By Steven Goddard
From The Declining Spring Snowcover Department
Yesterday afternoon, the Cache La Poudre River set its June 12 stream flow record flowing through Fort Collins, Colorado. At 1:30 and 2:45 PM, the river hit 5,600 cubic feet per second, which broke the previous record of 5,540 feet per second set in 1983. This is normally the week of peak flow for the year.
USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 10:15 MDT 8.00 3770 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 10:30 MDT 8.02 3790 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 10:45 MDT 8.19 4010 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 11:00 MDT 8.26 4110 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 11:15 MDT 8.41 4310 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 11:30 MDT 8.49 4420 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 11:45 MDT 8.65 4650 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 12:00 MDT 8.68 4690 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 12:15 MDT 8.73 4770 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 12:30 MDT 8.88 4990 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 12:45 MDT 9.00 5170 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 13:00 MDT 9.02 5200 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 13:15 MDT 9.04 5230 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 13:30 MDT 9.27 5600 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 13:45 MDT 9.21 5500 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 14:00 MDT 9.22 5520 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 14:15 MDT 9.18 5450 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 14:30 MDT 9.25 5570 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 14:45 MDT 9.27 5600 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 15:00 MDT 9.25 5570 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 15:15 MDT 9.24 5550 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 15:30 MDT 9.25 5570 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 15:45 MDT 9.19 5470 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 16:00 MDT 9.19 5470 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 16:15 MDT 9.15 5410 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 16:30 MDT 9.18 5450 USGS 06752260 2010-06-12 16:45 MDT 9.04 5230
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwisweb/data/img/USGS.06752260.04.00060..20100605.20100612.log.0.p50.gif
The height maxed out at 9.27 feet
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwisweb/data/img/USGS.06752260.02.00065..20100605.20100612..0.p50.gif
I took some video of it on Tuesday when it was at 4,000 cfs.
The flood was the result of a long, cold, snowy winter/spring – followed by a week of hot weather – followed by 48 hours of heavy rain and snow in the mountains. More heavy rain is forecast over the next 24 hours.
Since the start of the water year (Oct. 1) Colorado has been very cold.
http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/products/maps/acis/hprcc/WaterTDeptHPRCC.png
Two weeks ago, The Huffington Post reported :
Global Warming Study Predicts Hotter, Drier Summers In Colorado
Unfortunately, we didn’t have a summer last year. It was cold and rained all summer long. This weekend’s high temperature has been 51F.
http://www.hprcc.unl.edu/products/maps/acis/hprcc/JJA09TDeptHPRCC.png
———————————————————————————————————————-
“Some people just don’t know when to quit”
It has been pouring rain all night and it may exceed the June 21, 1983 record, but will probably not beat the April 30, 1999 mark – which was 10.46 ft, and 7,710 cfs
[and title now corrected ~ ctm]
Down in the Texas Panhandle, we’re probably going to have trouble harvesting the wheat after the recent heavy rains. That is, what did not get threshed by 5″ hailstones. Our wildflowers also bloomed two to three weeks later than usual, with a mid-April weather pattern in mid June.
Breckite says:
June 13, 2010 at 11:05 pm
I live in Breckenridge, CO, and since 2005 I’ve skied so much deeeeep powder, so often, every season, that I’ve lost track of all those glorious powder days. If that’s a result of global warming, then bring on the warming! Furthermore, each of the five summers I’ve spent in Breck have been cool and wet. No drought. Plenty of water. The surrounding forests where I mt. bike regularly are moist and actually lush in many areas. Last October A-Basin ski area had its earliest opening ever and Loveland ski area had its second earliest opening ever. More evidence of global warming? In 2008 I skied waist deep powder in May, and in 2010 I again skied waist deep in May-The heat is making it snow in May! Colorado ski areas are not seeing shorter seasons, lack of snow, rising snow-levels or any of the other dire predictions made by the climate alarmists. In fact, ski seasons are still six months long, snowfall hasn’t diminished, and temperatures are frigid during winter, and cool during the in-between winter months. I know, I live in it.
