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Weekend Temperatures Could Increase Mountain Flooding

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The northeastern plains of Colorado are under a Flash Flood Watch through Wednesday morning. Heavy, slow-moving storms could drop between 2 to 4 inches rain. The cooler weather is also delaying the flood threat from snowmelt – but not for much longer.

Temperatures are expected to be more seasonal over the Memorial Day weekend and that could prompt runoff levels not yet seen this season.

“What’s unclear at this point is just how warm it’s going to be this weekend. At this point it’s looking like it’s going to be fairly seasonal, maybe a couple of degrees above average,” says Kevin Houck. Houck is an engineer in the flood protection section of the Colorado Water Conservation Board.

He says the spring runoff should have started weeks ago.

“What’s been working out really well thus far is that any warm days that we have gotten we maybe get two or three days in a row and then its followed by a cold snap which sharply cuts off the snow melt that has been rising up to that point.”

Snow pack levels in some parts of the state are 247 percent of average and continuing to rise. Even if it does warm up over the weekend, Houck say any flooding problems wouldn’t show up until the early or middle part of next week. However small streams closer to heavy snowpack areas could see issues by Sunday.

Email: brian.larson@kunc.org