Meteor Lights Up Sky, Breaks Up and Booms over Midwest

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Mountain Lion Gets Dog in Trinidad

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Town of Parker Issues Mountain Lion Warning

Even though Parker is located 20 miles from the foothills, mountain lions have been spotted in the Parker area since December 3.
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2013 Was Quite a Year for Colorado Natural Hazard Events

Extreme weather in Colorado was, well..... extreme this year.  The year started with a mild and dry winter and a continuation of the severe drought of 2012. In early June, a wildfire in the Black Forest area between Denver and Colorado Springs became the costliest fire in Colorado history with over 400 homes destroyed and 2 people killed. Later in June, the West Fork fire ravaged the San Juan mountains near the town of South Fork and charred over 100,000 acres to become the second largest wildfire in Colorado history.

Just when things were looking hot and dry, a switch flipped somewhere and record rainfall, floods and mudslides followed.  A strong monsoon season started in Colorado in mid-July and continued all the way through September, culminating in the extensive floods along the Front Range.  The monsoon started off with a 6 inch rain that flooded tiny Greenhorn Creek and the town of Rye, located south of Pueblo. Then daily late afternoon thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall that caused debris flows from the 2012 wildfire burn scars above Fountain Creek and Hwy 24 through Manitou Springs and the burn scars above the Poudre River and Hwy 14 west of Fort Collins.  Each area had 5 debris flows, which swept away cars and stranded other motorists.  1 person was killed by flooding in Manitou Springs and another killed by flooding along Sand Creek in Colorado Springs.

The monsoon expanded to most of the state and caused flash flooding, mudslides and rockslides across Colorado. Golf ball to baseball-sized hail piled up over a foot deep in two separate storms near Fort Collins and Greeley, while lightning struck 9 field workers near Greeley and 12 soldiers at Fort Carson.  Aurora received 2.9 inches of rain that flooded streets in several feet of water.

That was just the warmup for the great flood of 2013. Starting on Tuesday September 10, it rained hard for 4 days straight with record rainfall amounts in the area around Boulder up to Fort Collins. Flash flooding hit Boulder, Lyons and Big Thompson Canyon when the storm intensified on Thursday, September 12 taking out bridges, hundreds of miles of roadway and isolating Lyons and part of Longmont along with many small mountain communities. Rockslides inundated houses in the small mountain town of Jamestown west of Boulder, killing one person and there were many reports of a "20 foot wall of water" coming down normally small creeks that cutoff and stranded residents and rescue workers. As the rains continued and the water poured out of the mountains, the South Platte River flooded Greeley washing out roads and highway bridges on Friday.

During the same week of September 10, flooding was also happening from Denver to Colorado Springs and Durango. Aurora had waist deep water while Bear Creek flooded in Evergreen washing out roads and damaging the business area. There was concern that the dam in Evergreen, which was overtopped, was going to fail and send a wall of water downstream through Morrison. Bear Creek rose 9 feet in Morrison but didn't quite make it to flood stage. Bear Creek Dam, built after the 1965 floods, did a good job of containing the deluge as water levels in the reservoir rose 30 feet. Manitou Springs and Fountain Creek flooded again during the week, while the Animas River flooded near Durango. Road repairs and restoration of towns and businesses continues to this day with somewhere near $2 billion in damages and 8 people killed by the great flood of 2013.

From one extreme to the other,  the year ended with  a week long sub-zero cold snap, not experienced on the Front Range and west slope since 1985. December 4-9 overnight temperatures were below zero as much as -15. Clear Creek froze solid creating an ice dam that caused flooding of an RV park in Golden.

2013 had a number of incidents occur on hiking trails.  Moose attacks on three separate occasions sent hikers to hospitals with broken bones and head injuries.  A rockslide in Deer Creek Canyon Park seriously injured 2 high school hikers in a party of 5  in January. They were flown by the Flight for Life to a Denver hospital about 3 hours after the incident. In October, a large rockslide killed 5 family members hiking on the Chalk Creek trail near the base of Mt. Princeton. A 6th member of the party survived with broken bones when her Dad shielded her and pushed her out of the way.

West Nile virus is back on the rise with the 4th highest number of cases since it appeared in Colorado in 2002. There were 313 cases with 7 fatalities with about half the total in Larimer county in the Fort Collins-Greeley-Longmont area.

There were over 11,000 deer-vehicle collisions in 2013 with 3 people killed.  There were 2 minor bear attack incidents  in 2013. In October, a rare coyote attack injured a 22-year old Longmont man with bites on the face and hands.

Overall an active year for natural hazards but consistent with historical rates.

Heritage High School in Littleton Locks Down after Mountain Lion Spotted

Even though the cougar probably wouldn't have attacked anybody, probably better safe than sorry.
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Skier Dies After Hitting Tree at Telluride

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Bear Comes Out of Hibernation, Wanders Around Basalt

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High Winds North of Boulder Knock Out Power Lines

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Are Meteor Strikes About to Rise?

A meteor over Arizona exploded causing houses to shake.  Somewhat less intense than the meteor that exploded over Russia in February but given that these two cases are the only ones since the air blast in Russia in 1908, are we seeing a cyclical increase?
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Mountain Lion Sighted at Vail Ski Area

Wildlife despite all that development!
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Cold Snap Over

A week of subzero weather is over.  There were a couple of frostbite cases taken in at local hospitals. 

The last time a long cold snap hit the Front Range was in February, 1985. That one was cold enough to freeze water lines 4 to 6 feet underground.

CU Professor Warns of Solar Flare Impacts

Study of a coronal mass ejection in 2012 showed it was bigger than the Carrington event of 1859. The 2012 storm was directed away from the earth but had it been a week earlier, the sun's position would have blasted it directly at the earth.
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Bear Family Wintering in Den in Colorado Springs Neighborhood

A detailed account of recent happenings.
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Bird Botulism Outbreak in the Great Lakes

I don't think this is possible in Colorado and I don't know if their is a transmission pathway to people but I will have to look into it.
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Ice Jam Causes Flooding on Clear Creek in Golden

Extreme cold can freeze water mains but flooding by ice jams is a rare event in Colorado.
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Survivor of Chalk Creek Rockslide Shares How Dad Saved Her

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Another hiker further up the trail describes the loud thunder clap type of noise that came when he saw "a big chunk of the mountain slide down".

