Colorado, 1998Heavy Snow in Colorado, January 5 to 6, 1998
January 5 to 6, 1998 · NWS GJT · 7 events in 7 counties and zones
A Pacific trough produced widespread snow throughout western Colorado. Heavy snow was concentrated in some central and southern mountain areas where storm totals generally ranged from 6 to 12 inches.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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.
A Pacific trough produced widespread snow throughout western Colorado. Heavy snow was concentrated in some central and southern mountain areas where storm totals generally ranged from 6 to 12 inches. Heavy snow also fell in the lower elevations of extreme northwest and extreme southwest Colorado where amounts of 5 to 9 inches were common. Some of the largest reported snow totals included 20 inches at Bonham Reservoir on the Grand Mesa and 17 inches at the Purgatory Ski Area in the southwest San Juan Mountains.
Heavy Snow, Lower Yampa River Basin/Rangely and Vicinity / W Moffat / X Nw Rio Blanco
- When
- January 5, 12:00 AM MST to January 6, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Lower Yampa River Basin/Rangely and Vicinity / W Moffat / X Nw Rio Blanco forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 40.066, -108.109 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Grand and Battlement Mesas / X Sc Garfield / E Mesa Except X Ne / N Delta
- When
- January 5, 12:00 AM MST to January 6, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Grand and Battlement Mesas / X Sc Garfield / E Mesa Except X Ne / N Delta forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 39.159, -108.078 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, West Elk and Sawatch Mountains/Taylor Park / W Lake / W Chaffee / Wc to Ec Gunnison
- When
- January 5, 12:00 AM MST to January 6, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- West Elk and Sawatch Mountains/Taylor Park / W Lake / W Chaffee / Wc to Ec Gunnison forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.643, -107.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Southwestern San Juan Mountains / C E Dolores / San Juan / S Hinsdale / N la Plata / Ne Montezuma / E N Archuleta
- When
- January 5, 12:00 AM MST to January 6, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southwestern San Juan Mountains / C E Dolores / San Juan / S Hinsdale / N la Plata / Ne Montezuma / E N Archuleta forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.594, -107.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Four Corners/Upper Dolores River/Cortez and Vicinity / X Sw San Miguel / W Dolores / Monteauma Except Ne
- When
- January 5, 12:00 AM MST to January 6, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Four Corners/Upper Dolores River/Cortez and Vicinity / X Sw San Miguel / W Dolores / Monteauma Except Ne forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.698, -108.507 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, Animas River Basin/Durango and Vicinity / S la Plata
- When
- January 5, 12:00 AM MST to January 6, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Animas River Basin/Durango and Vicinity / S la Plata forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.287, -107.843 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Heavy Snow, San Juan River Basin/Pagosa Springs and Vicinity / S Archuleta
- When
- January 5, 12:00 AM MST to January 6, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- San Juan River Basin/Pagosa Springs and Vicinity / S Archuleta forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.194, -107.048 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
- 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.
- Ice Storm and Heavy Snow in Maine, January 5 to 10, 19981 death · $311 million · 29 events
- Heavy Snow and Cold in Washington, January 5 to 23, 19981 death · 7 injured · $100,000 · 12 events
- Tornadoes in Texas, January 5 to 6, 1998$120,000 · F2 · 3 events
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Louisiana, January 5, 1998$250,000 · 4 events
- Flash Flood in Louisiana, January 5, 1998$200,000 · 1 event
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, January 5, 1998$40,000 · F1 · 6 events
- Flash Flood and Hail in Texas, January 5 to 6, 1998$150,000 · 0.88 in hail · 2 events
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, January 5, 1998$108,000 · 1 event
- Heavy Rain in Texas, January 5 to 7, 199846 events
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, January 5, 1998$50,000 · 0.75 in hail · 3 events
- Flash Flood in Arkansas, January 5, 1998$45,000 · 1 event
- Hail in Texas, January 5, 1998$25,000 · 2 in hail · 5 events
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: 5629719, 5629720, 5629721, 5629722, 5629723, 5629724, 5629725.