September 2013 Southwest Floods
Science Center Objects
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the September 2013 Southwest Floods that occurred when rains brought major flooding to parts of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.
Unusual end-of-summer rains produced flooding in the Southwest United States, including devastating floods in the Colorado Front Range and major floods in central New Mexico.
Image of the 2013 flooding from the webcam at USGS streamgage 06727500 FOURMILE CREEK AT ORODELL, CO.
Colorado Flood Info
The three-day rainfall of nearly 13 inches caused major flooding in river basins near Boulder, Colorado. Available flood data includes:
- NWS Service Assessment: The Record Eastern Colorado Floods of September 11-17, 2013. (published June 2014)
- Exceedance Probability Analysis (PDF) for the Colorado Flood Event, 9-16 September 2013 from the Hydrometeorological Design Studies Center (HDSC), National Weather Service, NOAA, released September 17, 2013
- 7 Day Precipitation Map
- 30 Day Precipitation Map
USGS Activities in the News:
- NBC NEWS (Sep 13): Colorado disaster: What is a 100-year flood? It's not what you think.
- StormChasingVideo.com (Sep 12): Colorado's Big Thompson Canyon Extreme Flash Flooding
- Payton Peterson (Sep 13): Longmont Downtown to East - Aerial Footage
- ABC News (Sep 12): Dramatic Rescue as Flash Floods Submerge Colorado Driver
New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah Flood Info
Major flooding occurred in the Upper Gila River and Paria River Basins in Arizona, Utah, and new Mexico, beginning on September 9th, resulting in road closures and damage to homes. Click the images below to view flooding along the Rio Puerco river.
USGS Activities in the News:
Historical Flooding
The USGS provides practical, unbiased information about the Nation's rivers and streams that is crucial in mitigating hazards associated with floods. This site provides information about the USGS activities, data, and services provided during regional high-flow events, such as hurricanes or multi-state flooding events. The USGS response to these events is typically managed by the National...
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Date published: February 25, 2019Status: CompletedMay-June 2013 Midwest Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the May-June 2013 Midwest Floods.
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Date published: February 25, 2019Status: CompletedApril-May 2013 Midwest Floods
Learn more about USGS flood activities related to the April-May 2013 Midwest Floods caused by heavy rainfall and late snow-melt in six states.
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Date published: June 25, 2014Status: ActiveDebris flows and Floods from Extreme Precipitation in September 2013, Gila National Forest, NM
A record-breaking rainstorm in Glenwood, New Mexico and the surrounding areas occurred in September, 2013 leading to widespread and destructive flooding and debris flows, including watersheds burned the previous year by the Whitewater-Baldy Complex wildfire. In the area of the Whitewater-Baldy burn scar, a highway was overtopped by flash flooding on Whitewater Creek. Many side canyon...
Contacts: Anne C Tillery
Estimates of peak flood discharge for 21 sites in the Front Range in Colorado in response to extreme rainfall in September 2013
Extreme rainfall in September 2013 caused destructive floods in part of the Front Range in Boulder County, Colorado. Erosion from these floods cut roads and isolated mountain communities for several weeks, and large volumes of eroded sediment were deposited downstream, which caused further damage of property and infrastructures. Estimates of peak...
Moody, John A.
Flooding in the South Platte River and Fountain Creek Basins in eastern Colorado, September 9–18, 2013
On September 9, 2013, rain began to fall in eastern Colorado as a large low-pressure system pulled plumes of tropical moisture northward from the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. By September 16, 2013, as much as 12 to 20 inches of rain had fallen in the foothills of the Front Range of the Southern Rocky Mountains and adjacent plains near...
Kimbrough, Robert A.; Holmes, Robert R.