Winter Storm, La Garita Mountains
- When
- March 28, 12:00 AM MST to March 29, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- La Garita Mountains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.677, -106.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Colorado, March 28 to 30, 1998
A strong winter storm system moved from the Great basin across southern Colorado, bringing heavy snow to the Eastern San Juan and La Garita mountains on the 28th through midday of the 29th. Wolf Creek Pass reported a storm total of 19 inches, and was closed because of deep snow and strong gusty winds.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 11 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
- 11
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.
A strong winter storm system moved from the Great basin across southern Colorado, bringing heavy snow to the Eastern San Juan and La Garita mountains on the 28th through midday of the 29th. Wolf Creek Pass reported a storm total of 19 inches, and was closed because of deep snow and strong gusty winds. Creede and Santa Maria Reservoir reported 9 to 10 inches of snow. The storm continued to track east, bringing snow to the Sangre De Cristo mountains, the Wet mountains, Teller county, and the nearby foothills and plains on the 30th. Across this area snowfall totals ranged from 4 to 10 inches, with Woodland Park in Teller county reporting a storm total of 8 inches. Cuchara, in the southern Sangre de Cristo mountains, Beulah and Rye in the Wet mountains, and Walsenburg saw 8 to 10 inches of snow.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Eastern San Juan Mountains
- When
- March 28, 12:00 AM MST to March 29, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Eastern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 38.747, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains
- When
- March 30, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains
- When
- March 30, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak
- When
- March 30, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Wet Mountains / E Custer / X Sw Pueblo / X N Huerfano / Part Se Fremont
- When
- March 30, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Wet Mountains / E Custer / X Sw Pueblo / X N Huerfano / Part Se Fremont forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.578, -106.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge
- When
- March 30, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.992, -105.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity
- When
- March 30, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity forecast zone
- Coordinates
- 37.867, -105.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity
- When
- March 30, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM 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)
Winter Storm, Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity
- When
- March 30, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 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)
Winter Storm, Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity
- When
- March 30, 12:00 AM MST to 3:00 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)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flood in Arizona, March 28, 1998
- Heavy Snow and Hail in California, March 28 to 29, 1998
- Tornado in Illinois, March 28, 1998
- Flood and Hail in California, March 28 to 31, 1998
- Tornado and Damaging Winds in Michigan, March 28, 1998
- High Wind in Ohio, March 28, 1998
- High Wind in New York, March 28, 1998
- Flash Flood in New York, March 28 to 31, 1998
- Flash Flood in Vermont, March 28 to 31, 1998
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Indiana, March 28, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Illinois, March 28, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Montana, March 28 to 29, 1998
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5632623, 5632624, 5632625, 5632626, 5632627, 5632628, 5632629, 5632630, 5632631, 5632632, 5632633.