Floodwaters swept through low-lying intersections across the south Denver metro area Saturday afternoon, trapping drivers in vehicles that were lifted and pushed by rising water, hiding a treacherous secret underneath: feet of accumulated hail. Between 2:30 p.m. and 4 p.m., South Metro Fire Rescue responded to seven separate water rescue calls for vehicles stuck in flash flooding across Douglas County, as a burst of heavy monsoonal rain overwhelmed roadways in less than two hours.
At the intersection of Meridian Boulevard and Maroon Circle in Meridian, roughly two to three feet of hail had piled up beneath about three feet of standing floodwater, according to CBS News. That combination masked the true depth of the water from drivers who had no way of knowing what lay beneath the surface until it was too late. Multiple vehicles became immobilized as the water rose rapidly at the intersection, leaving motorists stranded in place.
Motorist Kevin Plamondon told the outlet he escaped through his car window after the floodwaters lifted his vehicle off the ground and swept it away near Meridian Boulevard and Maroon Circle. His account offers a firsthand look at just how fast conditions turned dangerous in a part of Douglas County better known for office parks than swift-water rescues. South Metro Fire Rescue and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office both responded to stranded motorists at multiple flooded intersections that afternoon, per Denver7.
A Downpour That Outpaced the Ground’s Ability to Absorb It
The intensity of the rain was staggering by any regional measure. Rain gauges in Aurora recorded more than two inches of rain in a single hour around 3:14 p.m., an amount equal to roughly 12% of the city’s average annual precipitation, as reported by 9NEWS. Aurora typically receives around 15 to 17 inches of total precipitation across an entire year, making Saturday’s hourly total an extreme outlier for the region…