Cold/Wind Chill, Southern San Luis Valley
- When
- February 1, 9:00 PM MST to February 2, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southern San Luis Valley forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.240, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Colorado, February 1 to 3, 1996
An arctic air mass behind a potent winter storm brought bitterly cold weather and strong north winds to the southeast plains from the evening of the 1st to the morning of the 3rd. Wind chill readings ranged from 25 to 50 degrees below zero.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 11 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 11
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS PUB wrote it up.
An arctic air mass behind a potent winter storm brought bitterly cold weather and strong north winds to the southeast plains from the evening of the 1st to the morning of the 3rd. Wind chill readings ranged from 25 to 50 degrees below zero.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 & 11000 Ft
- When
- February 1, 9:00 PM MST to February 2, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.992, -105.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft
- When
- February 1, 9:00 PM MST to February 2, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.867, -105.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 7500 & 11000 Ft
- When
- February 1, 9:00 PM MST to February 2, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 7500 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft
- When
- February 1, 9:00 PM MST to February 2, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Northwest Fremont County Above 8500 Ft
- When
- February 1, 9:00 PM MST to February 3, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Northwest Fremont County Above 8500 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, West / Central Fremont County Below 8500 Ft
- When
- February 1, 9:00 PM MST to February 3, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- West / Central Fremont County Below 8500 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Westcliffe Vicinity / Wet Mountain Valley Below 8500 Ft
- When
- February 1, 9:00 PM MST to February 3, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Westcliffe Vicinity / Wet Mountain Valley Below 8500 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.897, -105.164 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Wet Mountains Between 8500 and 10000 Ft
- When
- February 1, 9:00 PM MST to February 3, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Wet Mountains Between 8500 and 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.110, -105.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Wet Mountains Above 10000 Ft
- When
- February 1, 9:00 PM MST to February 3, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Wet Mountains Above 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.989, -104.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Teller County / Rampart Range Above 7500 Ft / Pikes Peak Between 7500 & 11000 Ft
- When
- February 1, 9:00 PM MST to February 3, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Teller County / Rampart Range Above 7500 Ft / Pikes Peak Between 7500 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.729, -105.043 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Cold in Wisconsin, February 1 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Mississippi, February 1 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Wyoming, February 1 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Wisconsin, February 1 to 5, 1996
- Cold in Michigan, February 1 to 6, 1996
- Cold in Wisconsin, February 1 to 4, 1996
- Cold in Montana, February 1, 1996
- Ice Storm in Mississippi, February 1 to 2, 1996
- Cold in Ohio, February 1 to 5, 1996
- Winter Storm in Texas, February 1 to 2, 1996
- Winter Storm in Alabama, February 1 to 3, 1996
- Winter Storm in Mississippi, February 1 to 3, 1996
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5542663, 5542664, 5542665, 5542666, 5542667, 5542668, 5542669, 5542670, 5542671, 5542672, 5542673.