Heavy Snow in Colorado, December 2 to 3, 1997

Name: Heavy Snow in Colorado, December 2 to 3, 1997
Start: 1997-12-02T00:00
End: 1997-12-03T10:00
Location: Colorado

December 2 to 3, 1997 · NWS GJT · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

An upper low tracked slowly eastward across western Colorado and produced 6 to 10 inches of snow in most mountain areas and 4 to 6 inches in some southern valleys.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 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: 8

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.

An upper low tracked slowly eastward across western Colorado and produced 6 to 10 inches of snow in most mountain areas and 4 to 6 inches in some southern valleys. The heaviest reported amount was 15 inches at Telluride,

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Elkhead and Park Mountains/Flat Tops/White River Plateau

When: December 2, 12:00 AM MST to December 3, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Elkhead and Park Mountains/Flat Tops/White River Plateau forecast zone
Coordinates: 40.552, -107.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys/Aspen and Vicinity

When: December 2, 12:00 AM MST to December 3, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys/Aspen and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates: 39.481, -107.172 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, West Elk and Sawatch Mountains/Taylor Park

When: December 2, 12:00 AM MST to December 3, 10:00 AM MST
Where: West Elk and Sawatch Mountains/Taylor Park forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.643, -107.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northwestern San Juan Mountains

When: December 2, 12:00 AM MST to December 3, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Northwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.210, -107.755 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southwestern San Juan Mountains

When: December 2, 12:00 AM MST to December 3, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Southwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.594, -107.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin/Montrose and Vicinity

When: December 2, 12:00 AM MST to December 3, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin/Montrose and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.737, -107.907 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Upper Gunnison River Valley/Gunnison and Vicinity

When: December 2, 12:00 AM MST to December 3, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Upper Gunnison River Valley/Gunnison and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates: 38.535, -107.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, San Juan River Basin/Pagosa Springs and Vicinity

When: December 2, 12:00 AM MST to December 3, 10:00 AM MST
Where: San Juan River Basin/Pagosa Springs and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates: 37.194, -107.048 (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

Every storm in Colorado in 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, December 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: 5624476, 5624477, 5624478, 5624479, 5624480, 5624481, 5624482, 5624483.