Thunderstorm Wind, Archuleta
- When
- April 28, 12:00 PM MST to 12:20 PM MST
- Where
- Archuleta County, Pagosa Spgs
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph)
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 37.270, -107.020
Damaging Wind in Colorado, April 28, 1997
Strong thunderstorm outflow winds entered the west side of Pagosa Springs and blew down two large billboards as well as six pine trees which were about 80 feet tall and over two feet in diameter. As the winds advanced, construction scaffolding near downtown Pagosa Springs was toppled, fatally crushing one worker and injuring another.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
- 1
- Injuries
- 1
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 GJT wrote it up.
Strong thunderstorm outflow winds entered the west side of Pagosa Springs and blew down two large billboards as well as six pine trees which were about 80 feet tall and over two feet in diameter. As the winds advanced, construction scaffolding near downtown Pagosa Springs was toppled, fatally crushing one worker and injuring another. Further east in Pagosa Springs, a metal walkway roof was ripped off a building. The same outflow winds continued at least 25 miles southeast to a recent airplane crash site near the continental divide where rescue workers had to take shelter from wind-blown tree branches and pebbles.
The radar
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 225 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:00 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind, Archuleta | 1997-04-28 | 40 | Male | Other | Direct |
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Florida, April 28, 1997
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Georgia, April 28, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Florida, April 28, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Florida, April 28, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Florida, April 28, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, April 28, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in South Carolina, April 28, 1997
- Flash Flooding in North Carolina, April 28 to 29, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Georgia, April 28, 1997
- Flooding in Tennessee, April 28 to 29, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, April 28, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, April 28, 1997
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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5600868.