The National Weather Service issued a flood advisory Tuesday afternoon for parts of Montezuma and Dolores counties.
According to a news release from the NWS station in Grand Junction, heavy rain began falling west of Rico about 2:46 p.m. The station responded by issuing a flood advisory for east-central Dolores County, northeastern Montezuma County and north-central La Plata County until 5:45 p.m. The release warned residents to be cautious near the burn scar left by the Burro Fire, since heavy rain could cause mudslides, rockslides and debris flows in those areas.
The release predicted areas south of Rico and east of Stoner, including Colorado Highway 145 between mile markers 30 and 47, would be most likely to receive flooding. It warned travelers to avoid all recently burned areas.
On July 17, a rainstorm caused flooding near the 416 Fire’s burn scar in La Plata County, forcing an evacuation at the KOA Campground on East Animas Road and closures on U.S. Highway 550.
As of 3:30 p.m., the NWS was predicting a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms in the Cortez area Tuesday night.