GeoFlynx –
Wow! There is apparently another Breckenridge Colorado! The one here in the U.S.A. is somewhat different than the one you describe. Gone are the big snowfalls, the “frigid” winter temperatures (check your wax color next time out), and most of our evergreen (now everbrown) forest. Present are increased snowmaking, loads of pine beetles (normally controlled by late December cold snaps we haven’t been having), and a fear that the dead forest will explode in the summer as well as being responsible for an increase in winter runoff (see above). Vail resorts CEO Robert Katz sees global climate change as one of the greatest threats to Colorado’s ski industry and has sought to mitigate the Ski area’s use of fossil derived energy with wind power. Yes, we must be talking about a different Breckenridge altogether!
This is what it looked like yesterday after the rain stopped, with the water nine feet deep.
These two videos give a feel for what Romm’s “permanent drought” looks like in Colorado.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A_esjXBw-I8
hunter says:
June 14, 2010 at 5:39 am
Any stats on the larger Colorado river basin watershed?
http://www.usbr.gov/uc/water/index.html
Statewide Colorado’s snowpack is down to 26% of average.
ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/CO/Snow/snow/watershed/daily/co_update_snow.pdf
The flooding along the Poudre River may prove cruelly deceptive in the long run . Let’s hope for all Colorado that we have a wetter than normal summer to offset this diminished resource regardless of our perspective on AGW.
GeoFlynx
Thank you so much for your concern about our water supply.
But, given the fact that we have received almost our normal annual precipitation in just the last three months, coming on the heels of one of the wettest years ever – I think I will take a pass on crying on your shoulder.
http://ccc.atmos.colostate.edu/~autowx/fclwx_plotsearch.php?graph=7&span=90&station=FCLWX&year=2010&month=06&day=14&dimensions=2
Hopefully no more people will drown in the near record floods (known as perpetual drought in AGW circles.)
GeoFlynx
BTW – Summer snowpack makes up a tiny percentage of the summer water supply. Colorado doesn’t normally have much snow in the summer. That is why we have reservoirs. They hold the massive amount of water which melts and runs off in the spring.
GeoFlynx –Wow! There is apparently another Breckenridge Colorado! Present are increased snowmaking, loads of pine beetles (normally controlled by late December cold snaps we haven’t been having),
Working outdoors in early December was one of the coldest I have seen in Colorado in 40 years, with many -10° to -15° F mornings. It takes -35° to affect the beetles, and more than an incident at or below that temperature, meaning the cold is not what controls them historically in Colorado (assuming they have ever been controlled). It also didn’t snow much until mid-month or so, in spite of the cold, so snowmaking is not an indication of warmth either.
You must be on vacation to leave this unposted so long.
GeoFlynx says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
June 14, 2010 at 4:05 pm
Statewide Colorado’s snowpack is down to 26% of average.
ftp://ftp-fc.sc.egov.usda.gov/CO/Snow/snow/watershed/daily/co_update_snow.pdf
The flooding along the Poudre River may prove cruelly deceptive in the long run . Let’s hope for all Colorado that we have a wetter than normal summer to offset this diminished resource regardless of our perspective on AGW.
Sorry Steve, you did post my comment. The problem must be at my end.
I agree that we need more reservoirs in Colorado to hold back the winter runoff. It is precisely the corresponding natural reservoir, the snowpack, and its water retention that have us overbearing alarmo-warmists so concerned. The combination of beetle killed forests and diminished snowpack negatively impacts water retention. While the magnitude of these changes are still unknown and currently being researched, the 2002 Hayman fire has many Coloradoans biting their nails through the summer. The condition of our forest today compared to 2002, with the addition of so many standing dead trees, causes us all to watch the weather and perhaps even, if we may, speculate on climate change.