CU Hospital Prepares for Frostbite Cases

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High Winds Blow Over Tractor Trailer on I-25

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Multiple Sightings of Mountain Lion in Parker

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Solar Cycle Quietest in 100 Years

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So we had a quiet year with hurricanes and tornadoes in the US this year - is there a correlation? I will have to look into that.

40th Anniversary of Meteorite that Struck Canon City House

I missed this one - it was about one month ago. A 3 pound meteorite crashed through the roof of a Canon City house and landed on the living room floor in 1973.
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It happens more often than people realize. Today there is a story about a boy in Florida that was struck in the head by a meteorite.
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Mountain Lion Eats Pygmy Goats near Loveland

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The Untold Story of Flooding on Coal Creek

With all the focus on Boulder, Big Thompson and Lyons, the less populated Coal Creek Canyon didn't receive much attention during the September floods. 25 foot deep scours and debris piled up over 10 feet high.
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First Avalanche Warning of the Season

Back country skiers be alert!
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High Winds Cause Minor Damage in Foothills Around Colorado Springs

Manitou Springs has had more than its share of severe weather problems to deal with this year.
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The Cost of Building in the Flood Plain

Irrigation company tries to put Left Hand Creek back in the channel it occupied before the September floods.
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Looking at the photos of repair work on the channel and flood plain, you can see that the ground is all gravel deposits. That means that the channel has moved every time there has been a significant flood which deposits thick layers of rocks and debris. In the long run, constructing a flood control dam upstream or cleaning out the channel every time there is a flood will be the cost of trying to keep natural erosion from doing what it always has.

A good flyover video of the highway erosion damage and mudslides at the bottom.

Atlantic Hurricane Season Quietest in 45 Years

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The number of US tornadoes was also the 2nd lowest in the past 25 years, while Colorado had 19 through the end of July, headed toward the lowest number of tornadoes since 1978.
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I took a look at the hurricane and tornado records to see if there is any correlation of hurricane activity with tornadoes in Colorado. Tornado records in Colorado only go back to 1950 and the number of tornadoes observed prior to 1975 is probably lower than the actual number because weather satellites weren't in place.

Every type of severe weather is following its own cycle independent of temperature. Average temperature has been steadily increasing since 1970, while hurricanes and tropical storms go through a regular 60 to 70 year cycle of increasing and decreasing. Hurricanes making landfall peaked around 10 years ago and have since been declining at the largest rate since records have been kept.  Tornadoes in Colorado peaked around 1995 and have been declining since that time.  There's not enough record, but it appears that Colorado tornadoes also come and go on a long term cycle of 60 to 70 years. Floods and droughts occur on regular cycles that are different from the other types of weather, although droughts usually (but not always) correlate with years that annual temperature is much higher than the 11 year average.

So despite the claims of some that warming air temperatures have caused more and unusual severe weather in Colorado, the record indicates that cycles continue onward and are probably more related to ocean currents like La Nina and El Nino weather patterns and lots of other factors. The floods around Boulder this year came after a long absence of severe floods on the Front Range but a review of the longer term record shows that severe flooding has occurred on a regular basis. The same is true for droughts.

Moose Spotted near I-25 South of Castle Rock

Moose can cause serious damage and injury when struck by a vehicle because of their height and weight.
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Colorado Climate Center 2013 Flood Data

For those with a scientific bent. Comparisons of 2013 rainfall with past flood events.
Link

Many Popular Trails Still Closed After Flood Damage 2 Months Ago

This article details many popular parks and trails near Colorado Springs that are not accessible because of road damage.
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$17 million in damages to roads, campgrounds and trails in Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forests.
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The road up Coal Creek Canyon will be re-opened Monday
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and the road base to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park was temporarily restored last week.
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Two of my favorite trails along Bear Creek were damaged by the flood waters and are still closed for repairs at Lair of the Bear and Bear Creek Lake.

Sun Emits X.3 Solar Flare

The sun is near its 11 year peak in solar flare activity, with over 30 eruptions in the past month.
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Boulder County Woman Dies from West Nile

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Drought Officially Over along Front Range Flood Area

White areas are free of drought conditions. 2 feet of rain solved that moisture deficit. Overall, Colorado is still experiencing drought conditions in about 80% of the state.  Here's what it looked like in June before the monsoon started in Colorado.

Sun Emits 4th X-Class Solar Flare in One Week

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Deer-Vehicle Collision near Salida

November is the month with the highest number of wildlife-vehicle collisions in Colorado as the deer and elk migrate to lower elevations for the winter.
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Mama Bear and 2 Cubs Open Car Door, Get In, and Destroy Car

This happened in Indian Hills. Bears go crazy trying to find food before they hibernate, so lock those cars up at night!
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Moose Wanders into Castle Rock

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Update - The moose has been tranquilized and relocated to the mountains.
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A Different Hazard from Wildfires

A study by the National Resources Defense Council shows 2/3 of Americans were exposed to unhealthy levels of smoke from wildfires in 2011. 2011 was a slow year for wildfires compared to 2012 and 2013.  It is interesting that most of the smoke settled over tornado alley in the south-central US.
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Natural Gas, Water and Sewer Restored in Lyons 1 Month after the Flood

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Rabid Kitten Found in El Paso County

The area around Colorado Springs has seen an increase in rabid animals this year - 4 cats with rabies, a skunk, and a man attacked by  a rabid fox.
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Rare Triple CME Flare on Sun Sends Northern Lights into the North Central US

The largest, an M.9 class flare is not big enough to cause disruption to satellites or electronics. Disruptive flares are generally stronger in the X class.
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Photo

Update - an X.2 flare went off this morning.
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I've been wondering if sunspot activity increases the chance of hurricanes. It's late in the year but I guess we will see.

