1976 Big Thompson Canyon flood
E1021078
The 1976 Big Thompson Canyon flood was a catastrophic flash flood in Colorado that killed more than 140 people and became one of the deadliest natural disasters in the state's history.
Observed surface forms (1)
| Surface form | Occurrences |
|---|---|
| 1976 Big Thompson River flood | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
flash flood
ⓘ
flood in the United States ⓘ natural disaster ⓘ |
| affects | Big Thompson River NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| cause |
intense rainfall
ⓘ
severe thunderstorm ⓘ |
| commemoratedBy | memorials along Big Thompson Canyon ⓘ |
| consequence |
increased public awareness of flash flood risks in Colorado
ⓘ
revisions to land-use planning in flood-prone areas of the canyon ⓘ |
| country |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| damage |
extensive destruction of homes and infrastructure
ⓘ
severe damage to U.S. Highway 34 ⓘ |
| deadliestIn | Big Thompson River basin NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| describedAs | one of the deadliest natural disasters in Colorado history ⓘ |
| endTime | 1976-08-01 ⓘ |
| eventSequence |
intense storm cell formed over the Big Thompson River headwaters
ⓘ
sudden wall of water surged down the canyon ⓘ torrential rain fell over steep terrain ⓘ vehicles and structures were swept away ⓘ |
| floodHeight | up to about 20 feet in places ⓘ |
| hasAftermath |
changes in flash flood warning procedures in Colorado
ⓘ
improvements in emergency management and forecasting ⓘ |
| hasCategory |
1976 disasters in the United States
ⓘ
July 1976 events in the United States ⓘ floods in Colorado ⓘ natural disasters in Colorado ⓘ |
| hasMemorialDate | July 31 ⓘ |
| impacted |
residents of Big Thompson Canyon
ⓘ
tourists and campers in the canyon ⓘ |
| locatedInTheAdministrativeTerritorialEntity | Larimer County, Colorado NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| location |
Big Thompson Canyon
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Colorado NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| mainCauseOfDeath | drowning ⓘ |
| maximumRainfall | over 12 inches in less than 4 hours in parts of the canyon ⓘ |
| naturalDisasterType | flash flooding ⓘ |
| notableFor |
high death toll among campers and motorists
ⓘ
rapid onset and extreme flow rates ⓘ |
| numberOfDeaths | 144 ⓘ |
| numberOfInjured | ~250 ⓘ |
| partOf |
history of flooding in Colorado
ⓘ
list of notable floods in the United States ⓘ |
| pointInTime | 1976-07-31 ⓘ |
| riverDischarge | estimated peak flows of tens of thousands of cubic feet per second ⓘ |
| startTime | 1976-07-31 ⓘ |
| timeOfDay | evening ⓘ |
| year | 1976 ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
1976 Big Thompson River flood