Thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall that caused flash flooding across parts of metro Denver on Sunday evening, shutting down streches of Interstate 70 and stranding motorists — nearly a dozen of whom were rescued by firefighters.
UPDATE: I-70 storm flooding in northeast Denver construction zone prompts investigation
The heaviest rain fell over the east side of Westminster and parts of Federal Heights, as well as the I-70 corridor through northeast Denver before the storm moved southeast to City Park, said David Barjenbruch, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Boulder.
“All the ingredients for flash flooding were there yesterday, from strong storms and a considerable amount of moisture,” Barjenbruch said Monday morning.
According to the National Weather Service, the highest rain totals in metro Denver on Sunday included 2.5 inches recorded on the east side of Westminster, 2 inches near Interstate 25 and 88th Avenue and 1.85 inches near City Park.
“It was a pretty isolated storm, but the places that got rain got a lot of it,” Barjenbruch said.
Flooding closed I-70 in both directions between York and Steele and between Northfield Quebec and Dahlia streets around 8:15 p.m. The interstate reopened just before 10 p.m., according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.
The Denver Fire Department said authorities rescued the most people Sunday evening at I-70 and York. In total, 11 people were rescued from the vehicles, said Lt. JD Chism, public information officer with the fire department. In addition, the Denver Fire Department rescued eight people from 38th and Blake streets.
Read more at thedenverchannel.com.