Global Information2013 Colorado floods information
 | This article needs to be updated. (February 2014) |
 Disaster emergencies were declared by Governor John Hickenlooper in 14 counties (highlighted) in Colorado. | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Duration | September 9, 2013 – September 30, 2013 |
| Flood | |
| Maximum rainfall | 20 in (508.0 mm) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 8 dead, 1 missing/presumed dead |
| Damage | Estimated over $1 billion |
| Areas affected | Colorado, primarily the Front Range, El Paso County and Boulder County, as well as portions of metro Denver |
The 2013 Colorado floods were a series of natural disasters occurring in the U.S. state of Colorado. Starting on September 11, 2013, a slow-moving cold front stalled over Colorado, clashing with warm humid monsoonal air from the south.[1] This resulted in heavy rain and catastrophic flooding along Colorado's Front Range from Colorado Springs north to Fort Collins. The situation intensified on September 11 and 12. Boulder County was worst hit, with 9.08 inches (231 mm) recorded September 12 and up to 18 inches (460 mm) of rain recorded by September 15,[2][3][4] which is comparable to Boulder County's average annual precipitation (20.7 inches, 525 mm).[5] This event has also been referred to as the 2013 Colorado Front Range Flood,[6][7][8] reflecting a more precise geographic extent in and along the Colorado Front Range mountains.
The National Weather Service's Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center stated in a document that the annual exceedance probability (AEP) for the entire rainfall event was as low as 1/1000 (0.1%) in places.[9]
The flood waters spread across a range of almost 200 miles (320 km) from north to south, affecting 17 counties.[10] Governor John Hickenlooper declared a disaster emergency on September 12, 2013, in 14 counties: Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Boulder, Denver, El Paso, Fremont, Jefferson, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Pueblo, Washington and Weld.[11] By September 15, federal emergency declarations covered those 14 counties as well as Clear Creek County.
- ^ McGhee, Tom (September 12, 2013). "Colorado flood: No relief in sight as record rain falls". The Denver Post. Retrieved September 17, 2013.
- ^ Matt Smith; Dave Hennen (September 20, 2013). "Record rain, steep canyons fueled Colorado floods". CNN.
- ^ Amanda Paulson (September 13, 2013). "For Colorado's 'biblical' floods, numbers tell astonishing tale". The Christian Science Monitor.
- ^ Andrew Freedman (September 16, 2013). "Flood-Ravaged Boulder, Colo., Sets Annual Rainfall Record". Climate Central.
- ^ Average Yearly Precipitation for Colorado. Current Results. Retrieved September 19, 2013.
- ^ Yochum, Steven E.; Moore, Daniel S. (2013). "Colorado Front Range Flood of 2013: Peak Flow Estimates at Selected Mountain Stream Locations". doi:10.13140/2.1.2593.0242.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Yochum, Steven E. (2015). "Colorado Front Range Flood of 2013: Peak Flows and Flood Frequencies". doi:10.13140/rg.2.1.3439.1520.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ Gochis, David; Schumacher, Russ; Friedrich, Katja; Doesken, Nolan; Kelsch, Matt; Sun, Juanzhen; Ikeda, Kyoko; Lindsey, Daniel; Wood, Andy (December 11, 2014). "The Great Colorado Flood of September 2013". Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society. 96 (9): 1461–1487. Bibcode:2015BAMS...96.1461G. doi:10.1175/BAMS-D-13-00241.1. hdl:2117/78527. ISSN 0003-0007. S2CID 46600790.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 7, 2013. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Colorado flood: Rebuild likely to take more than a year". 9news.com. September 16, 2013. Archived from the original on September 17, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.
- ^ Garrison, Robert (September 13, 2013). "Governor declares disaster emergency in 14 counties". 9news.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2013. Retrieved September 16, 2013.