Colorado, 1996

Winter Storm in Colorado, January 25 to 26, 1996

January 25 to 26, 1996 · NWS PUB · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A potent winter storm brought strong winds and 6 to 12 inches of snow in the San Juan and La Garita Mountains and 4 to 6 inches of snow to the Sangre De Cristo and Wet Mountains and Rampart Range.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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 strong winds and 6 to 12 inches of snow in the San Juan and La Garita Mountains and 4 to 6 inches of snow to the Sangre De Cristo and Wet Mountains and Rampart Range.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Eastern Sawatch Mountains Above 11000 Ft

When
January 25, 1:00 AM MST to January 26, 2:00 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)

Winter Storm, Western Chaffee County Between 9000 & 11000 Ft

When
January 25, 1:00 AM MST to January 26, 2:00 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)

Winter Storm, Saguache County East of Continental Divide Below 10000 Ft

When
January 25, 1:00 AM MST to January 26, 2:00 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)

Winter Storm, La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft

When
January 25, 1:00 AM MST to January 26, 2:00 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)

Winter Storm, Upper Rio Grande Valley / Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Ft

When
January 25, 1:00 AM MST to January 26, 2:00 AM 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, Alamosa Vicinity / Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Ft

When
January 25, 1:00 AM MST to January 26, 2:00 AM 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)

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: 5537513, 5537514, 5537707, 5537708, 5537709, 5537710.