The Largest Known Asteroid Strikes on Earth

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Bear Wanders into Boulder, Gets Tranquilized and Relocated

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Dengue Fever Mosquito Spotted in California

With climate change, tropical species have gradually been migrating northward over the past 50 years. I don't expect they will be coming to Colorado anytime soon, but some things like deer ticks that carry Lyme disease may get here in the future.
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Longmont Man Attacked by Coyotes

Only the second case of this happening in Colorado that i am aware of.
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The Flood that got Lost in the News

Durango also flooded during the September floods.
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West Nile Cases Continue in SE Colorado

Colorado leads the nation in West Nile Cases this year with 197.
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Grappling with Rebuilding Decisions After the Flood

It's starting to dawn on Colorado's officials  that much of the damage from September's floods was because houses were built in the flood plain.
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Motorcyclist Killed in Deer Collision near Steamboat Springs

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Why Colorado Has the Most In-Shape People in the US

It's not because they go on diets, it's because they are outdoor enthusiasts!
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High Winds Down Trees and Power Lines Across the Denver Metro Area

Winds up to 80 mph were clocked near Boulder.  This is a typical occurrence in winter when low pressure storms on the eastern plains and high pressure west of the Rockies send howling winds down the eastern face of the Rocky Mountains. This one was earlier in the season than usual.

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"Possible" Tornado Hits Eads

There were high winds at least.  This has been a very quiet year for tornadoes in Colorado.
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I am going to look into whether there is a correlation between tornadoes in Colorado and the number of hurricanes in a season.

Bear Creek Lake Does It's Job During September Floods

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Multiple Deer-Auto Collisions Injures Woman near Woodland Park

This story is from the paper copy of the Denver Post.

A woman hit a fawn on eastbound US 24. She got out of the car to inspect and a vehicle coming in the opposite struck another deer which flew though the air and struck the woman.  The woman sustained serious injuries.  About a month ago, a woman was struck by a vehicle and killed after getting out of her car to inspect a deer she had hit.

Pueblo Commissioner Identifies Only Solution to Flooding Hazard

Pueblo County Commissioner calls for flood control dam on Fountain Creek.
News Link

The damage from this year's flood is the result of 50 years of building houses, buildings, roads and bridges in the 50 year flood plain. Colorado will re-build roads and houses in the same locations. Either build above the 100 year floodplain or build flood control dams on Boulder Creek, Fourmile Creek and the St Vrain River if a repeat performance of this year's flood damage is to be avoided in the future, quite possibly the near future.

As West Nile Season Winds Down, Larimer County Hits 100 Cases

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2 Students Getting Preventative Treatment for Rabies

2 University of Northern Colorado students in Greeley are being treated for the possibility of rabies after caring for an injured bat.  Bats and skunks are the predominant carriers of rabies in Colorado. There have been 25 animal cases of rabies detected in Weld County this year. A Platteville man is also being treated for rabies after being bitten by a rabid cat last week.
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3 New Cases of West Nile in Pueblo County

Worst West Nile season since 2007.
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Moose Wanders through Rifle

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Steamboat Springs Woman Attacked by Moose

Third incident in Colorado this year.
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11,940 Deer-Vehicle Collisions in Colorado during the Past Year

About 1 in 300 Colorado licensed drivers hit deer according to State Farm Insurance.
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Wildlife Officials Euthanize Mama Bear in Boulder

Looks like a bad decision to me. The sow has 2 cubs that will be relocated.
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What Are the Odds of Being a Rockfall Casualty in Colorado?

Monday's tragic rockslide in Chalk Creek Canyon highlights the random nature and low probability of rockfall causing casualties. What if the hikers had started 10 minutes earlier or 10 minutes later than they did? What if the rockfall happened later in the evening?  There are no answers for why the rocks let loose exactly when the hikers were directly below at that same moment in time. My book, Colorado Natural Hazard Events has a chapter on rockfall that covers where rockfall has caused casualties in the past in Colorado. Steep rock slopes of more than 40 degrees are found throughout the mountains of Colorado and virtually every canyon where creeks drain from the mountains in Colorado has slopes that steep. Rockfall is more likely in the non-summer months when rain or snowmelt penetrates cracks and fissures in the rock and freezes overnight. The ice expands and causes "ice-jacking", which can loosen a large block of rock off the side of a cliff face and get a rockslide started. At least 500,000 people climb or hike in rockfall-prone areas in Colorado each year. Between 1998 and 2011 there were 25 hikers or climbers killed and 18 injured, which works out to an average of 1 casualty for every 190,000 hikers and climbers in rockfall-prone areas. So, in the 2 years since 2011, 5 or 6 casualties would be the number expected based on the historical rate. Two hikers were injured by a rockslide in Deer Creek Canyon west of Littleton in January, making 8 casualties total after Monday's tragedy and 2013 isn't over yet, but the historic rate continues on at more-or-less the same pace. Should  you avoid hiking in rockfall-prone areas? Life is full of risks that aren't in your control. Visiting beautiful places that give people a great deal of pleasure involves a low level of risk, like driving an automobile to get there. You are about 1,000 times more likely to be a casualty in an automobile accident than being hit by rockfall in Colorado.

5 Family Members Killed by Rock Slide Hiking near Mt. Princeton

One hiker survives. The recent heavy rains may have been a factor in causing this rockslide.
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Bear-Vehicle Collision on I-25 Near Wellington

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Some Words of Wisdom: Reflections on the Flood of September 2013

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Yellowstone Making Unusual Rumbles

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First West Nile Case in El Paso County This Year

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Hiker Encounter with Mountain Lion near Bailey

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All Accounted for in Flood Search

8 have died and 1 is missing and presumed dead.
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Preliminary Flood Assessment Published by NOAA, CSU and CU

Boulder Creek about a 1 in 50 year flood, other rivers had 1 in 100 year events. New records set for flood level on Big Thompson and St. Vrain Rivers.
Report Link

If history is any guide, Boulder can expect 1, or maybe 2 severe floods in the next 10 years.

