Winter Storm, Eastern Sawatch Mountains Above 11000 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Eastern Sawatch Mountains Above 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.677, -106.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Colorado, January 17, 1996
A potent winter storm brought heavy snow and strong winds to south central and southeast Colorado. Snow amounts were from one to two feet in the San Juan and La Garita Mountains.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
- 12
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 potent winter storm brought heavy snow and strong winds to south central and southeast Colorado. Snow amounts were from one to two feet in the San Juan and La Garita Mountains. The Sangre De Cristo and Wet Mountains collected 6 to 12 inches. A burst of snow, bringing 3 to 5 inches, and near blizzard conditions extended from near Pueblo to the New Mexico border during the late afternoon and evening.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
12 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Western Chaffee County Between 9000 & 11000 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM 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)
Winter Storm, Saguache County East of Continental Divide Below 10000 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM 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)
Winter Storm, La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Upper Rio Grande Valley / Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Upper Rio Grande Valley / Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Alamosa Vicinity / Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Alamosa Vicinity / Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.578, -106.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 & 11000 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM 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)
Winter Storm, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM 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)
Winter Storm, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 7500 & 11000 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM 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)
Winter Storm, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM 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)
Winter Storm, West / Central Fremont County Below 8500 Ft
- When
- January 17, 1:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM 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)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- High Wind in Texas, January 17, 1996
- Blizzard in South Dakota, January 17 to 18, 1996
- High Wind in Kansas, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, January 17, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, January 17, 1996
- Blizzard in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Dust Storm in Arizona, January 17, 1996
- High Wind in Iowa, January 17 to 19, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, January 17, 1996
- High Wind in Texas, January 17 to 18, 1996
- Ice Storm in Minnesota, January 17 to 18, 1996
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5537484, 5537485, 5537486, 5537487, 5537488, 5537489, 5537490, 5537491, 5537492, 5537493, 5537494, 5537495.