A blast of wind from the east screamed down the west side of the Continental Divide and leveled over 20,000 acres of old-growth forest in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness and also in the Routt National Forest. The discontinuous area with trees blown down stretched from 5 miles north of Steamboat Springs to about 26 miles north of Steamboat Springs.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
A blast of wind from the east screamed down the west side of the Continental Divide and leveled over 20,000 acres of old-growth forest in the Mount Zirkel Wilderness and also in the Routt National Forest. The discontinuous area with trees blown down stretched from 5 miles north of Steamboat Springs to about 26 miles north of Steamboat Springs. The trees were typically blown down in tracts ranging from 50 acres to 300 acres. Most of the trees were 2-3 feet diameter Spruce and were snapped off several feet above the ground. Some stands of large Aspen trees were also blown down well above the trunk. All of the fallen trees were laying in the same direction. Many hunters were trapped for up to two days due to trees blocking the roads. Miraculously, only minor damage was reported to vehicles and cabins.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, October 1997
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: 5621718.