Colorado flooding continues to hamper search efforts

DENVER — Heavy rain continued to fall along Colorado’s Front Range Friday morning, complicating search and rescue efforts in several communities west and north of Denver.

Flood-waters have kept rescue teams from reaching trapped residents in mountain towns, including Lyons and Jamestown west of Boulder. At least three people have died and about 20 more are missing or haven’t responded to Boulder County’s efforts to reach them, a spokeswoman said Friday.

Jefferson County has been drenched by 14.5 inches of rain since Monday, according to the National Weather Service. At least 15 inches have fallen in areas of Boulder County. The Denver area historically sees about a half inch of rain in September.

Flash flood warnings and advisories have been issued for large swaths of Colorado, mostly along the north-south I-25 corridor. On Friday morning, the Colorado Department of Transportation closed I-25 north of Denver to the Wyoming border, about a 75-mile stretch.

In Boulder, Police Chief Mark Beckner said on Twitter that although the water’s surge was down to 3,400 cubic feet per second from 5,000 overnight when the county issued evacuation notices, road conditions are still dangerous.

“Be smart. Stay out of the flood waters. Water is moving fast and is full of debri, trash, and possible sewage,” Beckner said in a tweet.

The photos in this gallery, mostly from residents of Boulder and Jefferson counties and the Colorado National Guard, show the flooding at its peak on Thursday evening and Friday morning.