How do you warn people that the flooding situation is really dangerous around Boulder, Colorado? A forecaster for the National Weather Service used some good old Bible terror in this morning's Denver/Boulder update. Is this modern-day Noah collecting raccoons and deer and stray pit bulls, right now?

The "BIBLICAL RAINFALL" alert is followed by another 10 paragraphs of ALL CAPS GLOOM:

  • A DIRE SITUATION WHICH WILL NOT IMPROVE DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
  • IT WOULDN'T TAKE MUCH TO CAUSE FLOODING AGAIN.
  • THINGS ARE NOT LOOKING GOOD.

These storms follow a summer of catastrophic wildfires that reduced hundreds of square miles of forest to blackened wasteland. When the rain hits, there's nothing to keep it in the ground, causing deadly flash floods that send charred logs and giant rocks racing downhill to destroy anything in their path.

"Biblical" is a pretty good description, and one that will be easily understood by followers of the region's weather gods.

[Photo by Associated Press.]