Snowmelt pushes Poudre River to minor flood stage
Miles Blumhardt
Our hottest weather of the season will linger through the weekend and increase snowmelt, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flood advisory for the Poudre River.
The advisory runs through 4 p.m. Monday from the mouth of the Poudre Canyon through Fort Collins. The hot weather in the mountains is expected to accelerate melting of an abundant snowpack, resulting in minor flooding of bike paths and trails in low-lying areas around Fort Collins.
The city has set up signs across the trail warning trail users of the flooded conditions near underpasses. Trail users are asked to detour around the areas.
Flood stage is 7.5 feet on the river. The river reached 6.5 feet Friday afternoon and is forecast to subside overnight then rise to near 6.3 feet Saturday morning. At 6 feet, water spills into low-lying areas.
The Poudre was running around 2,500 cubic feet per second Friday afternoon through Fort Collins, which is strong enough to carry people downstream. People near the river are encouraged to use caution.
Highs today through Monday will be in the low 90s but no rain is in the forecast.
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