Blizzard in Colorado, March 24 to 25, 1996

Name: Blizzard in Colorado, March 24 to 25, 1996
Start: 1996-03-24T06:00
End: 1996-03-25T05:00
Location: Colorado

March 24 to 25, 1996 · NWS BOU · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

High winds gusting between 45 and 55 mph combined with cold temperatures to create dangerous wind chills from 20 to 35 degrees below zero. Although, the snowfall in the area only ranged from 1 to 4 inches; the combination of wind, snow and cold temperatures forced the closure of Interstates 70 and 76.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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: 3

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 BOU wrote it up.

As the storm moved into the Northeast Plains the winds intensified.High winds gusting between 45 and 55 mph combined with cold temperatures to create dangerous wind chills from 20 to 35 degrees below zero. Although, the snowfall in the area only ranged from 1 to 4 inches; the combination of wind, snow and cold temperatures forced the closure of Interstates 70 and 76. Interstate 70 was closed from Gun Club Road, just east of Denver, to the Kansas border, and Interstate 76 was closed from Akron to the Nebraska State Line.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Logan County

When: March 24, 6:00 AM MST to March 25, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Logan County forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.725, -103.110 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Washington County

When: March 24, 6:00 AM MST to March 25, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Washington County forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.971, -103.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sedgwick County

When: March 24, 6:00 AM MST to March 25, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Sedgwick County forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.876, -102.352 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Colorado in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5547327, 5547328, 5547329.