STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – Forecasters say the Yampa and Elk rivers have likely reached their peak flows for the season, barring heavy rain this weekend.
The Steamboat Pilot and Today reports Colorado Basin River Forecast Center senior hydrologist Ashley Nielson says it would take “heavy precipitation over the Yampa and Elk rivers” to send them to a new level.
The Yampa reached its zenith for the season at 12:45 a.m. on Monday, assuming levels hold. The flow then was 2,570 cubic feet per second. That would be the lowest peak since 2012, when the river capped at 1,570 cubic feet per second on April 27.
The Elk River is expected to gradually taper off to about 1,800 cubic feet per second by May 27.