Backhoe Operator Saved a Horse Last Week by Scooping it Out of Mudslide

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Fountain Woman Hospitalized with West Nile

The Colorado Department of Health has 175 cases and 3 deaths in Colorado for 2013 as of September 18.
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Flood Victim: Body of Missing 79-Year-Old Man Found

Unaccounted for down to 6, may be added to missing and presumed dead.
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Moose in Broomfield Tranquilized, Relocated to Mountains

Video

Black Bear Hanging Out on North Side of Colorado Springs

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Goat-Poaching Mountain Lion near Newcastle Euthanized by Wildlife Officials

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Lyons Residents May not be Able to Return to their Homes for 6 Months

Lyons is completely cutoff by bridge outages, sheriff says he just read Steven King's "under the Dome" and it is very similar. 288 photos at the bottom of the article.
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First West Nile Case in Pueblo County

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Moose Wanders through Broomfield Neighborhood

Colorado Wildlife officials are warning that moose can get agressive when people or dogs get too close after 3 incidents in Coloraod this year.
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Larimer County: 3rd Person Missing, Presumed Dead

A 46-year-old man's house washed away in the town of Drake in Big Thompson Canyon. 1,200 rescued, 139 remain unaccounted for.
Sheriff's Facebook Page

The Problem with Flood Statistics for the Front Range

There have been a lot of confusing statements made about 1 in 500 year floods and 1 in 1,000 year rainfall events after last week's floods. Some examples are here and here. Rainfall totals set records and some people equate rainfall totals with the severity of flooding but flooding severity depends on the rate of rainfall, what hydrologists call the rainfall intensity. I know a little bit about this subject - I started my career as a hydrologist at an engineering firm in Minneapolis that was founded by Adolf Meyer, a pioneer and founding father of modern methods of analysis in hydrology.  The 1965 flood had many locations throughout a week of rain that had rainfall intensities of 14 inches in 4 hours.  Big Thompson Canyon had a similar rainfall intensity in 1976. This past week in the Boulder area, the maximum rainfall intensity was about 12 inches in 19 hours, only about 1/4 the intensity of the most severe floods Colorado has experienced.  A rough analogy for the effect of rainfall intensity on flooding severity is the bathtub in your home. With the drain open, turn on the faucet and the water level might rise slightly over the drain but the drain removes everything that is coming in - about 3 gallons a minute . Add a garden hose and double the amount of water going in, the level in the bathtub will slowly rise and may eventually overtop the tub after awhile. Take a fire hose and pump in 20 gallons per minute and within a few minutes the tub is flowing over and your house floors are underwater. That's the difference between rainfall intensity and rainfall totals. In each case, you can pour 500 gallons (the equivalent of the rainfall total) into the bathtub but the effects are quite different depending on the rate at which you pour it in.  In September, 1938, a flood that had maximum flow rates in Boulder Creek similar to this week was caused by rainfall totals of only 4 to 5 inches.

 It was a bit further south and hit Eldorado Springs and South Boulder Creek quite hard.  You can read about it here.  Most of the rain fell in 4 hours on September 4, after days of rain saturated the ground. 

What's the difference between 1938 and 2013? - there are over 5 million people living in Colorado now compared to 1 million in 1938. Here is an air photo of north Boulder in 1938 where Fourmile Canyon Creek comes out of the foothills. 

Here is the same area today that was badly damaged by flooding from Fourmile Canyon Creek last week.

The weather condition that produces large rainfall and flooding events along the Front Range is called an upslope - when moist tropical air from the south streams up to a stationary cold front and stalls against the Rockies for days at a time. How many times do the upslope conditions setup along the Front Range? - several times a year. How many times have upslopes caused major floods along the Front Range in the past 120 years? - over 30 times. How many times on Boulder Creek? - 10 times including this year.  

Clearly, there is a disconnect between reality and the statistical methods being used, perhaps best summed up by a guest ranch operator in Big Thompson Canyon News Link:

"When we first saw this, you know, you kind of go through this sequence of emotions. First is unbelief. I mean, you just can't imagine that you would have two 500-year floods in the span of 30 years," he said.

So - the bottom line is upslope conditions that can can cause catastrophic flooding anywhere along the Front Range can occur as often as every 2 to 3 years. The longest period without severe, damaging floods was 1948 to 1965, 17 years. The second longest period was the current one, 1997 - 2013.  Topography favors some locations more than others for flooding, like Boulder, which has had severe flooding in 1894, 1906, 1909, 1916, 1929, 1938, 1941, 1969, and of course 2013.

Some Landslide Photos from the USGS

My wife Lynn is the Director of the Landslide Information Center at the US Geological Survey in Golden. She sent me some photos from the recon team out in the field from last week's floods.

Flood Toll Now Up to 8

A man was found in the West Fork of Sand Creek in Colorado Springs on Monday.
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South Platte Flood Wave Reaches Nebraska Today

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Rockslide in Norwood Canyon near Telluride

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Portal to Cheyenne Mountain Blocked by Massive Mudslide Last Week

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Rockslide on Monarch Pass Closes Hwy 50 Briefly

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Flood Wave Reaches Sterling on South Platte

Video

Will Last Week's Floods Increase West Nile Exposure?

Temperatures will be warming up this week with a whole lot of standing water available for mosquitoes to breed.

State Meteorologist Says This Flood not Quite as Bad as 1965

..but they don't know for sure and are asking for rainfall information from the public so they can make a detailed map of rainfall intensities and rain totals.
News Link

1,500 Homes Destroyed; 17,000 Homes Damaged; 1,200 Unaccounted For

The latest estimates from Emergency management officials suggest that total damages from the Great Flood of 2013 will exceed $1 billion but may not match the damage done by the June, 1965 flood in Denver. Clear weather will allow a massive air search to get underway today to search for the unaccounted individuals.
News Link   Photos

This Storm and Flooding Similar to June, 1965

Let's get a look at the scale and area affected by heavy rainfall this week.

