense across the west amid a warming climate, and the effects of heavy, monsoon rains, lead to big flooding events like we’ve seen this year. “Burn scars have definitely increased the number of watches/warnings issued, no question,” Thomas Renwick of the the NWS in Grand Junction said. Rainfall intensity and duration, topography, soil conditions and ground cover contribute to flash flooding. A flash flood is a sudden, violent flood after heavy rain, or occasionally after a dam break. Flash flood warnings are issued to alert the public that a flash flood is imminent or occurring in the warned area. The National Weather Service is responsible for issuing flash flood warnings when areas are about to or are experiencing impactful weather. Inversely, the following year, 2013, saw a then-record 176 warnings. In 2012, a year with a rather extreme drought, there were only 62 flash flood warnings issued across the state. The 10-year average is just over 100 flash flood warnings issued annually, so this year has more than doubled and is close to tripling the “normal” number statewide. So far in 2021, there have been 282 flash flood warnings issued across the state. Although the year is not over yet, the number of flash flood warnings that have been issued across Colorado has already shattered the previous record set in 2013. It’s no secret that there have been multiple occasions where flooding has wreaked havoc across Colorado over the years. Digital Replica Edition Home Page Close Menu
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