Why Is the Big Thompson Running So Low This Summer?

It comes down to snow that never showed up. Colorado had one of its driest winters in years, and the state's governor activated Phase 2 of the drought response plan back in March 2026 over low snowpack and high temperatures. Below Lake Estes, the river is running and water is released out of Olympus Dam. It's clear, it's calm, and the fishing report calls it some of the best water of the summer. Stage 2 fire restrictions have been in place across Larimer County since late May and are extended through July 21. No campfires, no charcoal grills, no open flame.

What Actually Happened on July 31, 1976?

It wasn't a wet year either, and that's the part people forget. July 31, 1976 started as an ordinary summer evening, campers in the canyon, families driving back from the weekend, the river running its normal warm season flow. A thunderstorm stalled over the Big Thompson drainage and stayed there, dropping inches of rain onto steep rock that couldn't absorb it. In some stretches, the river went from a few feet deep to 15 to 19 feet in under an hour. More than 140 people died or went missing that night, hundreds more were injured, and the damage ran into tens of millions of dollars. It's still one of the deadliest natural disasters in Colorado history.

Has the Canyon Flooded the Highway Before?

More than once, as it turns out. Early 1900s floods tore at the old dirt road before crews finally paved a two lane U.S. 34 through the canyon in 1938. Then came 1976. Then, in September 2013, days of heavy rain sent another surge down the canyon, washing out sections of the highway again, damaging bridges, and forcing more than 100 people to be airlifted out. Lay the dates next to each other, early damage, 1938, 1976, 2013, and it stops looking like bad luck and starts looking like a pattern.

What Does the 50-Year Mark Mean for a Town That Still Remembers?

It means people are going to gather in the canyon in two weeks, not because they have to, but because they want to. On July 31, 2026, the Drake Firehouse and other spots along the canyon will host gatherings marking 50 years since that night. Fifty years is long enough for a lot of visitors to have never heard the story. It isn't long enough for the canyon to have forgotten it.

Moe asked what I'd tell a tourist who wonders why the fire boards and the flash flood signs are both up at the same time, in the same dry summer.

I told him: this is a place where drought years and flood years share the same canyon, sometimes the same week. Paying attention is part of living here.

50th Anniversary Remembrance
What: Community gatherings marking 50 years since the 1976 Big Thompson Flood
When: July 31, 2026
Where: Drake Firehouse and other locations along the Big Thompson Canyon
Cost: Free