Winter Storm, Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus
- When
- March 3, 8:00 PM MST to March 4, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.532, -108.196 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Colorado, March 3 to 4, 1997
An embedded upper trough in a northwest flow brought 6 to 12 inches of new snow to the northern and central mountains as well as some valleys of western Colorado. Aspen and Snowmass ski areas both reported accumulations of 15 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
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 GJT wrote it up.
An embedded upper trough in a northwest flow brought 6 to 12 inches of new snow to the northern and central mountains as well as some valleys of western Colorado. Aspen and Snowmass ski areas both reported accumulations of 15 inches. Strong winds caused extensive blowing and drifting snow.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Elkhead and Park Mountains/Flat Tops/White River Plateau
- When
- March 3, 8:00 PM MST to March 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)
Winter Storm, Debeque Rifle Glenwood Springs Corridor
- When
- March 3, 8:00 PM MST to March 4, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Debeque Rifle Glenwood Springs Corridor forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.308, -108.185 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Grand and Battlement Mesas
- When
- March 3, 8:00 PM MST to March 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)
Winter Storm, Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys/Aspen and Vicinity
- When
- March 3, 8:00 PM MST to March 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)
Winter Storm, Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin/Montrose and Vicinity
- When
- March 3, 8:00 PM MST to March 4, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin/Montrose and Vicinity forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.737, -107.907 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Upper Gunnison River Valley/Gunnison and Vicinity
- When
- March 3, 8:00 PM MST to March 4, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Upper Gunnison River Valley/Gunnison and Vicinity forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.535, -107.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Uncompahgre Plateau
- When
- March 3, 8:00 PM MST to March 4, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Uncompahgre Plateau forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.488, -108.155 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flooding in Kentucky, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Flooding in Kentucky, March 3 to 5, 1997
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Flooding in Kentucky, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Minnesota, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, March 3, 1997
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Pennsylvania, March 3, 1997
- Winter Weather in New Jersey, March 3, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in West Virginia, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Heavy Snow in North Dakota, March 3 to 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in Colorado, March 3, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Colorado, March 3 to 4, 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5593481, 5593482, 5593483, 5593609, 5593610, 5593611, 5593612, 5593613.