Colorado, 1999

High Wind in Colorado, April 8, 1999

April 8, 1999 · NWS PUB · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

A widespread high wind event extended from northern Colorado into the south. In southern Colorado high winds occurred in the Upper Arkansas Valley and the San Luis Valley, and all points east to Kansas and south to New Mexico.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 20 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
2
Property damage
$33,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
20

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 widespread high wind event extended from northern Colorado into the south. In southern Colorado high winds occurred in the Upper Arkansas Valley and the San Luis Valley, and all points east to Kansas and south to New Mexico. Of those events reported, there were some scattered power outages in Chaffee county near Buena Vista and in the Wet Mountain Valley. In Manitou Springs in western El Paso county, the roof was partial peeled off the high school. In the Walsenburg area in Huerfano county on Interstate 25, two semi trailer trucks were blown over, with the drivers suffering minor injuries.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

20 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northern San Luis Valley/Del Norte and Vicinity

When
April 8, 1:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where
Northern San Luis Valley/Del Norte and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.747, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Alamosa County/Alamosa and Vicinity

When
April 8, 1:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where
Alamosa County/Alamosa and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.747, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern San Luis Valley

When
April 8, 1:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where
Southern San Luis Valley forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.081, -106.282 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When
April 8, 2:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When
April 8, 2:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak

When
April 8, 3:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak forecast zone
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties

When
April 8, 3:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties forecast zone
Measured
90 kt (104 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Upper Arkansas River Valley/Salida and Vicinity

When
April 8, 3:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Arkansas River Valley/Salida and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
64 kt (74 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Wet Mountains

When
April 8, 4:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Wet Mountains forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.578, -106.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity

When
April 8, 4:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Property damage
$33,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.240, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge

When
April 8, 4:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge forecast zone
Measured
62 kt (71 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.992, -105.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity

When
April 8, 7:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.867, -105.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity

When
April 8, 7:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
62 kt (71 mph)
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity

When
April 8, 7:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Crowley and Otero Counties/La Junta and Vicinity

When
April 8, 9:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Crowley and Otero Counties/La Junta and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Eastern Las Animas County

When
April 8, 9:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Eastern Las Animas County forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Kiowa County

When
April 8, 10:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Kiowa County forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.897, -105.164 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Bent County/Las Animas and Vicinity

When
April 8, 10:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Bent County/Las Animas and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.110, -105.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Prowers County/Lamar and Vicinity

When
April 8, 10:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Prowers County/Lamar and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.989, -104.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Baca County/Springfield and Vicinity

When
April 8, 11:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Baca County/Springfield and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.729, -105.043 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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: 5694072, 5694073, 5694074, 5694075, 5694076, 5694077, 5694078, 5694079, 5694080, 5694081, 5694082, 5694083, 5694084, 5694085, 5694086, 5694087, 5694088, 5694089, 5694700, 5694701.