Big Thompson River: Difference between revisions
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==1976 flood== |
==1976 flood== |
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[[File:Big Thompson River Flood Marker.JPG|thumb|left|Sign in the Viestenz-Smith Park, demonstrating the maximum height of the flood]] |
[[File:Big Thompson River Flood Marker.JPG|thumb|left|Sign in the Viestenz-Smith Park, demonstrating the maximum height of the flood]] |
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On July 31, 1976, during the celebration of Colorado’s centennial, the Big Thompson Canyon was the site of a devastating [[flash flood]] that swept down the steep and narrow canyon, claiming the lives of 143 people, 5 of whom were never found, making it the deadliest disaster in Colorado’s history.{{cite |
On July 31, 1976, during the celebration of Colorado’s centennial, the Big Thompson Canyon was the site of a devastating [[flash flood]] that swept down the steep and narrow canyon, claiming the lives of 143 people, 5 of whom were never found, making it the deadliest disaster in Colorado’s history.{{cite |= in |url=https://www..com//news/—-/ |access-date=25 April 2023}} This flood was triggered by a nearly stationary [[thunderstorm]] near the upper section of the canyon that dumped {{convert|300|mm|in|abbr=off|sp=us}} of rain in less than 4 hours (more than 3/4 of the average annual rainfall for the area). Little rain fell over the lower section of the canyon, where many of the victims were. |
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[[File:1976 Big Thompson Flood Memorial.jpg|thumb|Memorial{{Cite web|title=1976 Big Thompson Flood Memorial|url=http://www.1976bigthompsonflood.org/}} to the lives lost in the 1976 Big Thompson Flood located in the town of Drake.]] |
[[File:1976 Big Thompson Flood Memorial.jpg|thumb|Memorial{{Cite web|title=1976 Big Thompson Flood Memorial|url=http://www.1976bigthompsonflood.org/}} to the lives lost in the 1976 Big Thompson Flood located in the town of Drake.]] |
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Around 9 p.m., a wall of water more than {{convert|6|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} high raced down the canyon at about {{convert|6|m/s|mph|sp=us}}, destroying 400 cars, 418 houses and 52 businesses and washing out most of [[U.S. Route 34]].D. Hyndman and D. Hyndman, ”Natural Hazards and Disasters” (Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2006), 270-271. |
Around 9 p.m., a wall of water more than {{convert|6|m|ft|abbr=off|sp=us}} high raced down the canyon at about {{convert|6|m/s|mph|sp=us}}, destroying 400 cars, 418 houses and 52 businesses and washing out most of [[U.S. Route 34]].D. Hyndman and D. Hyndman, ”Natural Hazards and Disasters” (Thomson Brooks/Cole, 2006), 270-271. |
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Latest revision as of 02:27, 25 April 2023
River in Colorado, United States
The Big Thompson River is a tributary of the South Platte River, approximately 78 miles (126 km) long, in the U.S. state of Colorado. Originating in Forest Canyon in Rocky Mountain National Park, the river flows into Lake Estes in the town of Estes Park and then through Big Thompson Canyon. It includes four crossings/bridges which are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.
Course of the river[edit]
The headwaters of the Big Thompson River begin in Forest Canyon within Rocky Mountain National Park in Larimer County, Colorado. The river flows east through Moraine Park to the town of Estes Park. There it is held in Lake Estes by Olympus Dam before being released into the Big Thompson Canyon. The North Fork Big Thompson River also begins in Rocky Mountain National Park, on the northern slopes of the Mummy Range. This tributary flows east, through the town of Glen Haven, where it merges with the Big Thompson River in the town of Drake, in the Big Thompson Canyon.
From Lake Estes, the river descends 1⁄2 mile (800 m) in elevation through the mountains in the spectacular 25-mile (40 km) Big Thompson Canyon, emerging from the foothills west of Loveland. It flows eastward, south of Loveland across the plains into Weld County and joins the South Platte approximately 5 mi (8.0 km) south of Greeley. It receives the Little Thompson River approximately four miles (6.4 km) upstream from its mouth.
Water resources in the Big Thompson River are managed by the Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District as part of the Colorado-Big Thompson Project.