1997 Spring Creek flood

1997 flood in Colorado May 2025 February 2025 SpringCreek2007.jpg Spring Creek during minor flooding in 2007 July 27–28, 1997 Heavy rains Flood 14.5 in mm on, western Fort Collins, Colorado, US atl $200 million 62 5 >$250 million 200 Spring Creek, Fort Collins, Colorado In a two-day period on July 27–28, 1997, heavy rainfall caused an overflow of the Spring Creek near Fort Collins, Colorado, United States. Stalled convection over the city produced heavy rainfall of up to 14.5 in mm across western portions of Fort Collins, causing a flash flood which damaged areas along Spring Creek. Numerous buildings at Colorado State University were inundated by floodwaters, sustaining over US$100 million in damage. Five people were killed, 62 were injured, and damage totaled in excess of $250 million, including more than 2,000 businesses and homes being damaged or destroyed. The flood is the worst natural disaster to impact the Fort Collins, Colorado, area. Background Spring Creek is a 12.7 mi km -long mid 177376 Spring Creek February 22, 2024 tributary of the Cache La Poudre River in the state of Colorado in the United States. It begins at Spring Canyon Dam, and flows into Horsetooth Reservoir, and through Fort Collins.Spring Creek https://www.fcgov.com/utilities/what-we-do/stormwater/drainage-basins/spring-creek-basin January 23, 2024 City of Fort Collins en-US January 23, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240123003548/https://www.fcgov.com/utilities/what-we-do/stormwater/drainage-basins/spring-creek-basin live Before the floods, moist atmospheric conditions occurred due to an unusually strong flow of monsoon moisture, despite the area experiencing drought conditions for six weeks.Ogden F.L. Sharif H.O. Senarath S.U.S. Smith J.A. Baeck M.L. Richardson J.R. Hydrologic analysis of the Fort Collins, Colorado, flash flood of 1997 Journal of Hydrology February 2000 228 1–2 82–100 10.1016/S0022-1694(00)00146-3 2000JHyd..228...82O Candelario Haley July 27, 2017 Fort Collins looks back 20 years after Spring Creek flood https://collegian.com/articles/news/2017/07/fort-collins-looks-back-20-years-after-spring-creek-flood/ January 24, 2024 The Rocky Mountain Collegian May 19, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230519105118/https://collegian.com/articles/news/2017/07/fort-collins-looks-back-20-years-after-spring-creek-flood/ live A $5-million mitigation plan was also implemented before the flood.February 11, 2021 On Top of the Game in Floodplain Management https://www.fema.gov/case-study/top-game-floodplain-management January 24, 2024 FEMA en October 18, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231018204925/https://www.fema.gov/case-study/top-game-floodplain-management live The average precipitation annually in the Fort Collins area near a Spring Creek drainage was 14 in mm before the disaster.Wohl Ellen https://books.google.com/books?id=cot2DQAAQBAJ&dq=1997+Spring+Creek+flood&pg=PA213 Of Rock and Rivers: Seeking a Sense of Place in the American West June 8, 2009 University of California Press 9780520257030 213 Meteorological synopsis On July 27, a cold front moving southward entered portions of northern Colorado as cooler air was pushed toward the state from a high-pressure area centered over southern Canada.Manning Anne July 26, 2017 A perfect storm, and a 500-year flood https://source.colostate.edu/perfect-storm-500-year-flood/ January 24, 2024 Colorado State University June 6, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230606064958/https://source.colostate.edu/perfect-storm-500-year-flood/ live Doesken Nolan J. McKee Thomas B. February 1998 An analysis of rainfall for the July 28, 1997 flood in Fort Collins, Colorado 10217/169848 free Moisture also pushed into Colorado from the south, above the approaching cold front, as easterly winds pushed into eastern portions of the state moist, extremely humid surface air that was previously located over Kansas. The humid surface air then moved and saturated into the Front Range, resulting in the development of slow-moving thunderstorms into the next day. While this occurred, convection developed over Fort Collins, producing heavy rainfall of up to 14.5 in mm across western portions of the city,1997 Spring Creek Flood https://history.fcgov.com/explore/flood January 17, 2024 Fort Collins History Connection January 17, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240117181225/https://history.fcgov.com/explore/flood live including 10 in mm of rain falling within five hours. The heavy rainfall overwhelmed drains and caused debris to block a railroad passage, resulting in a flash flood across Fort Collins. After the floods, moist air remained for several days over the state, eventually resulting in more convection developing that missed impacting already-impacted areas in Fort Collins and Larimer County, Colorado, instead inundating farmlands and portions of Sterling and Atwood, Colorado. A Colorado State University climatologist, Nolan Doesken, compared the meteorological conditions in Spring Creek to the 1976 Big Thompson River flood. Impact Most of the rain fell across western portions of Fort Collins, near Spring Creek.Young Rich July 28, 2022 Spring Creek Flood 25 years ago led to a national precipitation network, infrastructure upgrades https://engr.source.colostate.edu/spring-creek-flood-25-years-ago-led-to-a-national-precipitation-network-infrastructure-upgrades/ January 17, 2024 Colorado State University June 3, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230603210034/https://engr.source.colostate.edu/spring-creek-flood-25-years-ago-led-to-a-national-precipitation-network-infrastructure-upgrades/ live At Colorado State University, 40 buildings were inundated by floodwaters, including the law enforcement department and television station at the university, causing over $100 million in damage.Duggan Kevin July 20, 2017 Duggan: The flood that shocked and traumatized Fort Collins https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2017/07/20/duggan-flood-shocked-and-traumatized-fort-collins/488514001/ January 17, 2024 Fort Collins Coloradoan en-USJuly 27, 2017 20 Years Later, Fort Collins Better Prepared For Flash Floods https://www.kunc.org/environment/2017-07-27/20-years-later-fort-collins-better-prepared-for-flash-floods January 17, 2024 