FLOOD00098

• County: Eagle
• Community: Vail, Eagle County
• Stream Name: Gore Creek
• Title: Floodplain Information Report
• Date: 6/1/1975
• Prepared For: Eagle County
• Prepared By: HYDRO-TRIAD, LTD.
• Contract/PO #: &&
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

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warmer than the maximum at the top of the pass. The near mountain

top exposure gives the nearest relationship to the measurements of the

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ambient air which is moving generally from west to east above the

mountain barrier.

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Water content in vapor form in saturated air at 30 F. can only be one-
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sixth as great as in saturated air at 80 F. Such cooler air directly

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limits the quantity of moisture which can be contained in summer thunder-

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storms above high mountainous plateaus. The vertical dimension of the

thunderstorms is also limited and many times small hail pellets are a

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major product of the more intense thunderstorms during the months of

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July and August. The collection of such hail pellets on the ground

forces a notable delay L~ any melting and subsequent runoff.

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'l'here is also an important time limit for mountain-type thunderstorms

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to remain above relatively small watersheds. The typical dia'lleter of

high mountain thunderstorms is less than four miles. The upper portion

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of these high mountain thunderstorms is almost always affected b-j west

to east flow of the surrounding air mass when they occur. Probably t~e

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most frequent quadrant of direction of flow is from southwest toward

northeast.

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The formation of the initial convective cell takes place over highest

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terrain. Air moves upslope iran both sides of the mountain barriers,

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such as the Gore Pange. Whc,n the convective cell grows in size and

approaches thunderstorm dimension there already would have been some

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motion toward the east or northeast. Most of any resultant precipita-

tion will fall from such a storm toward the east or northeast

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