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Dust From Windstorms Sped Up Colorado Snowmelt

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Jun 17, 2009 8:01 am US/Mountain

Dust From Windstorms Sped Up Colorado Snowmelt

DENVER (AP) ―

Click to enlarge 1 of 1: The Eagle River in mid-May
CBS

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Colorado's snowpack began melting a few weeks early because of some late winter windstorms.

The Bureau of Land Management says dust that landed on the snow caused it to melt more quickly. BLM spokeswoman Erin Curtis says the snowmelt peak came in late May, causing rivers and streams to swell.

Water levels remain high, with the Colorado River running five times above the level it will reach later this summer. Curtis says people should be wary even of flat stretches along the Colorado because they still have a very strong current.

Last weekend, a Denver man died near Black Rocks, a flat-water area near Grand Junction.

Near Steamboat Springs, a woman remains missing after falling into a creek while hiking. A search was suspended because of heavy water flows.