Colorado, 1997

Dense Fog in Colorado, December 3, 1997

December 3, 1997 · NWS BOU · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Dense fog was blamed in part for at least 40 accidents in the Fort Collins and Loveland areas during the morning commute. Visibilities were reduced to less than 1/4 of a mile at times.

Where it happened

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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 BOU wrote it up.

Dense fog was blamed in part for at least 40 accidents in the Fort Collins and Loveland areas during the morning commute. Visibilities were reduced to less than 1/4 of a mile at times.

The radar

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

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Event by event

1 dense fog. Local standard time, as filed.

Dense Fog, Eastern Larimer and Northwestern Weld Counties / Fort Collins and Vicinity / E Larimer / Nw Weld

When
December 3, 5:00 AM MST to 9:00 AM MST
Where
Eastern Larimer and Northwestern Weld Counties / Fort Collins and Vicinity / E Larimer / Nw Weld forecast zone
Coordinates
40.611, -104.926 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Dense Fog
Fog reducing visibility to a quarter mile or less, filed where it caused accidents or disruption.

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, 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5620404.