Three days of heavy rain brought floods to parts of Boulder and northern Jefferson counties, Colorado, late on Wednesday 11th September. Flash flood warnings have also been issued for surrounding areas Denver county, El Paso county, city of Fort Collins, Larimer County, parts of Weld County.
It is estimated that Boulder has seen around 6 inches / 15cm of rain since Monday 10th September. The National Weather Service said that over 3 inches of rain had fallen in Boulder in just 6 hours on Wednesday evening.
The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency for the are at 12:14am on Thursday 12th September. The heavy rain continued and mandatory evacuations were carried out in Fourmile Canyon in Boulder County and in Jamestown after fears that flood water and landslides may have caused structural damage to buildings in the areas. There have also been reports of power cuts in the area.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s office confirmed earlier today that there had been at least one death as a result of the floods. There are also unconfirmed reports that several houses collapsed in the Jamestown area.
Authorities in Boulder city issued a warning to residents in low-lying areas to move to higher ground. A shelter for those displaced by the flood damage in Boulder has been set up by the Red Cross at the North Boulder Recreation Center, 3170 Broadway. Motorists were advised stay off the road where possible, and to use extreme caution when driving. There have been some reports of people trapped in vehicles in flood waters, with several roads closed or blocked.
The rain has been so heavy the flood waters have been described by one eye witness as a “raging river” on the streets. Below is a video clip of a flooded area of Boulder (36 and Colorado), which as is shown, was an area that attracted plenty of interest from locals and no doubt a busy period for flood damage restoration companies in the area.