Heavy Snow, Eastern Sawatch Mountains Above 11000 Ft
- When
- February 20, 12:00 PM MST to February 22, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Eastern Sawatch Mountains Above 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.677, -106.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Colorado, February 20 to 22, 1996
A prolonged period of snow affected the San Juan and La Garita Mountains from the morning of the 20th to the morning of the 22nd. General snowfall amounts of 10 to 20 inches were expected.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- 4
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.
A prolonged period of snow affected the San Juan and La Garita Mountains from the morning of the 20th to the morning of the 22nd. General snowfall amounts of 10 to 20 inches were expected. Wolf Creek Pass had around 16 inches of new snow. A period of heavy snow...with 6 to 12 inches...occurred in the Sangre De Cristos from the evening of the 21st to the morning of the 22nd.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Western Chaffee County Between 9000 & 11000 Ft
- When
- February 20, 12:00 PM MST to February 22, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Western Chaffee County Between 9000 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.747, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Saguache County East of Continental Divide Below 10000 Ft
- When
- February 21, 9:00 PM MST to February 22, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Saguache County East of Continental Divide Below 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft
- When
- February 21, 9:00 PM MST to February 22, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, February 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, February 20 to 23, 1996
- Dense Fog in Indiana, February 20, 1996
- Strong Wind in Arizona, February 20, 1996
- Flash Flood in New York, February 20, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Oregon, February 20 to 21, 1996
- High Wind in Oregon, February 20 to 21, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, February 20 to 21, 1996
- Heavy Rain in California, February 20, 1996
- Waterspout in Puerto Rico, February 20, 1996
- High Wind in California, February 20 to 21, 1996
- Flash Flood in Ohio, February 20, 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5542685, 5542686, 5542687, 5542688.