FLOOD01912

• County: Saguache
• Community: Crestone
• Stream Name: North Crestone Creek
• Title: Crestone Flood Report and Correspondence
• Date: 12/6/1988
• Prepared For: CWCB
• Prepared By: CWCB
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Flood Documentation Report

2.0 Recorded Rainfall

While a Weather Service precipitation station has been
operational in the Town of Saguache located
approximately 36 miles west of Crestone since 1886,
there is no official long term climatological station on
the west slope of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains.
However, a local resident, Mr. Richard Coffee, has
systematically recorded daily rainfall records near
Crestone since 1975 as a personal hobby. The location
of the recording instrument is in the SW1/4 SW1/4 of
Section 8, R 12 E, T 43 N, NMPM, at elevation 8,320
feet. The maximum monthly daily precipitation recorded
at Crestone are shown in the following table.

MAXIMUM MONTHLY DAILY RAINFALL RECORDED AT CRESTONE, COLORADO

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total
Year .June .July August September Summer#
----- -------- -------- -------- --------- --------
1975 0.25 0.25 0.30 0.85
1976 0.35 28 2.45 0.55 26 1.35 18.30
1977 0.50 14 0.80 17 0.75 0.35 14.43
1978 29 0.90 30 0.25 1* 0.35 17 0.45 14.90
1979 8 1.40 18 0.40 5 0.60 14 0.20 18.39
1980 tr 0.20 8 0.65 10 1.20 15.68
1981 1* 0.95 26 0.50 7 0.70 0.22 17.44
1982 0.12 29 1.00 25 1.36 11 1.20 17.42
1983 25 0.85 21 0.80 12 0.28 18 0.50 21.70
1984 17 0.18 16 0.48 0.08 0.16 11. 80
1985 0.08 17 0.30 tr 28 0.60 16.26
1986 0.25 20 0.85 20 0.40 8 0.38 21.86
1987 8 1.00 24 1.00 24 1.50 1* 0.31 14.82
1988
----------------------------------------------------------------------
tr = trace
# Summer = .June through September

Two miscellaneous measurements are also noteworthy.
In .June 1975, 1.5 inches was reported at Willow Lake
located at elevation 11,500 feet in the headwaters of
Willow Creek. During the period from October 4-6,
1911, 3.68 inches of rain is reported to have fallen at
Hermit Lake, elevation 10,000 feet, located north of
Eureka peak just over the crest on the eastern slope.