Heavy Snow, La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft
- When
- February 13, 4:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Colorado, February 13, 1997
A potent upper level system over southern New Mexico produced bands of heavy snowfall across southeast Colorado the morning of the 13th. The highest elevations received 15 to 20 inches of new snow.
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 PUB wrote it up.
A potent upper level system over southern New Mexico produced bands of heavy snowfall across southeast Colorado the morning of the 13th. The highest elevations received 15 to 20 inches of new snow. Aspen Acres in Custer county had 18 inches, Cuchara in Huerfano county had 16 inches, Divide in Teller county had 8 inches, as did Rye in Pueblo county.
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, Upper Rio Grande Valley / Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Ft
- When
- February 13, 4:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Upper Rio Grande Valley / Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Ft
- When
- February 13, 4:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Alamosa Vicinity / Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Ft
- When
- February 13, 4:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Alamosa Vicinity / Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Ft 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
- Heavy Snow in Arkansas, February 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in Pennsylvania, February 13, 1997
- Winter Weather in Virginia, February 13 to 14, 1997
- High Wind in California, February 13, 1997
- Winter Storm in North Carolina, February 13, 1997
- Ice Storm in North Carolina, February 13, 1997
- Winter Weather in Maryland, February 13 to 14, 1997
- Winter Weather in South Carolina, February 13, 1997
- Winter Weather in Virginia, February 13 to 14, 1997
- Winter Weather in West Virginia, February 13 to 14, 1997
- Heavy Snow in North Carolina, February 13, 1997
- Ice Storm in South Carolina, February 13, 1997
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 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: 5590400, 5590401, 5590402, 5590403.