Sun, storms create weather extremes in southern Colorado
One of the hottest days in southern Colorado history is sandwiched between two evenings of heavy rain, hail and lightning.
Temperatures Tuesday neared or exceeded 100, preceded by strong storms Monday evening that were predicted to return Tuesday evening.
The Waldo Canyon burn scar is particularly vulnerable. The area received an inch or more of rain in some areas on Monday and could flood with similar rainfall Tuesday.
Authorities also report heavy flows in Fountain Creek, an area susceptible to flooding and erosion. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the creek flow near the town of Fountain increased from 130 cubic feet per second to nearly 1,400 between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Tuesday.
The situations create an interesting contrast for people trying to cope with both weather extremes and cleaning up from Monday’s storm.
Joshua Miller used a shovel to clear several inches of quarter-size hail from his patio in the Briargate area of north Colorado Springs, the neighborhood hardest hit by Monday’s storm.
“It was pretty heavy,” he said. “It was heavier than actual snow because it was like frozen ice. So it was quite a task.”
Damage to vehicles is what many people dread most during a hailstorm. Miller said he opened his garage to his friend’s new car, and kept his own car outside.
“It’s okay, though,” he said.
But a friend of Jeremy Weiss wasn’t as fortunate.
“I have a friend who works down on Academy Boulevard,” Weiss said. “I went to visit him, and he said his windows were broken, and his rear windshield, so he was pretty upset. Not much he could do about it, though.”
The hail quickly melted as the heat returned on Tuesday, and homeowners quickly cleaned up any mess left behind.
The heat was enough to buckle part of a concrete median near the intersection of Circle Drive and Union Boulevard in central Colorado Springs.
“It’s kind of disturbing,” said passerby Brian McKinnon. “I drive by here almost every day and I really haven’t noticed it before. It’s just the heat.”
City officials said such damage isn’t unusual for older concrete, and that newer concrete allows for more expansion and contraction.
The city reported no further storm damage from Monday’s storm. A damage analysis from El Paso County wasn’t available Tuesday.