This map shows the area and the many rivers, creeks, towns and counties where the most severe flooding has happened in the past week. Flooding occurred over a much larger area in the state last week including Colorado Springs and the west slope. The upslope weather pattern and rainfall amounts this week are similar to the week of June 14-20, 1965.  The difference is that in 1965, the most intense rainfall was centered more over the eastern plains and further south, it extended all the way to the southern border flooding both the South Platte and Arkansas River basins. Here is a summary of what happened in 1965 by NCAR.  It is quite lengthy but if you read it, the story is similar to what happened this week - rain over much of the state with intense storms that developed in different places throughout the week causing severe flooding.  Southern Douglas County had an incredible 14 inches of rain in 4 hours on June 16, 1965 that caused Plum Creek's stream flow to increase 1,000-fold from 150 cfs to 154,000 cfs in 3 hours! 14 inches in 4 hours is close to the rainfall intensity that produced the 1976 Thompson Canyon disaster that killed 144 people. Rainfall intensity this week was much lower, with 12 inches in 19 hours in the Boulder area. Boulder Creek this week saw increased stream flow of 150 cfs to about 5,000 cfs, or about a 30-fold increase.

The June, 1965 flood was the most damaging in Colorado history and considered to be one of the worst floods ever in the US. Damages were mostly in the Denver area at over $3 billion in today's dollars. This week's flood may take over the #1 spot when it's all said and done. Boulder County has a preliminary estimate of $150 million just to repair 100 to 150 miles of road and 20 to 30 bridges. The roads up Big Thompson Canyon and along the St. Vrain upstream of Lyons in Larimer County appear to be washed out and there are thousands of homes and businesses that have sustained serious flood damage.

This week was bad, and a rare storm event, but not unprecedented for the Front Range.

The Story of the First 2 Victims of the Boulder Floods

News Link

Water Moving East

Photos of Flooding Bear Creek Lake to Aurora

In this article  News Link    there is this short statement:

"In Denver Friday morning, a man walking a dog was sucked down a water culvert near East 13th Avenue and Xenia Street, said Sonny Jackson, a Denver Police Department spokesman. The man washed out the pipe a few blocks away."

I guess the guy lived, otherwise it would have been reported. Incredible! and what happened to the dog?

Record flood stage on South Platte
Graph
Rainfall totals are now similar to those of the 1965 flood on the South Platte River.

Evacuations underway near Wiggins
Twitter

Larimer County Sheriff's Office - 482 Unaccounted For, 2 Elderly Woman Missing Presumed Dead

Facebook Page
Check out the nearly one hour of flyover video. It looks like most of the roads in the canyons have been washed away.

Jeffco Sheriff's Map of Flooding, Road Washouts and Rockslides

Link

Mountain Lion Lounging in Back Yard in Perry Park

Another youngster starting out on his own.
Photo

75-Year-Old Woman Killed After Vehicle Hits Deer

This is sad. An elderly woman's car hit a deer and when she got out to inspect the damage she was struck by another vehicle and killed.
News Link

Downtown Evergreen Ripped Apart

News Link

"Biblical Rain" Is Over for Now - 4 Dead, Over 200 Unaccounted For

Unaccounted for means that friends and relatives have been unable to contact a person and received no response. Most are probably OK but undoubtedly a few more tragedies will be discovered in the next few days.
News Link

Here's a good summary of what happened this week.
News Link

PHEW!!

Looks like the rain is over for now at least.

Rain, Flooding Continues Along Front Range

The Front Range from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins continued to see a deluge of rain that washed out roads, produced mudslides and flooded low-lying areas. After 500 students were evacuated from the University of Colorado student housing on Wednesday, thousands of residents were evacuated from areas along Boulder Creek, 4 Mile Creek and north Boulder, where water was running over entire neighborhoods. The residents of communities of Jamestown, Lyons, part of Longmont and Manitou Springs as well as roads up Poudre and Big Thompson Canyons were unable to evacuate and cutoff from assistance and supplies as roads were washed out.
Photo of Mudslide in Jamestown  Longmont 500 Year Flood  Lyons

Sections of I-70 and US 6 in upper Clear Creek Canyon are closed because of rockslides. Sections of I-25 in Fort Collins are closed this morning , flooding was widespread in Aurora, Commerce City, Erie and other eastern plains towns.
Aurora  Erie  East Denver  Commerce City

All That Water Headed Out to Eastern Colorado - South Platte Under Flood Watch

News Link

Another Flood Fatality in Colorado Springs

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Rain Pounding Mountains West of Fort Collins to Loveland

Most roads into the mountains have been closed because of mudslides and flooding.  A small dam broke overnight and the area east of Big Thompson Canyon is under an evacuation order.
News Link

The area has received 5 to 7 inches of rain in 19 hours. The Big Thompson flood of 1976 which killed 144 people, had 12 to 14 inches of rain fall in 4 hours.

Flash Flooding Kills 2 near Boulder

6.5" of rain in 24 hours.
News Link

Boulder Creek has a long history of catastrophic flash floods.  The last large flood was in 1969 but the only other time people were killed by flooding on Boulder Creek was 1909.  There have now been 4 deaths in Colorado from floods this year - the 2 near Boulder, 1 in Manitou Springs and 1 girl in Colorado Springs that sought shelter under a bridge.  These flood fatalities are the first in Colorado since 5 died in the Spring Creek flood in Fort Collins in 1997.

Video of man being saved from car caught in fast-moving floodwaters.  A reminder to never attempt to drive through flooded streets.

