Scattered hail and thunderstorms, a product of tropical storm Alberto, moved across Southwest Colorado on Thursday and Friday.
The whole Western Slope was hit hard. The National Weather Service said Grand Junction Airport saw a record-shattering 1.07 inches of rain, the most ever recorded there in a 24-hour period. The total volume of the rain fell in just 30 minutes. The most rain previously recorded at the airport was 0.42 inches in 1963.
The Animas River was flowing at 1,290 cubic feet per second at 7 a.m. Thursday, before the storms began. By 12:30 p.m. Friday, it was flowing at 3,340 cfs, a 258% increase in just 18 hours. In the same time frame, the river rose nearly 1½ feet.
Even in an area that is always in need of water, the storms bring challenges.
Damages from these intense, isolated weather patterns include crop losses, flooding and dented vehicles. Parts of the Western Slope also experienced power outages on Thursday as a result of the storms.
“Our storms around here can be blessings and curses,” said Darrin Parmenter, the Western Region Director for CSU’s Extension Offices.
Parmenter said leafy crops like lettuce can appear damaged by heavy rain, but will likely revive. Hail, on the other hand, is a different story. Leafy crops damaged by hail can regrow, as it is unlikely hail would damage the root systems, but hailstorms can set farmers back by weeks.
While there is never a good time for a hailstorm, Parmenter said local growers are far better off with one at the beginning of the season, rather than the end. Fruited crops, like squash, tomatoes and peppers become unsalable when damaged by hail.
The Durango Herald reached out to several local farmers about crop damage on Friday, but none wanted to speak about it until the storms had passed, citing a superstition that commenting might make matters worse.
The hail was mostly localized to the Bayfield and Grandview areas.
Dan Prahl, who lives near the intersection of CR 228 and CR 225, northeast of Elmore’s Corner, reported hailstones larger than the size of a quarter coin in diameter. He said the hail dented his car and roof, as well as causing considerable damage to his garden. Prahl does not yet have an estimate for the cost of the damages.
The La Plata County Road and Bridge Department received reports of significant flooding and hail in the 3600 block of County Road 225 and the 900 block of Florida Road (County Road 240) northeast of Durango. The flooding was caused by clogged culverts, which the county promptly cleared, said Deputy Administrator Recy Reider.
In the process of clearing the culverts, several county vehicles were dented by golf ball-sized hailstones. No windows, however, have been reported broken by hail.
The Road and Bridge Department did not receive any reports of mudslides making roads impassable, but Reider said rocks and debris had washed onto roads and culverts causing problems.
Local tourist locations were also affected by the weather.
Purgatory Resort closed its bike park on Friday as a result of the storms. The resort advised hikers and bikers to avoid muddy trails. Purgatory recorded 1.3 inches of rain on Thursday. The area averages 2 to 3 inches of rain during the entire month of June.
A flood watch was issued Thursday for the town of Cortez, and local weather spotter Jim Andrus confirmed at least two apartments in Cortez saw minor flooding.
The storms are expected to end by Saturday, but showers could continue into Friday evening.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” Andrus said.
