#5 1976’s Colorado Flood
This flood took place in the Big Thompson Canyon on the 100th anniversary of Colorado officially becoming a state. And while people had gathered at the canyon earlier that day to celebrate, the end of the July 31st celebration hadn’t been as happy. It all started with a little rain sometime in the late afternoon, only to evolve into a full-blown storm with heavy rain in the early evening.
In only two hours, the Big Thompson Canyon region saw a whole year’s worth of rainfall, which caused the water to come down the mountainside in torrents! By 10:30 that night, a huge 20-foot tall wave was roaring through the canyon, washing down everything it came into contact with.
You can never underestimate light rain, as it can always end up turning on you when you least expect it. In this case, there was a need for helicopters to go find the 144 victims of the flood, while the waters caused an additional $156.3 million in damages.
