Colorado, 1999

Winter Storm in Colorado, April 1 to 2, 1999

April 1 to 2, 1999 · NWS PUB · 14 events in 14 counties and zones

A powerful slow moving winter storm brought heavy snow to the southern Colorado mountains and to parts of the adjacent plains and high valleys. Snow began early morning on the 1st in the eastern San Juan and La Garita mountains and spread to the Sangre de Cristo mountains by midday.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 14 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
14

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 powerful slow moving winter storm brought heavy snow to the southern Colorado mountains and to parts of the adjacent plains and high valleys. Snow began early morning on the 1st in the eastern San Juan and La Garita mountains and spread to the Sangre de Cristo mountains by midday. Rain changed to snow over the Rampart Range and El Paso county in the late afternoon and spread into the Wet mountains and Pueblo areas by evening. More than 8 inches of snow fell above 8500 feet in the eastern San Juan and La Garita mountains, with an amazing 48 inch total at the summit of Wolf Creek Pass. A foot of snow occurred at Salida in Chaffee county. Twenty to 30 inches was logged in parts of the Wet Mountain Valley around Westcliffe. Eight to 16 inches of snow was tallied in western El Paso county and the Rampart Range. Other snow amounts include 4 inches in the Pueblo area, 8 inches in Aguilar in Las Animas county, 12 inches at Canon City in Fremont county and Beulah in Pueblo county, 14 inches in Rye in Pueblo county, and 15 inches in Walsenburg and Cuchara in Huerfano county.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Eastern San Juan Mountains / Mineral / W Rio Grande / W Conejos

When
April 1, 1:00 AM MST to April 2, 4:00 PM MST
Where
Eastern San Juan Mountains / Mineral / W Rio Grande / W Conejos forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.747, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, La Garita Mountains / W Sanguache

When
April 1, 2:00 AM MST to April 2, 4:00 PM MST
Where
La Garita Mountains / W Sanguache forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.677, -106.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern San Luis Valley/Del Norte and Vicinity / E Sanguache Except X E / N Rio Grande

When
April 1, 8:00 AM MST to April 2, 7:00 PM MST
Where
Northern San Luis Valley/Del Norte and Vicinity / E Sanguache Except X E / N Rio Grande forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.747, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

When
April 1, 12:00 PM MST to April 2, 9:00 PM 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
April 1, 12:00 PM MST to April 2, 9:00 PM 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, Upper Arkansas River Valley/Salida and Vicinity / E Chaffee

When
April 1, 1:00 PM MST to April 2, 7:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Arkansas River Valley/Salida and Vicinity / E Chaffee forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties

When
April 1, 2:00 PM MST to April 2, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak / Teller / W El Paso

When
April 1, 3:00 PM MST to April 2, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak / Teller / W El Paso forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
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
April 1, 3:00 PM MST to April 2, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Wet Mountains / E Custer / X Sw Pueblo / X N Huerfano / Part Se Fremont forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.578, -106.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge

When
April 1, 4:00 PM MST to April 2, 10:00 PM MST
Where
Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.992, -105.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity

When
April 1, 5:00 PM MST to April 2, 10:00 PM MST
Where
Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.240, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity / Nc to Sc Huerfano

When
April 1, 5:00 PM MST to April 2, 10:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity / Nc to Sc Huerfano forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity / Sw Las Animas Except X Sw

When
April 1, 6:00 PM MST to April 2, 10:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity / Sw Las Animas Except X Sw forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity

When
April 1, 7:00 PM MST to April 2, 10:00 PM MST
Where
Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.867, -105.544 (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 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, April 1999

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: 5694264, 5694263, 5694265, 5694057, 5694266, 5694060, 5694059, 5694058, 5694061, 5694063, 5694062, 5694065, 5694066, 5694064.