Heavy Snow, Elkhead and Park Mountains
- When
- March 28, 8:00 PM MST to March 29, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Elkhead and Park Mountains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.552, -107.599 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow in Colorado, March 28 to 29, 1997
A fast moving upper trough from the northwest generally brought 5 to 10 inches of new snow to most mountain areas of western Colorado. The Aspen ski area reported a total accumulation of 11 inches.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
- 5
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 fast moving upper trough from the northwest generally brought 5 to 10 inches of new snow to most mountain areas of western Colorado. The Aspen ski area reported a total accumulation of 11 inches.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Grand and Battlement Mesas
- When
- March 28, 8:00 PM MST to March 29, 9:00 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
- When
- March 28, 8:00 PM MST to March 29, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.481, -107.172 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, West Elk and Sawatch Mountains
- When
- March 28, 8:00 PM MST to March 29, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- West Elk and Sawatch Mountains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.643, -107.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Northwestern San Juan Mountains
- When
- March 28, 8:00 PM MST to March 29, 9:00 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
- Tornadoes in Kentucky, March 28, 1997
- Tornadoes in Kentucky, March 28, 1997
- Tornado in Kentucky, March 28, 1997
- Rip Current in Florida, March 28, 1997
- Tornado in Tennessee, March 28, 1997
- Tornadoes in Kentucky, March 28, 1997
- Tornado in Tennessee, March 28, 1997
- Tornado in Kentucky, March 28, 1997
- Tornado in Indiana, March 28, 1997
- Tornado in Kentucky, March 28, 1997
- Tornadoes in Indiana, March 28, 1997
- Tornado in Kentucky, March 28, 1997
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, March 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5593621, 5593622, 5593623, 5593624, 5593625.