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.

All labels observed (2)

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf flash flood ⓘ
flood in the United States ⓘ
natural disaster ⓘ
affects Big Thompson River ⓘ
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 ⓘ
damage extensive destruction of homes and infrastructure ⓘ
severe damage to U.S. Highway 34 ⓘ
deadliestIn Big Thompson River basin ⓘ
linked to: Big Thompson River
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 ⓘ
location Big Thompson Canyon ⓘ
linked to: Big Thompson Valley

Colorado ⓘ
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 ⓘ

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (2)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Big Thompson River → knownFor → 1976 Big Thompson Canyon flood ⓘ
Big Thompson River → hasFloodEvent → 1976 Big Thompson River flood ⓘ
linked to: 1976 Big Thompson Canyon flood