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<br />Questionable Storm Precipitation Reports <br /> <br />This set of storms was presented as having suspect precipitation obseIVations to the <br />October 1996 meeting of the Extreme Precipitation Task Committee. <br /> <br />. The committee acknowledged that the Gladstom: storm of October 1911 (Storm #40) <br />was an extreme event for that region, but the majority of the committee believed the <br />specific local rainfall report at Gladstone was most likely in error although the: <br />magnitude of the error is not known and cannot be inferred easily from other <br />information. <br /> <br />. The Telluride storm was not discussed. <br /> <br />. The Leadville storm of 1937 (Storm # I 07) has been investigated previously and there <br />was full agreement that this obseIVation was exaggerated most likely by the presence <br />of a Marvin snowshield. <br /> <br />. The Cimarron storm of 1952 (Storm #158) has been thoroughly investigated by <br />several committee members. There was total agreement within the review committee <br />that the reported value of5.25 inches was in error and most likely should have been <br />0.53 inches. <br /> <br />. The Eagle and Crested Butte storms were not investigated since the rainfall <br />magnitudes were not exceptional. <br /> <br />. The committee accepted the Colorado Climate Center's recommendation to wnsider <br />the Whiskey Creek and Scotch Creek (Storm #295) SNOTEL measurements as <br />inaccurate. These were most likely accumulated values resulting from SNOTEL <br />communications problems. <br /> <br />. The GTand Lake storm (Storm #286) is also assured to be an error - most likely a <br />decimal placement error. A report of 0.32" would have been most consistent with the <br />amount of snowfall reported. <br /> <br />. The Colorado Springs report (#321) was not closely evaluated, but large <br />accumulations and drifts of hail may have acc:ounted for the extreme rainfall reports. <br /> <br />. The Wolf Creek Pass obseIVation of 4.03" in August 1995 has been carefillly <br />evaluated. No evidence of such heavy rain could be found although moderate rain was <br />widespread over the region. Most likely 0.40" was a more accurate reading. <br /> <br />. Peak rainfall totals (obseIVed or estimated) are also questionable for other storms on <br />the list. For example, reports of 5- T' ofrain in less than 1 hour from ranchers near <br />Masonville (SW of Fort Collins) on September 10, 1938 were investigated, but there is <br />insufficient evidence to either confirm or re:fiJ.te the reports. <br /> <br />It was impossible within the scope of this project to investigate all precipitation reports. <br /> <br />52 <br />