Thunderstorm Wind, Rio Blanco
- When
- September 20, 12:35 PM MST to 1:20 PM MST
- Where
- Rio Blanco County, Rangely to 9 mi ENE of Rangely
- Measured
- 80 kt (92 mph)
- Property damage
- $150,000
- Coordinates
- 40.130, -108.950
Damaging Wind in Colorado, September 20, 1997
Strong outflow winds from a supercell thunderstorm were estimated to have gusts at least to 80 MPH. Most 4 by 4 foot wooden sign posts were snapped off within Rangely as well as along highway 64 and highway 139 in the Rangely area.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. 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
- $150,000
- 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.
Strong outflow winds from a supercell thunderstorm were estimated to have gusts at least to 80 MPH. Most 4 by 4 foot wooden sign posts were snapped off within Rangely as well as along highway 64 and highway 139 in the Rangely area. Many steel sign posts were bent over and a few were snapped off. A 2 foot diameter cottonwood tree was blown over and crushed a late model van. Some other large trees were blown over, along with many large tree branches. A metal storage shed was ripped from its moorings and blown over the side of a hill.
The radar
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 134 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:32 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
- Hail in Colorado, September 20, 1997
- Flash Flood and Heavy Rain in New Mexico, September 20 to 21, 1997
- Hail in Colorado, September 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in Ohio, September 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in Ohio, September 20, 1997
- Flash Flood in Ohio, September 20, 1997
- Damaging Wind in New Mexico, September 20, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Connecticut, September 20, 1997
- Dense Fog in Wyoming, September 20, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, September 20 to 23, 1997
- Hail in New Mexico, September 20, 1997
- Strong Wind in Massachusetts, September 20, 1997
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, September 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: 5617306.