A National Weather Service meteorologist says a 20-foot wall of water was reported in Left Hand Canyon north of Boulder. A firefighter was trapped in a tree, and rescuers were trying to get through.
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More firefighters stranded in the mountains after their truck was washed away, rescuers can't get to them because of flooding and roads being washed out, mudslides and rockslides blocking other highways to the mountains.
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Bear and Cub Sample Apple Orchards and Garbage Cans in Alamosa

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Monsoon Continues in Colorado

The monsoon that began in mid-July has continued through mid-September and still going strong producing mudslides, flooding, and heavy hail.  Looks like the drought that started in 2012 will officially be over soon.
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Colorado West Nile Cases at 120 for the Year

Last year there were 131 cases. Half of this year's cases have been in the Longmont to Fort Collins area.
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A Good Article on Botulism Risk in Colorado

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Comet Ison

Comet Ison is 3 miles across and expected to pass close to the sun and possibly be visible in the sky in December and January.
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Scientists don't know if the close pass to the sun will disintegrate the comet, break it into pieces, or come through intact.  If it does break up, isn't it possible for a piece to have a trajectory to hit the earth? NASA's answer is no way.
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Up to 1.8" of Rain Causes Minor Flooding in Arvada, Wheat Ridge

Flooding on Wadsowrth Blvd, US 36 and Hwy58.
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Several feet of hail accumulated in the streets and had to be reomved by front-end loaders.
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CDOT starts work on enlarging culverts to handle mudslides in High Park burn scar in Poudre Canyon.
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Small 3.8 Earthquake in Trinidad

In the same area as a 5.3 earthquake in 2011.
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Woman Attacked by Moose at Grand Lake

A 30-year-old woman was rammed in the head by a charging moose and knocked unconscious. She was flown to a Denver hospital with skull and eye injuries.
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Deer-Motorcycle Collision near Salida

The driver was thrown off his bike but lucked out with minor injuries.
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Bear Climbs Tree near Boulder Elementary School, Gets 2 Strikes and Out

Bears have been active this year. This is the 15th bear encounter to make the news and the 4th bear euthanized by Wildlife officials in 2013.
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More Debris Flows from the High Park Burn Scar

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Vehicle Strikes Moose near Campground in Winter Park

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Bear Kills Miniature Pet Horse near Durango

Wildlife officer says bears won't attack a full size horse.
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Bear Attacks Man Walking his Dogs in Larkspur

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Adams County Man Dies of West Nile

A 53-year-old man is the second Coloradoan to die of West Nile in 2013. Total cases reported thus far are 96, on a pace similar to last year.
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Mountain Lion Poaches Alpaca, Gets Shot by Feds

Near Ridgway
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US 24 at Manitou Springs Closed after Heavy Rains

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Another Amazing Video of Landslide in China

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4 New Cases of West Nile in Boulder County

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One case in Montezuma County.
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Mudslide Briefly Closes Red Mountain Pass near Ouray

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West Nile Cases Accelerating in Larimer County

50 cases reported by county, 20 cases in the last week.
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81-Year-Old Longmont Man Dies of West Nile

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Second West Nile Case in Delta County

36 cases so far for 2013 in Colorado.  Most cases happen in August and September, so mosquito spraying efforts appear to have been effective so far.
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Mudslides, Flooding Close I-70 near Parachute

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Heavy Rainfall, Flooding, Hail Hit Front Range

Golf ball+-sized hail nits Littleton, Colorado Springs and Pueblo areas.
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Flooding in the same areas hit by hail.
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Flooded basement in Colorado Springs
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Flooding on Fountain Creek takes out bridges in Green Mountain Falls.
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Mountain Biker Bit by Rattlesnake in Boulder

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Greeley and Windsor Buried in Up to 2 Feet of Golf Ball-Sized Hail

Reminiscent of the 1990 hail storm in Denver.
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NASA Researchers Reveal Russian Meteorite Explosion in February Generated Dust Plume Over Arctic

NASA does it's usual fantastic job of animated 3D visuals to show how a plume of dust encircled the northern hemisphere above about 50 degrees latitude within days after the February 15, 2013 meteorite explosion over Chelyabinsk, Russia.
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Two plumes were generated - one that covered about 1/2 the Arctic Ocean and a second, larger plume that covered Russia, Canada and northern Europe. The meteor was estimated to weigh about 11,000 tons compared to the average of about 30 tons of space dust that enters earth's atmosphere each day. In other words, about 1 years' worth of normal space debris was vaporized on February 15.  Thinking back on the colder than usual weather conditions in the northern latitudes that continued all the way into June, it seems pretty logical that the meteor dust plumes reducing sunlight penetration to the earth's surface are the reason for the colder conditions and also could explain the recent 50% increase in Arctic sea ice this year compared to 2012. Similar to a small volcanic eruption, we can expect the effects of the meteor dust plume to dissipate quickly.

Shown below are the paths of 1,400 asteroids tracked by NASA that have a chance of hitting earth.

Looks like the electron cloud of an atom doesn't it?  NASA estimates there are about 9,500 potentially hazardous asteroids (PHA) but they have only located about 1/2 of them.

Bear Bites Woman Camping near Pagosa Springs

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Season's First Human Case of West Nile in Mesa County

25 total cases in Colorado so far.
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Rockslide Closes Road from Rifle to Roan Plateau

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Microburst Snaps Off Large Trees, Power Lines in East Denver

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Rabbit Tests Positive for Tularemia in Pueblo West

A child had contact with the rabbit and is being monitored.
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Mountain Lion in Gunnison Relocated

Another case of young lions leaving mom to go out on their own being somewhat confused about what to do.
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Bear that Broke into Homes in Estes Park Gets 2 Strikes and Out

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Another Bear Gets 2 Strikes and Out in Colorado Springs

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More Flooding in Manitou Springs and HWY 24, Probably More on the Way Today

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5 New Cases of West Nile in Fort Collins, 17 Total YTD in Colorado

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Cat in Bayfield Tests Positive for Plague

Southwest Colorado has a long history of plague disease carried by rodents.
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Manitou Springs Gets Hit Again with Flash Flooding and Mudslides

1 dead and 3 injured in Manitou Springs. Cars trapped on HWY 24 by mudslide. Floodwaters rise downstream in Fountain Creek.
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The burn scars from the Waldo Canyon fire combined with heavy rain do it again similar to the High Park fire and Poudre Canyon which has been hit 5 times in 2013.

