Heavy Snow, Northwestern San Juan Mountains
- When
- April 4, 1:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.210, -107.755 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Colorado, April 4, 1997
A moist upper low moved northeast across southwest Colorado, generally producing 6 to 12 inches of snow in the western San Juan Mountains and 4 to 8 inches of snow in the lower elevations of extreme southwest Colorado. Some heavier amounts included 18 inches in the mountains northwest of Durango, 12 to 16 inches in the Mancos area, 14 inches on Red Mountain Pass, and 13 inches at Mesa Verde…
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 GJT wrote it up.
A moist upper low moved northeast across southwest Colorado, generally producing 6 to 12 inches of snow in the western San Juan Mountains and 4 to 8 inches of snow in the lower elevations of extreme southwest Colorado. Some heavier amounts included 18 inches in the mountains northwest of Durango, 12 to 16 inches in the Mancos area, 14 inches on Red Mountain Pass, and 13 inches at Mesa Verde National Park. The heavy snow resulted in downed power lines in some areas.
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, Southwestern San Juan Mountains
- When
- April 4, 1:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.594, -107.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Animas River Basin/Durango and Vicinity
- When
- April 4, 1:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
- Where
- Animas River Basin/Durango and Vicinity forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.287, -107.843 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Four Corners/Upper Dolores River/Cortez and Vicinity
- When
- April 4, 1:00 AM MST to 5:00 PM MST
- Where
- Four Corners/Upper Dolores River/Cortez and Vicinity forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.698, -108.507 (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
- Blizzard in North Dakota, April 4 to 7, 1997
- Ice Storm in North Dakota, April 4 to 5, 1997
- Ice Storm in Minnesota, April 4 to 6, 1997
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, April 4, 1997
- Blizzard in Wyoming, April 4 to 6, 1997
- Blizzard in Nebraska, April 4 to 6, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Texas, April 4, 1997
- Tornado in Louisiana, April 4, 1997
- Tornado in Arkansas, April 4, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, April 4, 1997
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, April 4 to 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, April 4, 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: 5600890, 5600891, 5600892, 5600893.