During the evening hours of 31 July 1976 heavy precipitation fell along the Colorado Front Range resulting in flash flooding in the Big Thompson Canyon causing the death of 139 people with 35.5 million dollar damage. This report utilizes GOES-1 infrared (IR) imagery to estimate the heavy convective precipitation during the Big Thompson Flood.

On Saturday, July 31, 1976 almost 4,000 people were enjoying the serene beauty of the Big Thompson Canyon. During the evening an intense thunderstorm stalled over a small portion of the canyon, dropping 10 or more inches of rain in a 3-hour period. Because of the steep mountain topography, the rainfall quickly concentrated and formed a virtual "wall of water" which displaced everything in its path. The Big Thompson flood has provided a grim reminder...