20 cars were swept away.
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Elderly man scrambles to safety.
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Woman climbs cliff to safety.
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Saved by a tree branch.
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Body of missing girl in Colorado Springs found.
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2.9" of Rain Causes Street Flooding in Aurora

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Flash Flooding Raises Arkansas River Floodwaters

Flooding in Pueblo closes some local streets and section of I-25. Flooding also in Rocky Ford.
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2 New Cases of West Nile in Delta County

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West Fork Fire Finishes Out at 2nd Largest in Colorado History

The 2012 season was much worse than this year but the dry conditions from the 2012 drought carried over to this year and produced the costliest wildfire in Colorado history (the Black Forest Fire) and the 2nd largest burn area (West Fork).
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Severe Weather Pummels El Paso County

Flash flooding in southern El Paso County and Colorado Springs. Snow on Pike's Peak.
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Tornadoes and Baseball-Sized Hail Hit Northeastern Colorado

Tornadoes touch down in Fort Collins, Evans, Windsor and Wellington.
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Flooding in Fort Collins and Greeley.
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Insurers in Colorado Start Cancelling Policies due to Wildfire Risk

Just like hurricanes in Florida, it seems that many insurance companies' business plan is based on not having any claims.
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Mountain Lion in Fort Collins Neighborhood

A young mountain lion was tranquilized and transported about 60 miles west of Fort Collins. It was 18 months old and 60 pounds - this is just about the time cubs leave their mom and go out on their own. A majority of the rare attacks on people in Colorado are cats about this age.
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Damaging Solar Flare Just Misses Earth 2 Weeks Ago

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Update - Apparently this was a case of false, sensational journalism by the Washington Examiner.
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Bear Steals Dumpster

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2 Larimer County Residents Hospitalized with West Nile

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Moose Protecting its Calves Knocks Down 55 Year Old Woman Hiking Near Boulder

The woman was hospitalized.
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12 Fort Carson Soldiers Hospitalized after Lightning Strike

One soldier in critical condition. News Link

Add the 9 farm workers struck by lightning in Greeley on  July 18 and the result is the most injuries by lightning in Colorado since 2004.  In 2004 19 golfers participating in the Grand County Golf Classic ( hitting golf balls off the top of a mesa) were injured by a lightning strike.

37th Anniversary of Big Thompson Flood

The Front Range is overdue for a catastrophic flash flood.
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Runners Have BEAR Encounter in BEAR Creek Park, Colorado Springs

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Mosquitoes Test Positive for West Nile Virus in Golden

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Labrador Survives Rattlesnake Bite in Steamboat Springs

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Incredible Video of Car Being Hit by Mudslide

It's in China, not Colorado, but it is worth seeing how quickly and without warning landslides can happen.
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A Good Example of Why You Shouldn't Try to Cross Flooded Roadways

A tour bus in Arizona is swept away trying to cross flooded road.
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Bears Partying in Colorado

Bear goes barhopping in Estes Park.
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Bear in Grand Junction likes to push on tents to see if they fall over.
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An Overview of Plague Cases in the Western US

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5th Mudslide of Season in Poudre Canyon Closes Hwy 14

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Mountain Lion Kills Sheep, Closes Part of Colorado Monument

A female with cubs has been sighted several times in the Monument and has killed 14 sheep nearby. Wildlife officials are trying to track the cougars down.
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More Than 1,000 Houses Destroyed in Colorado Wildfires in 2012-2013

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Small Bear Running Around in Broomfield to be Relocated

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How to Survive a Lightning Strike

A Littleton man struck in 1999 still suffers memory lapses and other disorders.
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New Tick-Borne Viral Disease Discovered in Missouri

Viruses mutate at a rapid rate - see the bottom of the article about a similar newly discovered virus in China.
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20 Vehicles Stuck in Massive Mudslide near Telluride

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Cheatgrass Raises Wildfire Potential in Eastern Colorado

Cheatgrass is a European invasive weed that grows early in the spring, crowding out native grasses.  It goes dormant in late June and provides a highly flammable dry fuel source that can produce flames 8 feet high.  News Link

Cheatgrass at mature growth stage.

Colorado State University Fact Sheet

Cheatgrass at dormant stage.

Bears and Moose on the Move

Bear and elk vehicle collisions near Castle Rock
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Black bear that wanders ever eastward through Arvada relocated.
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Black bear bored by golfers takes a nap in a tree.
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Moose by highway near Grand Lake.
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Galloping black bear near Erie.
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Mudslides All Across Colorado

I-70 closed in both directions near Grand Junction. Mudslides in Marble, Redstone, Minturn and Poudre Canyon.
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Flash Floods, Mudslides, Lightning Hit Fort Collins Area

Poudre Canyon gets mudslides from the High Park burn scar the 3rd time this month and lightning strike starts a fire after hitting a tree behind a duplex.
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9 People Struck by Lightning on Farm near Wellington

2 people critically injured, 4 seriously hurt.
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65 year-old woman struck by lightning while hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.
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West Nile Virus Spreading Out in Colorado

Mosquitoes test positive in 8 counties.
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Poodle Bit in Face by Rattlesnake Survives Respiratory Arrest

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Town South of Pueblo Receives 6 Inches of Rain

Greenhorn Creek floods Rye.
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After a Long Absence Monsoon Returns to Front Range

Daily heavy rains and localized flash flooding all week along the Front Range. Streets flooded in Denver yesterday and a funnel cloud sighted on Pike's Peak.
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1 Week After the Rist Canyon Mudslide, A Rockslide Hits Poudre Canyon

4 cars were trapped between 2 slides.
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Farmer Contains Wildfire by Plowing a Firebreak

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2 Tiny Bear Cubs Break into House in Estes Park

All ended well.  News Link

Little Known Facts About West Nile Virus

From Colorado State University
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Another Ash Debris Flow in Manitou Springs Sweeps Cars off Road

Incredible video of a car being washed away.
More incredible video of reporter in his car being washed away.

