Poudre River flood advisory in effect through Monday

All eyes are on the Cache la Poudre.

Fed by runoff from spring snowmelt and recent rainfall, the river's levels are rising and soon could spill over onto low-lying areas upstream of Fort Collins.

A flood advisory is in effect through Monday afternoon, with waters expected to reach 7.2 feet Monday after measuring 6.6 feet Sunday morning. Its flooding stage is 7.5 feet.

People are urged to use caution, avoid flooded areas and stay clear of river banks that could become unstable.

Just after 11 a.m. Sunday, crews from Windsor-Severance Fire Rescue pulled a 13-year-old girl from the high-rising Poudre River at Windsor's Eastman Park. She, her father and brother were in a kayak or canoe that tipped over.

The father and brother made it to shore. The young girl navigated over to a clump of trees, where she clung to branches until rescuers with ropes helped her to safety. The watercraft washed away.

Sunday rains further filled the burgeoning Poudre River and various small streams, prompting a flash flood warning Sunday afternoon. Doppler radar indicated that a thunderstorm had parked itself over Mishawaka Amphitheater in the Poudre Canyon, dumping excessive rainfall over the High Park and Hewlett fire burn scars.

By 4 p.m., wet roads and puddles dotting Colorado Highway 14 were the only evidence of the rain's presence in the canyon. Roughly two hours later, the dark clouds and quick rain bursts emptied over Fort Collins.

A handful of Fort Collins residents and tourists interviewed throughout the canyon were unfazed by the Poudre's churning waters, the backbone of their outdoor adventures. They were a few among dozens who braved the afternoon storm to picnic, raft and hike.

Mike Shields and Lorie Petersen of Fort Collins were prepping for a spaghetti dinner at a campsite above Poudre Park Sunday afternoon, after the thunderstorm let up. They made the trip without knowing the flood warning was still in effect for 15 minutes, through 4:45 p.m.

For Sheilds, a kayaker who spends most weekends on the Poudre, high water levels are something to hope for.

"The higher the better," he said, noting that the river water was darker Sunday than Saturday, less tea-colored and more black. Several people said they heard a small rock slide higher in the canyon churned up mud.

Keir Scott of Fort Collins and about a dozen rafters entered the water around 2 p.m., before the storm. It typically takes about two hours to travel from Steven's Gulch to Picnic Rock but fast-moving waters cut the trip in half on Sunday.

Scott, who rode in a kayak and made sure his rafting friends traveled downstream safely, said the irony is that he enjoys the water the higher it gets — when others may fear its potential to flood. It would be disappointing if the river flooded and barred access to the canyon by road, he said.

Sitting on the trunk of his Chevy Cavelier, Matt Borchart laced up his boots before hiking Poudre Canyon's Hewlett Gulch trail. The 20-year-old Minnesotan arrived in Colorado Sunday and couldn't "hold back a hike" before starting summer work at Sky Ranch Lutheran camp.

He heard about the potential for flooding and noticed the high, dark waters on the drive up but wasn't too worried.

"I guess I'll keep my fingers crossed," he said, when told the Poudre's waters were expected to rise to near-flood levels Monday.

"Hopefully, this doesn't get too bad."

Showers and thunderstorms are expected to continue Monday before inclement weather yields to sun and higher temperatures Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.