Cold/Wind Chill, Westcentral Mountains
- When
- January 27, 12:00 AM MST to 7:00 AM MST
- Where
- Westcentral Mountains forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
Cold in New Mexico, January 27, 1997
One man was found in Gallup covered in frost and lying in a sleeping position. Another man, found near Shiprock, died of hypothermia or exposure.
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 ABQ wrote it up.
One man was found in Gallup covered in frost and lying in a sleeping position. Another man, found near Shiprock, died of hypothermia or exposure. Overnight low temperature from both Gallup and Farmington was near 32 degrees. Intermittent light snow was reported the previous evening, but produced no snow cover.
Event by event
2 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Cold/Wind Chill, Northwest Plateau
- When
- January 27, 12:00 AM MST to 7:00 AM MST
- Where
- Northwest Plateau forecast zone
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cold/Wind Chill, Westcentral Mountains | 1997-01-27 | 52 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
| Cold/Wind Chill, Northwest Plateau | 1997-01-27 | 30 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
What these are
- Cold/Wind Chill
- Cold or wind chill below warning criteria that caused deaths, injuries or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Texas, January 27, 1997
- Winter Storm in Vermont, January 27 to 28, 1997
- Winter Storm in Missouri, January 27, 1997
- Winter Storm in New York, January 27 to 28, 1997
- Winter Storm in Indiana, January 27, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, January 27, 1997
- Winter Storm in New York, January 27 to 28, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Missouri, January 27, 1997
- Tornado in Texas, January 27, 1997
- Cold in Nebraska, January 27, 1997
- Tornado in Texas, January 27, 1997
- Tornado in Texas, January 27, 1997
More
Every storm in New Mexico in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, January 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: 5586725, 5586726.