Incoming weather could heighten landslide risk in Colorado
DENVER (KDVR) — As Coloradans brace for another round of possible snow, experts are keeping a close eye on the heightened risk for landslides.
This is the time of year that landslides are more likely to occur, according to experts, because of the snowmelt paired with frequent spring rainstorms.
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Hydrologist Thomas Bellinger, an adjunct professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Metropolitan State University of Denver, said the water from the snowpack could do the most damage, especially if it continues to thaw and freeze again.
“When water freezes, it expands, so it might create a large fissure, or it might spread the rocks a little bit. Then, if it melts again, it’ll be water that’s still trapped in the rock, but if it freezes again, that back-and-forth motion will tend to weaken the rocks or potentially weaken the soil underneath the rocks and cause it to break away,” Bellinger said.
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Last week, Interstate 70 in Glenwood Canyon was closed for a few hours as crews worked to clear debris from a rockslide. Bellinger said constant precipitation come springtime can create instability in the soil.
“It might make the soil more muddy and less able to hold the material on top of it, and as that happens, it can act as a lubricant and essentially that slope will tend to fail,” Bellinger said.
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The hazard is not always visible at first glance — a reminder of the dangers that can lie beneath the surface.
“If you are traveling along the highway, I know I tend to look up at the rocks after a big rainstorm, because that’s when they tend to fall,” Bellinger said. “Or you might see rocks on the road, and that’s a road that you might want to keep your eyes open just in case.”
For the latest anticipated travel impacts and current road conditions, Colorado travel officials recommend checking COtrip.org.
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