Sheets of rain pummel Fort Collins, causing flooding

A strong thunderstorm dropped up to 3 inches of rain in parts of Larimer County, causing flooding in Fort Collins and Wellington on Monday evening and making at least one county road impassable.

According to National Weather Service emergency notifications, the storm had dropped between half an inch and 3 inches of rain in places, with flash flooding ongoing in Wellington and possible along streams, creeks and other low-lying areas in and around Fort Collins.

One gauge tracking rainfall for Fort Collins' flood warning system in the northeast part of the city recorded 3.51 inches of rain.

A flash flood warning was in effect from just after 8 p.m. until 11:15 p.m. Monday night.

The impacted area included Horsetooth Mountain, Masonville, LaPorte, Bellvue and northern Loveland. Other flood watches and warnings were called in the area of the Cameron Peak Fire burn scar.

During the height of the storm, residents reported cracking thunder and incessant lightning.

Streets were flooded in Old Town, making them difficult to navigate, and hail was also in the mix in Fort Collins.

Colorado State Climatologist Russ Schumacher, a Fort Collins resident, reported "just shy of severe hail" in northwest Fort Collins.

Video from Wellington showed flooding past the sidewalks.

Fort Collins on accident alert

Fort Collins police called an "accident alert" for Fort Collins drivers. This means people who are involved in a crash in Fort Collins city limits can exchange information and report it online rather than calling police as long as no injuries involved, and drugs or alcohol are not believed to be involved. Report crashes at www.fcgov.com/police-report.

How much rain fell?

You can get an idea of how much rain has fallen by checking out rainfall recorded by Fort Collins' flood warning system.

The map showed 3.51 inches had fallen within two hours at a gauge located on Lincoln Avenue in northeast Fort Collins.

Schumacher reported that a rain gauge at his home recorded 2.52 inches in about 90 minutes' time, saying most of that came in about 30 minutes.

Gauges south of Horsetooth Road recorded totals below one inch, but north of Drake Road, gauges recorded totals of 1.5 to shy of 3 inches between Taft Hill Road and Timberline Road. A gauge between Wellington and Cobb Lake reported 1.65 inches.

Crews search for potential tuber

Poudre Fire Authority responded to a report of "a tuber seen in potential distress" at Mulberry Street and Lemay Avenue, PFA said in a post on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter, at 9:08 p.m.

Crews were looking for any signs of a tuber in the water or on shore. They asked drivers to be aware of their presence in the area.

PFA asked anyone who was tubing in this area who is missing a member of their party or who may have recently gotten out of water in that area to call dispatch at 970-419-3273 to provide any updates.

College and Mulberry intersection closed

Flooding issues led to the closure of the intersection of Mulberry Street and College Avenue, according to Fort Collins Utilities, which posted on the X platform at 9:19 p.m. Monday.

Buckhorn Road impassable

Buckhorn Road, west of Fort Collins, also known as Larimer County Road 44H, was impassable Monday night, according to an alert from the Larimer Emergency Telephone Authority about 11 p.m. The road was inaccessible from 1 mile east of Moose Ridge Road to Forest Road 129, according to LETA. Anyone who must access Buckhorn Road for an emergency is directed to call 911 instead of traversing the road.

Coloradoan reporter Kevin Lytle contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Big rain in Fort Collins, as much as 3 inches, causes flooding