Another Ash Debris Flow Closes Roads in the Mountains West of Fort Collins

The 2012 High Park Fire, which blackened 84,000 acres, was the source of a debris flow in Rist Canyon. The West Fork Fire, burning in the San Juan Mountains and only 20% contained, is at 110,000 acres, now the 2nd largest fire in Colorado history.
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Lightning Explodes and Demolishes Large Cottonwood Tree at CSU Campus

Take a look at the photos and understand why you should not seek shelter under trees during a storm.
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Colorado's First Human Case of West Nile in 2013 Reported in Delta

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Debris Flow Pours Black Stumps and Mud from Last Year's Waldo Canyon Fire Into Manitou Springs

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and now for a faith-based interpretation of what causes wildfires...
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A Reminder that Firefighters in Colorado Put Their Lives at Risk

An entire crew of 19 firefighters in Arizona lost their lives when lightning struck and started a fire behind the line they were working. In 1994, 14 firefighters lost their lives on Storm King Mountain near Glenwood Springs when winds reversed and trapped them.
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Another Colorado Bear Shot After Breaking into House

This one was in Colorado Springs.
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Severe Thunderstorms Cause Flooding and Mudslides Along Front Range

Downed trees, power lines, and mudslides along with plenty of lightning and hail near Fort Collins.
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Flooding in Colorado Springs near the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire area.
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West Fork Fire Now 3rd Largest in Colorado History and Still Growing

Astronauts took photos of the West Fork Fire showing a huge smoke plume that goes straight east over the Front Range.  News Link   The fire has consumed 80,000 acres so far and may well end up exceeding the Hayman Fire of 2002 to become the largest fire in Colorado.

Lightning Strike Starts Centennial Man''s Shed on Fire

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Mosquitoes Test Positive for West Nile Virus

West Nile virus has been detected in mosquito populations near Longmont.  131 cases of West Nile were reported for people in Colorado in 2012 with 4 deaths.
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Sun Starts Summer with a Blast

An M2 coronal mass ejection blasted toward earth at 1,350 mph and didn't cause any problems.
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The insurance industry recently published a study that modeled the effects of large solar storms on the US power grid and estimates 20 to 40 million people could be without power for weeks to months after an event similar to one that happened in 1859.
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Drought Continues in Colorado - Wildfires Across the State

10 Wildfires are burning in the western half of Colorado today, with the Lime Gulch fire in the foothills SW of Denver being the latest.  The Black Forest Fire is mostly contained at this point, with a final tally of over 500 homes destroyed.

Tornado Touches Down At DIA

It's that time of year. A tornado sent people in the DIA terminal and workers outside scurrying to tornado shelters in the lower level of the main terminal. DIA was built out there in the plains with full knowledge that it was in an area frequented by tornadoes.  Where did Federico Pena disappear to?
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Investigators say Black Forest Fire not Started by Natural Causes

An interesting interview with an investigator whose evidence led to the death penalty for a serial arsonist in California.
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The largest wildfire in Colorado history, the Hayman fire in 2002, was started by an arsonist. No evidence yet of how the Black Forest fire got started. The article doesn't say how natural causes were ruled out, but it is probably after a review of National Weather Service satellite data for ground lightning strikes.

Tornado Causes Minor Damage in La Junta

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Homeowner in Steamboat Calls for Help, Wildlife Officer Shoots Bear

Bears get no slack in Colorado. I wonder if this is the bear that was breaking into cars?
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2 Dead, 379 Buildings Destroyed in Black Forest Fire

Well, it didn't take long for a new record in damages to be set since my book was published only 2 months ago.  The fire seems to be contained, but could come close to breaking into the top 10 largest wildfires in Colorado.  Even though we had some moisture this spring, the moisture deficits from last year's extreme drought are still fueling large wildfires. There are 4 other wildfires going right now in the Royal Gorge, Rocky Mountain National Park, Pagosa Springs and outside of Boulder.

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Black Bear near Cedaredge Gets 2 Strikes and Out

A sad end for an orphaned bear.
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Bear in Steamboat Springs Opens Car Doors and Climbs In

Smarter than your average bear.
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Moose Tries to Mate with Moose Statue

Pedal to the metal!
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Pueblo Woman in Intensive Care after Rattlesnake Bite

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Attacked by a Grouse

OK - not exactly a deadly wild hazard but pretty funny.  A grouse hen must have built a nest next to one of my favorite trails.  Every time I rode by on my mountain bike in May she was there and ran down the trail in front of me to "distract" me from wherever the nest was.  I thought she must be a very tired hen by now since at least 20 people a day go by with their dogs. The last time I went through, she jumped up and tried to bite me in the butt as I rode by!

High Winds Force DIA to Divert 13 Flights

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Rockfall Closes Hwy 82 near Aspen

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Rockfall near Palisade Closes I-70

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Potential Flash Flood Debris Flow Areas from 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire Identified

Wildfires in steep terrain burn off all the vegetation, making the soil very erodible for a year or two after a fire.  Colorado Springs has identified areas that could receive debris flows and flash flooding this year.
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Golf Ball+ Sized Hail near Julesburg

Check out the photo gallery at the bottom of the article for pictures of hail and the super cell storm cloud.
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Rock Slide Closes McClure Pass

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Rock Fall in Poudre Canyon

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Tornado Destroys Mobile Home near Akron

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Mountain Lion Eats Pet Dog in Colorado Springs

Colorado Springs and El Paso County are trying to take the lead for the most natural hazard events in Colorado.

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2 Injured by Rock Slide While Hiking in Deer Creek Canyon Park

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