Colorado, 1997

Heavy Snow in Colorado, April 10 to 11, 1997

April 10 to 11, 1997 · NWS PUB · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

A weather disturbance brought periods of snow to south central and southeast Colorado. Hardest hit were the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Wet Mountains and adjacent plains, and western Fremont and Custer counties.

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

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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 PUB wrote it up.

A weather disturbance brought periods of snow to south central and southeast Colorado. Hardest hit were the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Wet Mountains and adjacent plains, and western Fremont and Custer counties. Four to 6 inches of snow blanketed parts of the northern San Luis Valley. Six to 8 inches of snow fell along the Arkansas River west of Canon City. Seven to 10 inches piled up in the Wet Mountains, and in the Trinidad and Walsenburg areas. Around 15 inches fell around Cuchara, in the high country of the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The rest of south central and southeast Colorado generally receive from 1 to 4 inches of new snow.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Northern San Luis Valley/Del Norte and Vicinity

When
April 10, 10:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where
Northern San Luis Valley/Del Norte and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates
38.747, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties

When
April 10, 11:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where
Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties forecast zone
Coordinates
37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity

When
April 10, 12:00 PM MST to April 11, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When
April 10, 12:00 PM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Coordinates
37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When
April 10, 12:00 PM MST to April 11, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Coordinates
37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity

When
April 10, 12:00 PM MST to April 11, 6:00 AM MST
Where
Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wet Mountains

When
April 10, 12:00 PM MST to April 11, 6:00 AM MST
Where
Wet Mountains 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

More

Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 1997

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5592754, 5592758, 5592753, 5592755, 5592756, 5592757, 5592759.