Ouray County, Colorado

Around 4 to 10 feet of mud and rock covered Colorado Highway 550 about 2 miles south of Ouray as a result of heavy rainfall. A section of the highway and cribwall that supports the highway were destroyed from the rock slides and debris flows that occurred. Highway 550 was closed for almost 24 hours until the debris was removed, and then the highway was limited to one lane for many weeks thereafter as the road was repaired.

A flash flood came down Corbett Creek leaving a debris fan several hundred yards long, 300 feet wide and five feet deep. A house on Whispering Pines Drive sustained extensive damage to the foundation and exterior, with the deck having been ripped off. Another house on Chipmunk Way had debris up to a half foot deep into the basement and garage, and a deposit of debris up to 2 feet deep on the deck and against the house. A family of hikers on the Dallas Trail became stranded when their parked car was washed away. Their car was a total loss. Another car was carried away from a driveway and dropped over a short cliff. A boulder the size of a small car fell onto nearby Highway 550. County Road 17 was washed out and another nearby private road was washed out in places. The flash flood resulted in Corbett Creek carving out a new channel. A local official said this was the worst flash flood he had seen in that area since 1991.

Heavy rainfall resulted in flash flooding and mudslides southwest of the town of Ouray. The costliest flash flood in the impacted area tore up a section of County Road 361 where new construction had just been completed. The crib wall, culverts, and other cement road structures were damaged beyond repair. Additionally, several culverts along County Road 361 became clogged by debris. Flash flooding with tons of debris deposits also occurred further down on Yankee Boy Road where 26 mudslides occurred. Additional mudslides and flooding also came down across Corkscrew Road. Radar estimated rainfall was between 0.50 to 1.00 inches at the time.