FLOOD00269 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

the valley. Serious damages to the agricultural crops resulted in the plains area. Flood of June 1949. Heavy rains in the headwaters area of the Big Thompson River basin resulted in a peak discharge on 4 June of 3,330 cfs at the Drake station and 7,750 cfs at the Loveland station. Rainfall amounts on 4 June were 2.75 inches at Estes Park and 3.66 inches at Waterdale. Between 4 and 7 June, Estes Park received 3.92 inches of rainfall while Waterdale received 5.30 inches. Lowland areas west of Loveland were flooded and U.S. Highway 34 to Estes Park was damaged. Flood of Auaust 1951. On 2 and 3 August 1951, intense rains over much of the basin caused severe flCioding along the Big Thompson River from Buckhorn Creek to the mouth. The peak discharge at Drake was 3,530 cfs on 3 August. I'd the river mouth, the flow peaked at 6,100 .cfs on 4 August, Estes Park received 1.31 inches of rain during 2 and 3 August; Waterdale measured 4.64 inches, of which 4.18 inches fell on 2 August. On Buckhorn Creek, a dam containing about 1,000 acre-feet of stored water, failed at 10:00 p.m. on 3 Auguste The flood crest reached Loveland at 11 :30 p.mc and the peak there was estimated to be 22,000 cfs. The river was reported to be a mile wide in places. Numerous rural homes were flooded, many swept from their foundations. One mile of UcS. Highway 34 west of Loveland was washed away. Irrigation works, such as diversion dams and canals, were destroyed, crop loss was heavy. and there was much sediment and erosion damage. The livEts of four people were lost and many were left homeless. Total damages from the flood WE!re estimated at $602,000. Flood of July 1976. Heavy rainfall, amounting to as much as 12 inches in 4 hours, fell on the evening of 31 July in the upper Big Thompson River basin in the general vicinity of Estes Park, Gllen Haven, and Drake. The intense rainfall produced large amounts of runoff on tributaries of the Big Thompson River as well as on the Big Thompson River ijselt c Flash flood condijions prevailed from the rainfall area downstream to the mouth of the Big Thompson River canyon west of Loveland. The estimated peak discharge at the U.S.G.S. stream gaging station located on the Big Thompson River 6 miles east of Drake was 31,200 cfs - about 4 times larger than the previous recorded peak dischargec It is estimated that thEt drainage area contributing to the flood hydrograph at the canyon mouth was about 70 square miles out of the total drainage area of 304 square miles at this pointc Damages from this flood were estimated at about $35.000,000 in Larimer County and about $45,000 in Weld County. One hundred thirty-nine bodies were recovered in the flood aftermath wijh six persons listed as still missing. Colorado Flood Hydrology Manual 4.18 a:w=r L '! . .