KUNC en January 17, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240117031730/https://www.kunc.org/environment/2017-07-27/20-years-later-fort-collins-better-prepared-for-flash-floods live Brooke James July 31, 1997 Colorado State University Is Still Reeling From a Flash Flood https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/31/us/colorado-state-university-is-still-reeling-from-a-flash-flood.html January 17, 2024 The New York Times en-US January 17, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240117181224/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/07/31/us/colorado-state-university-is-still-reeling-from-a-flash-flood.html live In a basement in one of the buildings, damages to textbooks totaled up to $1 million, along with an additional 425,000 books kept at a nearby library damaged. A 15 ft m on railroad embankment overflowed after being hit with approximately 8250 cuft m3 of water per second, which caused a train to derail.July 29, 2007 Victims remembered on 10th anniversary of Fort Collins Flood https://www.vaildaily.com/news/victims-remembered-on-10th-anniversary-of-fort-collins-flood/ January 23, 2024 Vail Daily en-US January 23, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240123000356/https://www.vaildaily.com/news/victims-remembered-on-10th-anniversary-of-fort-collins-flood/ live The floods killed five people, injured 62 people, and caused property damage in excess of $250 million,Weaver John F. Gruntfest Eve Levy Glenn M. October 1, 2000 Two Floods in Fort Collins, Colorado: Learning from a Natural Disaster Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 81 10 2359–2366 10.1175/1520-0477(2000)081<2359:TFIFCC>2.3.CO;2 free 2000BAMS...81.2359W including more than 2,000 businesses and homes being damaged or destroyed.July 30, 2017 20th Anniversary Of Deadly Flooding In Fort Collins https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/20th-anniversary-deadly-flooding/ January 17, 2024 CBS Colorado en-US January 17, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240117222729/https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/20th-anniversary-deadly-flooding/ live Four of the five fatalities occurred at a mobile home park, where floodwaters increased over 5 ft cm in three minutes, destroying the mobile home park and another trailer park. Several of the injured were transported to Poudre Valley Hospital for medical treatment, including hypothermia from the floodwaters and lacerations sustained from broken windows.July 29, 1997 5 die as record rains flood Fort Collins https://www.deseret.com/1997/7/29/19326151/5-die-as-record-rains-flood-fort-collins January 22, 2024 Deseret News en January 22, 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240122235601/https://www.deseret.com/1997/7/29/19326151/5-die-as-record-rains-flood-fort-collins live The rainfall in Fort Collins on July 28 was the heaviest in an urban area in the state, and also set three, six, and twenty-four hour-rainfall records.Langevin Danielle Sullivan Tessa Spring Creek Flood of 1997 https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/spring-creek-flood-1997 January 22, 2024 Colorado Encyclopedia May 19, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230519111622/https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/spring-creek-flood-1997 live Petersen Walter A. Carey Lawrence D. Rutledge Steven A. Knievel Jason C. Johnson Richard H. Doesken Nolan J. McKee Thomas B. Vonder Haar Thomas Weaver John F. Mesoscale and Radar Observations of the Fort Collins Flash Flood of 28 July 1997 Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society February 1999 80 2 191–216 10.1175/1520-0477(1999)080<0191:MAROOT>2.0.CO;2 1999BAMS...80..191P Additionally, across the Fort Collins area, the flood was the worst natural disaster ever there. Aftermath After the flood, 400 people were rescued.Follow the Flood Event https://www.fcgov.com/utilities/what-we-do/stormwater/follow-the-flood-event January 24, 2024 City of Fort Collins en-US A documentary film was made detailing the flood and the reconstruction after the disaster.Dodge Jeff March 28, 2020 Reel CSU Stories: The campus flood of 1997 https://source.colostate.edu/reel-csu-stories-the-campus-flood-of-1997/ January 22, 2024 Colorado State University June 3, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230603023127/https://source.colostate.edu/reel-csu-stories-the-campus-flood-of-1997/ live Manning Anne July 26, 2017 Record rain, record flood: A timeline of the July 1997 flood https://source.colostate.edu/record-rain-record-flood-timeline-july-1997-fort-collins-flood/ January 22, 2024 Colorado State University February 5, 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20230205170252/https://source.colostate.edu/record-rain-record-flood-timeline-july-1997-fort-collins-flood/ live A high water marker was erected at Colorado State University designating the water level during the flood at Spring Creek, and flood-height poles were also built. Following the flood, flood management projects and further mitigation measures were enacted, which cost $50 million. A system used for flood warnings was also initiated, which was supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. New structures were also built in Fort Collins as improvements, which included channels and retaining walls being situated. The Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network was also created as a result of the floods, first beginning in Larimer County in 1998.Duggan Kevin July 20, 2017 Spring Creek Flood launched international weather-watching network https://www.coloradoan.com/story/news/2017/07/20/spring-creek-flood-launched-international-weather-watching-network/487342001/ January 24, 2024 Fort Collins Coloradoan en-US Events were also set up to commemorate 20 years after the disaster in 2017.Vaughan Kevin July 27, 2017 9NEWS reporter remembers devastating Fort Collins flood https://www.9news.com/article/weather/weather-colorado/9news-reporter-remembers-devastating-fort-collins-flood/73-460050776 January 25, 2024 KUSA en-US References Category:1997 in Colorado Category:July 1997 in the United States Category:Natural disasters in Colorado Category:1997 natural disasters in the United States Category:1990s floods in the United States Category:History of Fort Collins, Colorado