Colorado, 1998

Winter Storm in Colorado, November 1, 1998

November 1, 1998 · NWS PUB · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A weather system over southeast New Mexico continued to stream moisture into southeast Colorado the morning of the 1st. Widespread heavy snow continued to fall across the Sangre de Cristo and Wet mountains, and adjacent areas.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
3

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 weather system over southeast New Mexico continued to stream moisture into southeast Colorado the morning of the 1st. Widespread heavy snow continued to fall across the Sangre de Cristo and Wet mountains, and adjacent areas. Snowfall totals from the system ranged from 1 to 3 inches for Teller, El Paso and eastern Las Animas counties, over 4 inches around Trinidad, 5 to 7 inches across the Wet mountains, and 6 to 12 inches across the Northern Sangre de Cristo mountains. Across the Southern Sangre de Cristo mountains, total snowfall ranged from 9 to 12 inches in Walsenburg in Huerfano county, to nearly 2 feet in Cuchara in the southern Sangre de Cristos.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains / E Costilla / Sw Huerfano / X Sw Las Animas

When
November 1, 12:00 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where
Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains / E Costilla / Sw Huerfano / X Sw Las Animas forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains / X Sw Fremont / X E Sanguache / W Custer / W Huerfano / X N Costilla

When
November 1, 12:00 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where
Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains / X Sw Fremont / X E Sanguache / W Custer / W Huerfano / X N Costilla forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.832, -106.332 (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
November 1, 12:00 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where
Wet Mountains / E Custer / X Sw Pueblo / X N Huerfano / Part Se Fremont forecast zone
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
37.578, -106.085 (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

More

Every storm in Colorado in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, November 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5676551, 5676552, 5676553.