A June Avalanche Blocks Colorado Highway
A rare June Avalanche wrecked a road in Montrose County.
If you're wondering, yep, there's still quite a bit of snow in the higher elevations. A friend of mine was up on The Grand Mesa Thursday and said "a lot of snow" was still along portions of the highway.
Apparently, there's still enough to trigger avalanches. The High Mesa Road in Montrose Country was closed this week after an avalanche slid down a mountain and deposited 5 FT of debris across the highway. The natural-made roadblock is about 12 miles from Highway 50, not far from the little town of Cimarron.
The runoff is causing other problems too. CDOT and other local road and bridge crews report that heavy water flow is washing away bridge and culverts and weakening the roadway. Flooding is washing away portions of roadways in areas as well. Of course, if you encounter water crossing the road do NOT attempt to drive across. Even a few inches of fast-moving flood water can carry your vehicles off the road in seconds. As you've heard before, "turn around, don't drown". It's still good advice, especially now.
Credit: CBS4