Strong winds and heavy snow combined to produce blizzard conditions in some mountain areas of west-central Colorado. Interstate 70 was closed from the Minturn exit eastward beyond Vail Pass.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS GJT wrote it up.
Strong winds and heavy snow combined to produce blizzard conditions in some mountain areas of west-central Colorado. Interstate 70 was closed from the Minturn exit eastward beyond Vail Pass. Colorado Highway 24 between Minturn and Leadville as well as Colorado Highway 91 between Copper Mountain Ski Area and Leadville were also closed. Snow drifts of 2 to 3 feet deep developed in some areas. A peak wind gust to 57 MPH occurred at the Leadville airport, while higher gusts were estimated at other locations.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, February 1999
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: 5688496, 5688497.