Colorado, 1997

Heavy Snow in Colorado, February 27 to 28, 1997

February 27 to 28, 1997 · NWS PUB · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A strong storm system brought widespread snow to south central and southeast Colorado. The mountains reported snow as early as the morning of the 27th, which continued into the evening of the 28th, with amounts of 12 to 18 inches.

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 PUB wrote it up.

A strong storm system brought widespread snow to south central and southeast Colorado. The mountains reported snow as early as the morning of the 27th, which continued into the evening of the 28th, with amounts of 12 to 18 inches. Wolf Creek Pass received 34 inches of snow. The Wet Mountains and portions of Custer and Fremont counties reported accumulations of 3 to 5 inches starting late the night of the 27th, lasting into the morning of the 28th. El Paso and Teller counties and the Rampart Range received 2 to 5 inches of new snow from the afternoon into the night of the 28th.

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, Eastern Sawatch Mountains Above 11000 Ft

When
February 27, 6:00 AM MST to February 28, 4:00 PM MST
Where
Eastern Sawatch Mountains Above 11000 Ft forecast zone
Coordinates
38.677, -106.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Western Chaffee County Between 9000 & 11000 Ft

When
February 27, 6:00 AM MST to February 28, 9:30 PM MST
Where
Western Chaffee County Between 9000 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
Coordinates
38.747, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Ft

When
February 27, 11:00 PM MST to February 28, 9:30 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 27, 11:00 PM MST to February 28, 9:30 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)

Heavy Snow, Saguache County East of Continental Divide Below 10000 Ft

When
February 28, 6:00 AM MST to 9:30 PM MST
Where
Saguache County East of Continental Divide Below 10000 Ft forecast zone
Coordinates
37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Ft

When
February 28, 6:00 AM MST to 9:30 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, Upper Rio Grande Valley / Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Ft

When
February 28, 4:00 PM MST to 9:30 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, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 & 11000 Ft

When
February 28, 4:00 PM MST to 9:30 PM MST
Where
Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
Coordinates
37.992, -105.637 (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

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: 5590392, 5590393, 5590397, 5590398, 5590394, 5590395, 5590396, 5590399.