Heavy Snow, Eastern Sawatch Mountains Above 11000 Ft
- When
- March 17, 11:00 AM MST to 6:00 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)
Heavy Snow in Colorado, March 17, 1996
An upper level disturbance moved into the central Rockies the morning of the 17th, producing bands of snow that swept across southern Colorado. 3 to 7 inches of snow occurred across most of the mountains.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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
- 4
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.
An upper level disturbance moved into the central Rockies the morning of the 17th, producing bands of snow that swept across southern Colorado. 3 to 7 inches of snow occurred across most of the mountains. Other totals included 7 inches in Rye and 9 inches in Cuchara. The southeast plains generally received about 1 to 3 inches of snow.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Western Chaffee County Between 9000 & 11000 Ft
- When
- March 17, 11:00 AM MST to 6:00 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)
Heavy Snow, La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft
- When
- March 17, 1:00 PM MST to 8:00 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)
Heavy Snow, Alamosa Vicinity / Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Ft
- When
- March 17, 1:00 PM MST to 8:00 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)
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, March 17, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Alabama, March 17, 1996
- High Wind in Utah, March 17, 1996
- Winter Storm in Colorado, March 17, 1996
- Heavy Snow in Montana, March 17, 1996
- High Wind in New Mexico, March 17, 1996
- Heavy Snow in South Dakota, March 17 to 18, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, March 17 to 18, 1996
- Hail in Virginia, March 17, 1996
- Hail in Alabama, March 17, 1996
- Hail in Georgia, March 17, 1996
- Hail in Georgia, March 17, 1996
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, March 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: 5546498, 5546499, 5546500, 5546501.