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<br />001802 <br /> <br />susceptible to flooding, especially if there are warmer than normal <br />temperatures and the snowmelt is augmented with rain. Runoff from <br />snowmelt is characterized by moderate peak flows, long duration, and <br />large volumes of water. Most of the annual rainfall occurs during the <br />months of July through October. The intensity of rainfall is moderate <br />to high, and the runoff is characterized by high peak flows of short <br />duration with relatively small volumes of water. Following are <br />notable floods of record at various locations: <br /> <br />Table 2 <br /> <br />HISTORIC FLOODS ON THE RIO GRANDE <br /> <br />Date <br /> <br />Location <br /> <br />Discharge <br />Cubic Feet/Second <br /> <br />1869 <br />Spri ng, 1884 <br />June 5, 1905 <br />October 5. 1911 <br />June 13, 1921 <br />June 29, 1927 <br />May 22, 1948 <br />June 19, 1949 <br />May 30, 1979 <br />June 9, 1985 <br /> <br />Alamosa <br />Alamosa <br />De 1 Norte <br />De 1 Norte <br />Del Norte <br />Del Norte <br />Monte Vi sta <br />Monte Vista <br />De 1 Norte <br />Del Norte <br /> <br />Unknown <br />+ 20,000 <br />10,000 <br />18,000 <br />9,630 <br />15,000 <br />7,100 <br />6,650 <br />8,060 <br />9,040 <br /> <br />Of the several recorded floods, all but one occurred during the months <br />of May to July. The flood of June, 1884, caused primarily by <br />extraordi nary snow cover, 1 asted much longer than the others. The <br />river was at overflow stage at Del Norte from about May 24 to June 20. <br />In other years, the flood stage has remained for only a few days. The <br />highest flood since gaging station records have been kept was that of <br />June, 1927; but the flood of 1884, whi ch occu rred before any gagi ng <br />stat i on had been estab 1 i shed. may have been hi gher, and the October, <br />1911, flood was higher at Del Norte. <br /> <br />The fl ood of October, 1911, was caused by wi despread heavy rai ns <br />throughout southwestern Colorado. The flood of 1927 was caused by a <br />combination of factors: heavy snow cover, precipitation in the form <br />of snow, followed immediately by sudden increases in temperature, and <br />rain during the period of maximum snow melting. The flood of May, <br />1979 was the result of rapid snow melt. <br /> <br />-10- <br />