HHC 2013: One Week To Go

[Eddie W. Shore]

I can't wait to see you all in person again. Eddie

[Tim Wessman]

There are a few things I should probably say.

First, there are some major rains/flooding all along the rocky mountains. Fort Collins is on the northern edge and has been hit far less then places like Boulder to the south. A few neighborhoods near the river were evacuated, and a few roads/bridges are closed. I do not anticipate any collapses or things that will impact long term.

I highly doubt that there will be any large issues in Fort Collins by next week as a result of any flooding and the conference will not be impacted.

There are two things that could potentially impact outside activities however. Boulder, the location of the NIST facility, has been the hardest hit location. While I doubt the NIST/NOAA facilities will be directly impacted due to elevation, there may be other issues that could potentially impact the tours.

The other issue will be anyone wanting to visit Rocky Mountain National Park. While the park itself is still open, all roads in the canyons heading up to the park from this side of the park are closed and have collapsed in places due to the flooding. Thus visiting the park turned from a 1-2 hour drive, into a 3-4 hour drive in order to circle around.

If you are a fan of the guy that does "BadAstronomy.com", here is a video he posted. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVTmWxnB5iM

Also, another video from cnn. http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2013/09/13/colorado-flooding-howell-newday.cnn.html

TW

Edited: 13 Sept 2013, 11:24 a.m.

[Craig Ruff]

Rocky Mountain National Park is closed to all uses at the moment, and it may be inaccessible unless you approach from the west side through Grandby. I expect that all roads up the canyons will be locals and official traffic only for weeks. Many of these canyon roads have washed out portions. I hate to say it, but anyone who was planning on a trip up there may be unable to do so.
Boulder Daily Camera article