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<br />TJUlLEl <br /> <br />Flood of June 1965 <br /> <br />The flood producing rains of 13- <br /> <br />19 June wCre the culmination of a strong and persistent weather <br /> <br />HXGflEST'tENOil.MAGrNGl'LOODSXUORDEROFOCC'JRRlSNCE <br /> <br />ARKANSAS RrVER - HOLLY, COLOPJlOO <br /> <br />pattern that had existed over the western United States for about <br />four months. By 14 June, increasing surface pressures over the <br />central plains. coupled with a low-pressure area centered over <br />Chihuahua, Mexico, ~~d induced an inflow of moist Gulf air into <br />northcact~rn New Mexico and eastern Colorado, damming it up against <br />the Rocky MOuntains beneath the cold air aloft. This resulted in <br />extremely unstable atmospheric conditions and, reinforced by <br />mechanical lifting and convergence, produced phenomenal rains. In <br />southeastern Colorado, there was an IS-inCh storm center over <br />southern Prowers County and a 16_inch storm center over eastern <br />ProwersCounty. <br />Despite complete control of the Arkansas River at John <br />Martin Reservoir, tremendous inflows from south bank tributaries <br />between the reservoir and Holly produced unprecedented flow in the <br />Arkansas River between La~r, Colorado and Great Bend, Kansas. On <br />17 June, the Arkansas River peaked at an c~t~~ted 2DD,OOO c.f.s. <br /> <br /> Estimated <br />Order Peak <br />NUllIber Dat"ofcrest Di~charqe <br /> c.f.$. <br />, " October 19C5 110,000 <br />, June 1921 90,000 <br />, August 1923 . <br />, July 1925 . <br />, August 1929 , <br />, ~ay 1\136 . <br />, April 1942 . <br />, ; June 1949 34,500 <br />; " May19S1 59,900 <br />'" n Jun" 1965 200,000 <br />% estimated discharge dataavailablf'. <br /> <br />at Holly and <br /> <br />Wild Hor~e Creek pcakL~ at 10,600 c.f.s. <br /> <br />~lQod DescriptiQ~s <br />rollowi~q are descriptions of known large floods that <br />havc occurred on the ^rkans~5 River and tributarien in th~ vicinity <br />of Holly, Colorado. <br /> <br />Scenesofda...ages inflicted by the flood of June 1965 <br />~r~ ~"""" in riqure" 1. 2. and J on !,,,qe~ that follow. <br /> <br />flood of October 190e - The flood of 19-20 October wag <br />cau~ed by heavy rain3 that occ~rred rnDGtly during th~ night of 18 <br />October. A peak on the Arkansas River on 19 October ~as ca~sed by <br />runoff from the north side of tte Ar~a~sas River east of La Junta, <br />Colorado. The flo~ peak"d at Holly around rlidnigj,t on 19 October <br />and was prolong~d by runoff froro ~~ Butte Cre~k a~d ~ller tribu- <br />tari"" along t:~" "m.:th bank of th" Atk"n~a5 RiVer. A 5~col\d peak <br />was ehi~fly ca~~ed by nlncff from t~c Purgatoite Rive~. This flow <br />combin~ with (low already in the A~kans~s R;ver to prod~c~ a peak <br /> <br />App.4 <br />; <br /> <br />App. 4 <br />, <br />