Burned Watersheds - Flash Flood on Spring Creek CO

A consequence of wildfire is the increased probability of flash floods. This flash flood occurred in Spring Creek on July 29, 1997, within the area burned by the Buffalo Creek Fire. The view is upstream and the discharge is about 5.0 cubic meters per second from a maximum 30-minute rainfall intensity of about 19 millimeters per hour. Rainfall-runoff relations suggest a rainfall threshold at about 10 millimeters per hour above which much larger flash floods occur.