Hail Damage and Street Flooding from Prowers County Storm

Testing the Waters

The Lamar Public Works Department, along with local police and fire department personnel, were at work Thursday evening, dealing with the aftermath of a severe weather system that hit the county shortly before 7pm last night.

Unclogging the Drain, Once You Can Find It

Police officers were posted in high-water intersections, helping traffic safely navigate a course to a higher, dryer roadway.  Public Works personnel were around the town, cleaning out gutters filled with debris to allow the water to runoff into the underground drainage system.  It took only a few minutes at the intersection of South 5^th and West Oak Streets, to have the water continue to back up by several yards along South 5^th Street near the Post Office, surrounding this reporter’s vehicle which had been parked high and dry.

Closed Intersection

It’s been a familiar story for summer storms in southeast Colorado with wind from 30 to 40mph, coupled with a heavy, continuous downpour. This time, sections of the county got hit with hail, big enough to cause damage to homes, cars and trees and shrubbery.  Hailstones ranging from ping-pong ball up to softball sizes pelted the area for around 30 minutes after the storm began.

Hail Pile Up

Windows were broken on vehicles and homes while the leaves, stripped from the trees, began to cause scattered flooding problems, as they clogged rain-filled gutters, causing some flooding in low-lying areas that ran from curb to curb at intersections along West Oak Street.

The Slow Storm Build Up Over Prowers County

Thursday started off with rain, as a 7am eastbound storm swept through portions of the county, leaving an already wet community, wetter. Rain averages of from 15 to 18 inches were noted by the National Weather Service between May and July for southeast Colorado.

Water Filled Streets in Lamar

The evening rains interrupted events at the Prowers County Fairgrounds as crowds huddled inside the Pavilion, Home Ec. and Centennial building, fairgrounds stadium or under the tent at the beer garden.  Fairgrounds personnel have been busy since earlier today, working to prepare the arena for this evening’s PRCA Rodeo and the Tiny Tot Championship Contest.

By Russ Baldwin