Since August, western Colorado has been gripped with drought conditions. This led to the fifth largest wildfire in the state's history, but since then we have seen these conditions ease.
Due to these drought conditions, this made the possibility of flash flooding much more likely. Under normal, drought free conditions, the soil will act as a sponge to absorb rainfall.
After weeks and potentially months of drought, the soil becomes hard and cracked, and will repel water instead of absorbing it.
With vegetation also drying out, there are not as many root systems to hold the soil in place and could potentially lead to more mudslides and flash flooding.
Over 7 inches of rain fell in Wolf Creek Pass, and all of that rain combined with recent extreme drought caused historic flooding. The San Juan River rose to a flood stage of 12.82 feet which is considered major. This area hasn't seen flooding like this in over 50 years.
The recent drought update shows the San Juan Mountains completely drought free. Areas where moderate to severe drought have also seen some ease in these conditions.
Drag the slider below to see the comparison before and after the rain in Colorado.
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