Flooding in parts of Colorado have caused at least three deaths in what the National Weather Service is calling a "life threatening situation."

The area Boulder, which received nearly seven inches of rain in a 24-hour time period, has been hit the hardest by the torrential downpours that have plagued the area.

According to NBC News, the first death was reportedly due to a building collapse, while another person was found dead on Linden Drive in Boulder County. A third body was discovered on Interstate 25.

Speaking at a news conference, Boulder County Sherrif Joe Pelle said the unfortunate reality is that some of these tragedies are impossible to prevent.

"We know that we've lost lives and we anticipate that as the day goes on that we may find that we've lost others," he said.

"This is not your ordinary day, this is not your ordinary disaster. All the preparation in the world ... can't put people up those canyons while those walls of water and debris are coming down."

Hundreds of students have been displaced from The University of Colorado Boulder, which shut down and closed until further notice, according to the school's Twitter account. University spokesman Bronson Hilliard told NBC News that at least 25 percent of the school's buildings have been damaged due to the flooding.

Andra Cobley, a spokesperson for a nearby YMCA, said to NBC news that this flooding was unusual to see.

"It's insane right now, I've lived in Colorado my whole life and this is nothing that I've ever seen before. Streets were turned into rivers and streams were turned into lakes."