1965 Philmont Scout Ranch flash flood

On June 17, 1965, a large flash flood occurred in the Scouting camp Philmont Scout Ranch, which is near Cimarron, New Mexico, United States. Heavy rain throughout the area caused waters in Rayado Canyon and the Cimarron River to rise to extreme levels;^[1] up to 12.42 feet at the highest.^[2] After June 17, water levels gradually decreased over the course of several days.^[3] The impacts of the flood included the destruction of several campsites^[1] and the loss of many old photographs and documents kept at Philmont,^[4] however no injuries or deaths resulted from the flood.^[5] The 1965 flash flood was the largest flash flood in the history of Philmont until the 2015 flood, which occurred 50 years later on the same month.^[6] Both of the floods occurred on El Niño years as well.^[7]

References

1. "The flood of ‘15: Philmont comes together" (PDF). PhilNews. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
2. "CIMARRON RIVER (NM) ABOVE CIMARRON". National Weather Service. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
3. Cimarrón and Philmont. Arcadia Publishing. 2012. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-7385-9527-6.
4. McNair, Ben (14 July 2011). ""Philmont" Filmmaker Back at Ranch" (PDF). PhilNews. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
5. Spears, Mit (September 1965). Boys' Life: Scouting Death Valley. Boy Scouts of America. p. 4.
6. "Local Boy Scouts explore New Mexico wilderness". C&G News. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 2016-01-14.
7. Null, Jan (4 January 2016). "El Niño and La Niña Years and Intensities". Golden Gate Weather Service. Retrieved 2016-01-15.