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<br />Causes of Eastern Colorado Floods <br /> <br />Why is the eastern slope of Colorado, so prone to flooding? Geography <br /> <br /> <br />is the basic reason. <br /> <br /> <br />The eastern slope of Colorado has its back to the Rocky Mountains-- <br /> <br /> <br />a 12,000 to 14,000 foot wall which stretches from north to south. The <br /> <br /> <br />eastern slope faces the high plains which merge into the States of <br /> <br /> <br />Nebraska and Kansas. These States extend to the Missouri River which <br /> <br /> <br />joins the mighty Mississippi in its broad sweep to the Gulf of Mexico. <br /> <br /> <br />In addition to the massive western barrier, the eastern slope is <br /> <br /> <br />separated into drainage basins by divides which constitute' sub-barriers <br /> <br /> <br />running a general east-west course. <br /> <br /> <br />Moisture-laden, unstable, tropical air from the Gulf of Mexico can <br /> <br /> <br />sweep far inland and eventually impinge upon the wall of the Rocky <br /> <br /> <br />Mountains. At the same time, relatively cooler, drier air can sweep <br /> <br /> <br />down from the northern plains. When tremendous air masses with such <br /> <br /> <br />different characteristics meet head-on, and are deflected and hemmed in <br /> <br /> <br />by the mountain barrier, the unstable moisture-laden air from the south <br /> <br /> <br />can be triggered into unbelievably violent rain storms. <br /> <br /> <br />Such storms can be very erratic in their distribution and intensity <br /> <br /> <br />over the eas~c~n slope, probably due in part to the divides which extend <br /> <br /> <br />west to eest. Cne side of a divide can receive a relative trickle; the <br />other 8~da can receive a downpour. <br />The Ju~c 1965 flood in the South Platte River Basin was typical of <br />the fu:'Y <<hich nature can generate. However, there have been numerous <br /> <br />past floods in the area. <br /> <br />i <br />