Colorado, 1996

Winter Storm in Colorado, January 24 to 25, 1996

January 24 to 25, 1996 · NWS GJT · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

Snowfall totals included: 24 inches on Rabbit Ears Pass, 16 inches at Steamboat Springs, 15 inches at Craig, 15 inches at Hayden, 14 inches on the Grand Mesa, 13 inches at Marble, and 5 inches at Eagle. Blowing and drifting snow in the mountains added to the driving hazard.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
7

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 GJT wrote it up.

Snowfall totals included: 24 inches on Rabbit Ears Pass, 16 inches at Steamboat Springs, 15 inches at Craig, 15 inches at Hayden, 14 inches on the Grand Mesa, 13 inches at Marble, and 5 inches at Eagle. Blowing and drifting snow in the mountains added to the driving hazard. There were many accidents.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Central Yampa River Basin

When
January 24, 6:00 PM MST to January 25, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Central Yampa River Basin forecast zone
Coordinates
40.361, -107.805 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Elkhead and Park Mountains

When
January 24, 6:00 PM MST to January 25, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Elkhead and Park Mountains forecast zone
Coordinates
40.552, -107.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Upper Yampa River Basin

When
January 24, 6:00 PM MST to January 25, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Yampa River Basin forecast zone
Coordinates
40.485, -106.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Central Colorado River Basin

When
January 24, 6:00 PM MST to January 25, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Central Colorado River Basin forecast zone
Coordinates
39.481, -107.172 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Grand and Battlement Mesas

When
January 24, 6:00 PM MST to January 25, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Grand and Battlement Mesas forecast zone
Coordinates
39.159, -108.078 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys

When
January 24, 6:00 PM MST to January 25, 6:00 PM MST
Where
Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys forecast zone
Coordinates
39.481, -107.172 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, West Elk and Sawatch Mountains

When
January 24, 6:00 PM MST to January 25, 6:00 PM MST
Where
West Elk and Sawatch Mountains forecast zone
Coordinates
38.643, -107.721 (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

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: 5538986, 5538987, 5538988, 5538989, 5538990, 5538991, 5538992.