Cold/Wind Chill, Southern San Luis Valley
- When
- January 11, 7:00 PM MST to January 12, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southern San Luis Valley forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.240, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold in Colorado, January 11 to 12, 1997
Arctic air in combination with strong winds produced wind chills of 20 to 35 degrees below zero across the southeast plains of Colorado, and the foothills.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
- 11
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.
Arctic air in combination with strong winds produced wind chills of 20 to 35 degrees below zero across the southeast plains of Colorado, and the foothills.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 & 11000 Ft
- When
- January 11, 7:00 PM MST to January 12, 5:00 AM 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)
Cold/Wind Chill, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft
- When
- January 11, 7:00 PM MST to January 12, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.867, -105.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 7500 & 11000 Ft
- When
- January 11, 7:00 PM MST to January 12, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 7500 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft
- When
- January 11, 7:00 PM MST to January 12, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Northwest Fremont County Above 8500 Ft
- When
- January 11, 7:00 PM MST to January 12, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- Northwest Fremont County Above 8500 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, West / Central Fremont County Below 8500 Ft
- When
- January 11, 7:00 PM MST to January 12, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- West / Central Fremont County Below 8500 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Westcliffe Vicinity / Wet Mountain Valley Below 8500 Ft
- When
- January 11, 7:00 PM MST to January 12, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- Westcliffe Vicinity / Wet Mountain Valley Below 8500 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.897, -105.164 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Wet Mountains Between 8500 and 10000 Ft
- When
- January 11, 7:00 PM MST to January 12, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- Wet Mountains Between 8500 and 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.110, -105.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Wet Mountains Above 10000 Ft
- When
- January 11, 7:00 PM MST to January 12, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- Wet Mountains Above 10000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.989, -104.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Cold/Wind Chill, Teller County / Rampart Range Above 7500 Ft / Pikes Peak Between 7500 & 11000 Ft
- When
- January 11, 7:00 PM MST to January 12, 5:00 AM MST
- Where
- Teller County / Rampart Range Above 7500 Ft / Pikes Peak Between 7500 & 11000 Ft forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.729, -105.043 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Blizzard in Utah, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Avalanche in Washington, January 11, 1997
- Winter Storm in New Mexico, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Cold in New Mexico, January 11, 1997
- Cold in North Carolina, January 11, 1997
- Winter Storm in Texas, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Winter Weather in Oklahoma, January 11 to 12, 1997
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, January 11, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, January 11 to 14, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Texas, January 11 to 12, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, January 11, 1997
- Cold in Nebraska, January 11 to 12, 1997
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, January 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: 5587015, 5587016, 5587156, 5587157, 5587158, 5587159, 5587160, 5587161, 5587162, 5587163, 5587164.