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<br />d479/chllp1.doc 08/13/98 <br /> <br />1-4 <br /> <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />, <br />i <br />I <br />I <br />t <br />I <br />I <br />If <br />I <br />t <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />I <br />1 <br />I <br /> <br />Introdu ction <br /> <br />Table 1.2-1 <br />Significant Storms of the 1997 Flood Season <br />(greater than 4 inches total accumulation) <br /> <br /> Maximum <br /> Point Clir(latic <br />Location County Date Precipitation Re,tion <br />Colo-Neb Border Weld Mav 24 7.0+ inches Great Plains <br />South of Haxtun Phillips Tune 2 4.5 inches Great Plains <br />Barnesville Weld Tune 2 4.0+ inches Great Plains <br />Greelev Weld lune13 5.0+ inches . Great Plains <br />Holvoke Phillips Tune 14-15 6.0 inches Great Plains <br />Fort Collins Larimer Tulv 27-28 14.5 inches Front ~an~e <br />Hudson Weld lulv 28 7.0+ inches . Great ~lains <br />Northeast Bent Bent July 28 4.0+ inches Great ~lains <br />County (unofficial <br /> reports) <br />Ramah Elbert July 28-30 17.0+ inches (2.. Great ~lains <br /> day total) <br />Punkin Center Lincoln Tulv 29 4.0+ inches Great !Plains <br />SterlinJ;! WeldjLo2an Tulv 29-30 15.0 inches Great !Plains <br />Weldona Mor~an Tulv 29-30 10.5 inches Great !Plains <br />Limon-Hu~o Lincoln 1ulv 29-30 4.0+ inches Great iPlains <br />Fort Collins Larimer AumtSt4-5 4.0 inches Front RanJ;!e <br /> 1.5 GeneralOblServations <br /> <br />A number of known hydrological concepts were clearly in effect durir g the <br />circumstances described in this report. These are discusse&below Iin an <br />effort to further examine the nature of the flood-inducing events al1,tI. the <br />man-made conditions that played roles along the Front Range and e1se,~here <br />in eastern Colorado during the summer of 1997. <br /> <br />1:~5.1 I~eteorology <br /> <br />During the summer months, the entire state is subject.to conv ~ctive <br />, thunderstorms that are capable of producing large amounts offrainfall ( ver a <br />very short time if sufficient humidity is present in the abnosphere. In ei!stern <br />Colorado, these storms typically are supplied with moisture drifting in from <br />the Gulf of Mexico and the central plains states. In midsummer and later, <br />monsoonal wind patterns also bring moisture from either the Baja CaliJ omia <br />area, the Gulf of Mexico, or both. This moisture moves. intOc€oloradc after <br />coming northward across Mexico and the southwestern'U.S:":and it j.s the <br />source of many late summer storms in the state (State of Colorado and lEMA <br />1997). In late July 1997, this tropical moisture was entering;.'the state from <br />the south. At the same time, alargehigh-pressurecsystem had s~lled <br />over the central plains, and.its clockwise rotation supplied" moishlIe to <br />Colorado from the east. A cold front associated with.th~high prl ssure <br />