Powerful hailstorm, flash flooding hits Colorado Springs

A strong summer storm hit the city of Colorado Springs, Colorado on August 29, 2016, forcing authorities to rescue people from cars and move heaps of hail with snowplows. 61 cm (2 feet) of hail was reported in some areas.

Flooding across the town created a mess many people have never seen. The flooding in some neighborhoods was so strong that it moved cars, WTVY reported. 

Eric Peterson, a meteorologist with the NWS, told The Gazette that 50.8 to 76 mm (2 to 3 inches) of rain fell on some parts of the already soaked city. “Most areas in the city received between 25.4 and 51 mm (1 and 2 inches) Sunday night, leaving the ground saturated when rain fell Monday,” Peterson said. An area near Peterson Air Force Base got just over 101.6 mm (4 inches) of rain between Sunday and Monday evening.

Central Colorado Springs was hit the worst, according to Brian Bledsoe, chief meteorologist for Gazette news partner KKTV. Between 2 and 3 inches hit that area in about an hour’s time, Bledsoe said and added that some drainages were clogged by the hail.

No injuries were reported.

Video courtesy Denver7 – The Denver Channel

Video courtesy Ethan Cooley

Video courtesy Jessica Moore

Storms will become fewer and less widespread over the next several days, but the risk of flash flooding will continue through this week, according to the NWS.

Temperatures will remain below average, and through mid-week, heavy rain is possible “with an elevated flash flood threat continuing for burn scars and already saturated locations,” the agency said.

Featured image credit: WTVY

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