Colorado could face a quick snowmelt from a warm spell forecast for May 8 to 18 – leading to a flood risk along mountain rivers, including the Yampa, White, Blue and Eagle, says John Henz, a meteorologist on the state’s flood task force.
Breckenridge, Eagle, Steamboat Springs and downstream communities should be prepared for high runoff with the thaw, Henz said.
“It will be like turning on a water faucet,” he said.
During the May warming trend, temperatures in mountain valleys are expected to hit 85 or 90 degrees Fahrenheit and rise to 60 or 65 on mountainsides to send water rushing, he said.
The temperatures will melt some very large snowpacks.
In the Colorado Basin, snowpack is 111 percent of average and in the Yampa Basin, it is 114 percent of average.
The warm weather and high water flows will attract rafting enthusiasts, but those who are inexperienced or overmatched could be asking for trouble, Henz said.
“The combination of warm weather and very cold water from the runoff is a recipe for hypothermia,” Henz said.
Steamboat Springs officials are warning citizens of flooding potential on a Web newsletter saying the city will offer bags and sand.
In Summit County, 90 people attended a community meeting Thursday in Frisco to hear about preparedness from emergency managers and law and public works officials.
“The locals will see runoff they haven’t seen in 10 years and newcomers have never seen,” said Scott Hummer, water commissioner for the Blue River Basin. “The message we want to get out is that high water has consequences.”
One concern is that population has increased in Summit County and moved into areas that were vulnerable to river floods in 1995, Hummer said.
Tourists should be alert to high water along ski-area river walks, he said.
Another concern is that driving spring rains in combination with spring thaw will exacerbate the problem as it did in 1995, Hummer said.
Staff writer Dave Curtin can be reached at 303-820-1276 or at dcurtin@denverpost.com.
