Colorado, 1996

High Wind in Colorado, February 22, 1996

February 22, 1996 · NWS PUB · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

High winds occurred along the lee slopes of the Rampart Range and Wet Mountains in the morning hours. with a peak gust of 76 knots at Monument in El Paso county.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
6
Property damage
$400,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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.

High winds occurred along the lee slopes of the Rampart Range and Wet Mountains in the morning hours. Winds gusted to over 60 knots throughout much of that area...with a peak gust of 76 knots at Monument in El Paso county. Winds at the Air Force Academy gusted to 72 knots. Damage to roofs...shingles and fences was seen in western Colorado Springs and over 2,600 homes lost power for between 2 and 6 hours. Beulah...in western Pueblo county had a peak wind gust of 64 knots. A few mobile homes in Williamsburg in Fremont county were rolled over and a few people had minor injuries. Around 1,100 customers lost power in Pueblo for an hour. Two mobile homes in transit on Interstate 25 were blown over.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Upper Rio Grande Valley / Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Ft

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Rio Grande Valley / Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
76 kt (87 mph)
Coordinates
37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 & 11000 Ft

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
76 kt (87 mph)
Coordinates
37.992, -105.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Alamosa Vicinity / Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Ft

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Alamosa Vicinity / Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Ft forecast zone
Measured
64 kt (74 mph)
Coordinates
37.578, -106.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
64 kt (74 mph)
Injuries
6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$150,000
Coordinates
37.867, -105.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern San Luis Valley

When
February 22, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Southern San Luis Valley forecast zone
Measured
72 kt (83 mph)
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
37.240, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

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: 5542689, 5542690, 5542691, 5542692, 5542693.