Flooding in northwestern Colorado cancels school in Hayden, Highway 40 reopens
Flooding in northwestern Colorado caused a complete shutdown of Highway 40 between Craig and Hayden on Thursday morning. That highway reopened just after 1 p.m. according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
CDOT also advised motorists that a safety closure may be necessary on US 40 Berthoud Pass later in the day on Thursday, located further east on US 40 due to avalanche conditions.
The town posted an update to the flooding on its Facebook page just after 11 a.m., "the water seems to be receding at the moment but the Weather Service has issued a Flood Warning for the area through April 15 8 a.m."
"Our PW crew, Routt County, and CDOT are working to clear culverts and snow piles in anticipation of possible flooding again late tonight. If you have a storm drain in front of your home and see it getting clogged please do what you can to unclog it and allow the water to flow to the proper areas."
In a letter to parents and students, Hayden Valley Schools confirmed all schools would be closed for the day Thursday due to flooding in the immediate region.
Hayden police are distributing sandbags to anyone who needs them. There are some evacuations happening in certain areas with the Hayden Center set up as the emergency evacuation center.
The Town of Hayden posted on its Facebook page, "If you have questions please call Routt County non-emergency dispatch of Town Hall at 970-276-3741."
There was no immediate information about any possible damage from the flooding, but photos from CDOT showed Dry Creek spilling beyond its bounds, an RV park partially under water and heavy equipment being used to try to protect the highway from floodwaters.
The Town of Paonia posted on its Facebook page that flooding was reported around Bell Creek and that waterways are likely to overtop in the coming weeks.
The snowpack is well above normal in northwestern Colorado and Routt County. The Yampa River and White River basins are at 143% of normal. That could lead to more flooding as temperatures rise this spring.
In the eastern part of the state, fire danger is in store Thursday due to warm temperatures and high winds.
