Colorado Weather: Flooding possible on Monday especially south and west of Denver
Rich moisture in the air over Colorado has prompted a Flood Watch for the foothills, the mountains, and the Palmer Divide in Douglas and Elbert Counties. That is why CBS News Colorado has declared Monday a First Alert Weather Day.
The watch starts at 1 p.m. and continues through midnight for the higher terrain of Jefferson, Boulder, and Larimer Counties as well as all areas south and southeast of Highlands Ranch.
Rainfall rates of up to 2" in just 30-45 minutes from strongest storms could quickly cause flooding particularly over the burn scars leftover from past wildfires like East Troublesome and Cameron Peak near Rock Mountain National Park and Grizzly Creek above Glenwood Canyon on the Western Slope.
The heaviest rain in the Denver metro area will likely occur between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. and will likely be focused over the southern and western suburbs. Douglas and Elbert Counties could get particularly hard hit with rain heavy enough to cause localized flash flooding especially in poor drainage locations such as underpasses and other low lying areas.
Farther north toward Fort Collins and Greeley, the chance for rain is lower and the threat for flooding is considerably less especially in Weld County.
There is also a small chance for thunderstorms Monday afternoon and evening producing wind gusts strong enough to cause damage. This is mainly a concern on the Eastern Plains closer to Nebraska and Kansas.
Starting Tuesday, the chance for rain decreases through the end of the week as high temperatures stay mostly in the 80s this week. After a long stretch of hotter than normal weather that ended over the weekend, most days this week will stay slightly cooler than normal.
