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Flash Flood — Chaffee, CO

Jul 22, 2002

Intense rainfall and hail due to slow moving thunderstorms fell on steep slopes composed of loose soil and rock. The worst rock and landslides in decades occurred on county road 306, which is in the Cottonwood Creek drainage north of Mt. Princeton. The debris on county road 306 was one mile long and over 10 feet deep in spots. An elderly couple was swept to the side of county road 306, and mud and rock flowed into their van. They suffered hypothermia and abrasions and bruises. County road 3

Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database (event 5309353). Narrative written by NWS staff at the time of the event.

Flood Risk Context for Chaffee, CO

This event is one of many recorded floods in Chaffee County. See the full FEMA flood zone map, NFIP claim totals, and disaster history for the area.

View Chaffee County flood data →

More Flood Stories

Flash Flood$1.0M damage

Chaffee, CO · Jul 21, 2007

Heavy thunderstorm rains of up to 3 inches produced severe mud flows over sections of county roads 162 and 292 in Chalk Creek Canyon. The Alpine subdivision was in the path of the worst mudflow, where mandatory evacuations occurred.

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Flash Flood$2.0M damage

Chaffee, CO · Aug 2, 2007

Thunderstorms produced very heavy rain in west central Chaffee County. The hardest hit area was in and around Alpine. Mud flows from the south slope of Mt. Princeton were up to six feet deep...causing damage and destruction of roads and houses.

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Flash Flood

Chaffee, CO · Jul 1, 2021

The setup on this day supported another summer day with possible flash flooding over and near the mountains, though the setup did also support severe thunderstorm development as the activity pushed off the mountains into a more unstable air over the plains.

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Flash Flood

Chaffee, CO · Jul 1, 2021

The setup on this day supported another summer day with possible flash flooding over and near the mountains, though the setup did also support severe thunderstorm development as the activity pushed off the mountains into a more unstable air over the plains.

Read the full account →