Colorado, 1999

High Wind in Colorado, January 26, 1999

January 26, 1999 · NWS PUB · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

A swift moving weather system brought 3 to nearly 8 inches of snow to Mineral county. Creede received the nearly 8 inches of snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 12 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
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  • 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
1
Property damage
$60,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
12

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 swift moving weather system brought 3 to nearly 8 inches of snow to Mineral county. Creede received the nearly 8 inches of snow. In the southeast part of the area, wind gusts between 60 and 100 mph occurred for several hours in the afternoon. In and around Walsenburg, winds gusted up to 98 mph. Power was off and on in the Walsenburg area for several hours. Some trees were uprooted and power poles were snapped off. Three semi-trailers were tipped over, two on I-25 and one on Highway 160. One driver received minor injuries . One roof was peeled off a house. In Otero county, a roof was ripped off a resident's garage, and roofs were blown off horse stalls at the Arkansas Valley Fairgrounds. County plows were brought out to clear tumbleweed from some roadways. There were also a few small grass fires, but only about 60 acres were scorched. In Baca county, the tin roof of a motel was ripped off and damaged a vehicle in Springfield. Isolated power outages also occurred near the motel when electrical wires were brought down by the tin roof.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains

When
January 26, 1:00 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Measured
61 kt (70 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
January 26, 1:00 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where
Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
Measured
62 kt (71 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity

When
January 26, 1:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
85 kt (98 mph)
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$30,000
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
January 26, 1:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
62 kt (71 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Wet Mountains

When
January 26, 2:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Wet Mountains forecast zone
Measured
61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by
OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates
37.578, -106.085 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

When
January 26, 3:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.867, -105.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

When
January 26, 3:00 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where
Crowley and Otero Counties/La Junta and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
56 kt (64 mph)
Property damage
$20,000
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
January 26, 3:00 PM MST to 6:00 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
January 26, 3:00 PM MST to 6:00 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
January 26, 3:00 PM MST to 6:00 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
January 26, 3:00 PM MST to 6:00 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
January 26, 3:00 PM MST to 6:00 PM MST
Where
Baca County/Springfield and Vicinity forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage
$10,000
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, January 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: 5681219, 5681220, 5681223, 5681224, 5681221, 5681222, 5681225, 5681226, 5681227, 5681228, 5681229, 5681230.