Colorado, 1996

High Wind in Colorado, January 27 to 28, 1996

January 27 to 28, 1996 · NWS PUB · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

A strong upper level flow from the west-southwest brought high winds to the Sangre De Cristo and Wet Mountains and to the Rampart Range. Winds gusted to between 58 and 68 knots in and near the mountains to near 50 knots in the southeast plains.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
16

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 strong upper level flow from the west-southwest brought high winds to the Sangre De Cristo and Wet Mountains and to the Rampart Range. Winds gusted to between 58 and 68 knots in and near the mountains to near 50 knots in the southeast plains.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Saguache County East of Continental Divide Below 10000 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Saguache County East of Continental Divide Below 10000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Rio Grande Valley / Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Alamosa Vicinity / Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.578, -106.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern San Luis Valley

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Southern San Luis Valley forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.240, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.992, -105.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.867, -105.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 7500 & 11000 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 7500 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northwest Fremont County Above 8500 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Northwest Fremont County Above 8500 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, West / Central Fremont County Below 8500 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
West / Central Fremont County Below 8500 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Westcliffe Vicinity / Wet Mountain Valley Below 8500 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Westcliffe Vicinity / Wet Mountain Valley Below 8500 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.897, -105.164 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Wet Mountains Between 8500 and 10000 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Wet Mountains Between 8500 and 10000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
38.110, -105.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Wet Mountains Above 10000 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Wet Mountains Above 10000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
37.989, -104.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Teller County / Rampart Range Above 7500 Ft / Pikes Peak Between 7500 & 11000 Ft

When
January 27, 10:00 PM MST to January 28, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Teller County / Rampart Range Above 7500 Ft / Pikes Peak Between 7500 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates
38.729, -105.043 (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, 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5537713, 5537714, 5537715, 5537716, 5537717, 5537718, 5537719, 5537720, 5537721, 5537722, 5537723, 5537724, 5537725, 5537726, 5537727, 5537728.