Thunderstorm Wind, Archuleta
- When
- May 5, 2:15 PM MST to 2:20 PM MST
- Where
- Archuleta County, Pagosa Spgs
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Property damage
- $300
- Coordinates
- 37.194, -107.048 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Damaging Wind in Colorado, May 5, 1997
A microburst wind struck while students were leaving their elementary school. The children and adults were blown to the ground.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- 1
- Property damage
- $300
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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 microburst wind struck while students were leaving their elementary school. The children and adults were blown to the ground. One adult required stitches. A child grabbed hold of a railing and was extended sideways like a flag. The wind yanked backpacks, jackets, and lunch pails out of the hands of the children, sending the items sailing across the road and onto a hillside. Many adults and children were pelted by windblown debris. Minor property damage was reported.
The radar
The Albuquerque radar (KABX), 228 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:12 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Strong Wind in Minnesota, May 5, 1997
- High Wind in Iowa, May 5, 1997
- High Wind in Wisconsin, May 5, 1997
- Hail in Michigan, May 5, 1997
- High Wind in Minnesota, May 5, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, May 5, 1997
- Hail in Wisconsin, May 5, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, May 5, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 5, 1997
- Flood in Hawaii, May 5, 1997
- Hail in Kansas, May 5, 1997
- Hail in Illinois, May 5, 1997
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, May 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: 5600643.