Crook County’s Dry Creek was anything but after heavy rainfall; flooding closes Juniper Canyon Road for a time

PRINEVILLE, Ore. (KTVZ) – Dry Creek southeast of Prineville was anything but on Tuesday after heavy overnight rainfall prompted flooding that closed Juniper Canyon Road for a time, Crook County Undersheriff Bill Elliott said Wednesday.

The sheriff’s office was notified Tuesday afternoon of the possible flooding after Dry Creek was overwhelmed by the rainfall, as well as melting snow from higher elevations, Elliott said.

“We had flooding in the area of Cowboy Court and a few other places along that stretch of Davis Loop,” Elliott said. “We had water over the road on Davis Loop near the Cowboy Court area.”

There also was over the road near Grannie’s Coffee on Juniper Canyon Road, and the county Road Department responded and closed the road for a few hours, the undersheriff said. They later reopened one lane and then the other.

The Juniper Canyon Neighbors Facebook group page had numerous area residents comparing notes and sharing photos and video of the surging creek and talking about how rare such conditions were.

Elliott said the worst of the flooding was near Cowboy Court, where some outbuildings had water in them.

A check of the area Wednesday morning found the water had receded back into the streambed.

“We hope that we are out of the worst of it, but time, weather and the melt rate will tell,” Elliott said. “Thunderstorms are predicted this evening and we will continue to monitor the situation."