High Wind, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains
- When
- October 31, 5:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind in Colorado, October 31, 1997
Very strong jet stream winds worked down to mountain top, then into the plains. Sustained winds blew from 35 to 45 mph, with gusts to 70 mph in the mountains and 60 mph in the adjacent plains.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
- 9
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 PUB wrote it up.
Very strong jet stream winds worked down to mountain top, then into the plains. Sustained winds blew from 35 to 45 mph, with gusts to 70 mph in the mountains and 60 mph in the adjacent plains. No known major damage was reported.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
9 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
High Wind, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains
- When
- October 31, 5:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak
- When
- October 31, 5:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties
- When
- October 31, 5:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Upper Arkansas River Valley/Salida and Vicinity
- When
- October 31, 5:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Upper Arkansas River Valley/Salida and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Wet Mountains
- When
- October 31, 5:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Wet Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.578, -106.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity
- When
- October 31, 5:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.240, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge
- When
- October 31, 5:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.992, -105.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity
- When
- October 31, 5:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 55 kt (63 mph)
- Coordinates
- 37.867, -105.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Very strong jet stream winds worked down to mountain top, then into the plains. Sustained winds blew from 35 to 45 mph, with gusts to 70 mph in the mountains and 60 mph in the adjacent plains. No known major damage was experienced.
What these are
- High Wind
- Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Dense Fog in Maryland, October 31, 1997
- Flooding in Florida, October 31, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, October 31, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, October 31, 1997
- High Wind in Colorado, October 31, 1997
- Tornado in Florida, October 31, 1997
- Drought in Pennsylvania, October 31, 1997
- Flooding in Florida, October 31, 1997
- Drought in New Jersey, October 31, 1997
- Drought in Pennsylvania, October 31, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Florida, October 31, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Florida, October 31, 1997
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, October 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: 5621994, 5621995, 5621996, 5621997, 5621998, 5622103, 5622104, 5622105, 5622106.