Colorado, 1998

Heavy Snow in Colorado, April 15 to 16, 1998

April 15 to 16, 1998 · NWS PUB · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

An upper level weather system moved from southern Nevada into the Four Corners region, setting up moist easterly flow across south central and southeast Colorado. Across the entire affected area, snowfall totals ranged from 6 to 10 inches.

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

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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.

An upper level weather system moved from southern Nevada into the Four Corners region, setting up moist easterly flow across south central and southeast Colorado. Across the entire affected area, snowfall totals ranged from 6 to 10 inches. Coaldale in Fremont county received 13 inches of fresh snow.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak

When
April 15, 4:00 AM MST to April 16, 7:00 AM MST
Where
Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak forecast zone
Coordinates
37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge

When
April 15, 4:00 AM MST to April 16, 7:00 AM MST
Where
Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge forecast zone
Coordinates
37.992, -105.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity

When
April 15, 4:00 AM MST to April 16, 7:00 AM MST
Where
Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates
37.240, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Upper Arkansas River Valley/Salida and Vicinity

When
April 15, 7:00 PM MST to April 16, 4:00 AM MST
Where
Upper Arkansas River Valley/Salida and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates
37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties

When
April 15, 9:00 PM MST to April 16, 4:00 AM MST
Where
Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties forecast zone
Coordinates
37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When
April 15, 11:00 PM MST to April 16, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Coordinates
37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity

When
April 15, 11:00 PM MST to April 16, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity

When
April 15, 11:00 PM MST to April 16, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity forecast zone
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Wet Mountains

When
April 15, 11:00 PM MST to April 16, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Wet Mountains forecast zone
Coordinates
37.578, -106.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow
Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 1998

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: 5642460, 5642461, 5642462, 5642463, 5642464, 5642465, 5642466, 5642467, 5642468.