Flooding-September 15, 2013

We ventured out yesterday to see what roads are open. We could go north and then west because the only bridge on that road was probably 20 feet above the river. The pictures I am going to post won't mean as much to you simply because you never saw the land before. But still I want you to see these pictures. These pictures are of the Cache la Poudre River which flows through Fort Collins. The traffic was so horrific there was no getting out of the car to take pictures.

Taken looking north. The river is normally docile and flows to the left of the trees and dirt road. It overflowed and filled all the fields to the east (right).It was flowing very strongly.

 

The big trees on the left of the picture used to be on the right bank of the river.

 

Taken looking south. The river normally is well to the right (west). It has crossed over a road and continued its own journey through open fields which are normally dry. Now they are all completely underwater. The flow of the river was much stronger here and it was clearly cutting its own new path.

 

This river is the least flooded of all of the ones in Colorado. There are some incredible videos on YouTube. The following link is of a storm chaser who started filming right as you leave Loveland proper and head up through the Narrows in the Big Thompson Canyon. Even if you don't know this area, just to see the power of the water is eye opening.  We were on this road only 9 days before these pictures were taken when we went on our picnic to the mountains.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWGK4CiWxeM.   

 

More rain is predicted today. Obviously it cannot be absorbed so the flooding is bound to increase.

 

By the way, the Cache la Poudre river means cache or stash of powder. In earlier times the native Americans, when they could get it, would hide their black powder in the high banks of the river. That meant they had stashes of powder by the river. Thus, Cache la Poudre River.