Colorado, 1997

Heavy Snow in Colorado, January 3 to 4, 1997

January 3 to 4, 1997 · NWS GJT · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A moist west to northwest flow aloft brought 6 to 12 inches of new snow to the northern and central mountains of western Colorado, as well as the northwest San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado. Heavier amounts included 14 inches at the Marvine Ranch in the Flat Tops Mountains and 13 inches at Snowmass.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
6

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.

A moist west to northwest flow aloft brought 6 to 12 inches of new snow to the northern and central mountains of western Colorado, as well as the northwest San Juan Mountains in southwest Colorado. Heavier amounts included 14 inches at the Marvine Ranch in the Flat Tops Mountains and 13 inches at Snowmass.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

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

When
January 3, 5:00 AM MST to January 4, 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, Upper Yampa River Basin/Steamboat Springs and Vicinity

When
January 3, 5:00 AM MST to January 4, 10:00 AM MST
Where
Upper Yampa River Basin/Steamboat Springs and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates
40.485, -106.991 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Grand and Battlement Mesas

When
January 3, 5:00 AM MST to January 4, 10:00 AM MST
Where
Grand and Battlement Mesas forecast zone
Coordinates
39.159, -108.078 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

When
January 3, 5:00 AM MST to January 4, 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
January 3, 5:00 AM MST to January 4, 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
January 3, 5:00 AM MST to January 4, 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)

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, 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5589356, 5589357, 5589358, 5589359, 5589360, 5589361.