Marble canyon, which is up behind my home, got hit with 5-8
inches of rain and hail in less that an hour. A wall of water came out
of the canyon, and took out numerous homes. It happened in a very short
time frame. Cars were floating down the street, with people still in
them. The dry raven that comes out of Marble canyon is now 30 feet
wider, and in some areas 15 feet deeper. Luckly, no one was seriuosly
hurt, now comes the cleanup and rebuilding. Of course no one has flood
insurance.
Evidently, a road was built across the lower canyon mouth, and
when the flash food came down Marble canyon, the built up road acted as
a small dam. When it collasped, a wall about 20 feet high came running
down. The noise of this was louder than several freight trains.
I never gave flash floods a thought when I am soaring around
thunderstorms, but now if I land out and am in the area of where a
flash flood may occur, I will give it a little more thought and have a
eye out for possible danger areas.
This flash flood was over in less than 5 minutes, but the
damage it did in that time frame is amazing. The downwash and winds
from the downburst were something to experience. Thermal tight, Soar
high, Fly safe. # 711 reporting.