FLOOD08183

• County: Summit
• Community: Breckenridge
• Stream Name: Blue River
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Title: Floodplain Information Breckenridge
• Date: 9/1/1974
• Prepared For: Summit County
• Prepared By: Leonard Rice Consulting Water Engineers, Inc.
• Floodplain - Doc Type: Floodplain Report/Masterplan

II. Location ~ areal di~tribution of J2. .~cinitation for ~
~-yoa,I' cvent

A. Location

lleteorolo;:;ical studie~ hove ~~Olm us that in
:r.ountoinou:: Dreas elevated reGiol:; are favored for
the oriGinction of convection. :'.so, such studies
have ::il01ffi t~l:J.t re~ion3 of 10H lc. ,el co nvercence are
also favored reGionn. nlose two :actors can both be
combined in 0 reGion :llonG tho Cc:tinontal Divide in
the sout!lCr::1 end of the 1:llue Rive> msin. Three ele-
vated rer:ions in t:.'1e southern ba~: n er.d exist: the
Red J.;ountain-SiIverheeIs H)untail com"lex, the fuld
liluntain- ibreas Lountain com~lex, and the Glaci er
l~untain-Red Cone co"~le7.. The l:w level convercence
zono formeQ bv floH U"O the m-/-SE llue River Valle':
C-'1a flol-1 up t:le South' Par~ reGior, (channeled b:! tho
3:mGre de Grin to TIa::[;e) en ~ts al 'ne tno Continaltol
Divide. ':-~o of the t'1ree elevate re~o::1S ore 3UO-
ject to tele l'ull force of the con ,-e:'cence zone; the
~ed Lt.-Silver!lCcls Lt. cOl1l!'lex, c:ld the Enld I;t.-
Ex:>rca~ ~~t. con~.lex.
It is therefore l"lO~t li!:ely t' cot over the!;c
COl'1plcJ:es t~lO convective activit:!' ,fill be concentl'~-
tc~. Cne C~~ vi3uolize t:1.st the ',ncic.c:lt sol~ ::-a-
~':';:t.:..on on t~::.J elc-,,-atecl areas t-:2.1~:. c.ct 2.C :) t:,i,---:-~~
to ::et ofr co nvcctiol1 or.d thereby orC:J:li::e t:le ~c::;o-
~~:lle :"'10":,;. .:,;uch D process, once i:.1itiatec., C~"'1 C:):-..-
t::J:t:e c con$ic.1e!'D.ble len..:;tl1 of ti~~e. Tile ~""pro;:ir~:..te
loc~-::;::':-11 o~ the c~n..;ecti v-a cente!';~ ca.n oe detc~lr:i::cc::.
~~! D~'):::-ro=:inDt~_110 t~le eleVDted 9re;': centers :!~ t~~
ros:,cct t.o t,':e 1":oan nOli al1d cene:'al convel'[;cacc :::,:;t-
t~rn.

'. B. ..:~..rcal di::trl but:: on

nle <1!'cal Q!;tribution of' rai:' f'rom cunulou!;
clouc'':: ~1O,:: oe:!ll "'101m to be somell: ,at lar;::er t:lon t:le
U::'lC:::'oi'~ 2''Jr 3 -'11C',ins t~'~e s~'stem. This i~ lJ.."r1,~t 0:1C
;!oclC: ?=:- ect ~rom potential' 1'lOH ~olu,tions of' ~ jet
J.:T--:'=ct:_::.~, 2 -3~nct z i'lct DInte. J.n t:."!e !:lo'.mt~2n.s,
t":o :;::lui::o;~ i~ n'J-:: cs 3imnle. Con~11e~ r.1QtL."1td.:j. t:r-'-
o:'l'aphy l;[;l:cs,'f~ cencrol soiution e::trcJ:lcl:'i dLCf'icl:lt,
solvable onl~ yor 0 Given reeion. In t~in s~C:J, I
,!:'.ll c.s"t!;'lC for c rirnt a"Onro;:ina.tion that the a,real
('15.~t:aib1.:..tion iG the z~~e as the updraft, rea~i::::!.n:;
t~_lCt t!'!i~ i~ a conzo!'votive estimate.
'l':-:.c a"",roach I u3ed 1-1::lS to estimate fror.J pub-
15,::;;!e:: volues the critical uPOrsi't erea necess:J.!':" to
~,ro::es', c::OU;:-':l cir, ct 0 [;i ven efficiency, to pro:luce
a volu:'l0 of' ~:::lter ob:oerveci. over a v::-,I'iable 3ize