Winter Storm, Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus
- When
- May 3, 12:00 PM MST to May 5, 8:00 AM MST
- Where
- Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 39.532, -108.196 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Colorado, May 3 to 5, 1999
A slow moving Pacific trough produced 6 to 12 inches of snow in the mountains of western Colorado. The deepest reported amounts included 17 inches at Rico, 16 inches at Silverton, 14 inches at Ouray, and 13 inches at Lake City.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 8
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 GJT wrote it up.
A slow moving Pacific trough produced 6 to 12 inches of snow in the mountains of western Colorado. The deepest reported amounts included 17 inches at Rico, 16 inches at Silverton, 14 inches at Ouray, and 13 inches at Lake City. Strong winds produced areas of blowing and drifting snow. A peak gust of 82 MPH was measured from Mount Abrams, and gusts to 80 MPH occurred at the Storm Peak laboratory above Steamboat Springs Ski Area.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, Grand and Battlement Mesas
- When
- May 3, 12:00 PM MST to May 5, 8:00 AM MST
- Where
- Grand and Battlement Mesas forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 39.159, -108.078 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys/Aspen and Vicinity
- When
- May 3, 12:00 PM MST to May 5, 8:00 AM MST
- Where
- Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys/Aspen and Vicinity forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 39.481, -107.172 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, West Elk and Sawatch Mountains/Taylor Park
- When
- May 3, 12:00 PM MST to May 5, 8:00 AM MST
- Where
- West Elk and Sawatch Mountains/Taylor Park forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 38.643, -107.721 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Uncompahgre Plateau
- When
- May 3, 12:00 PM MST to May 5, 8:00 AM MST
- Where
- Uncompahgre Plateau forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 38.488, -108.155 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Northwestern San Juan Mountains
- When
- May 3, 12:00 PM MST to May 5, 8:00 AM MST
- Where
- Northwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 38.210, -107.755 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Southwestern San Juan Mountains
- When
- May 3, 12:00 PM MST to May 5, 8:00 AM MST
- Where
- Southwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 37.594, -107.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Elkhead and Park Mountains/Flat Tops/White River Plateau
- When
- May 3, 12:00 PM MST to May 5, 8:00 AM MST
- Where
- Elkhead and Park Mountains/Flat Tops/White River Plateau forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 40.552, -107.599 (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
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 3, 1999
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 3 to 12, 1999
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Oklahoma, May 3 to 4, 1999
- Tornado and Hail in Nebraska, May 3, 1999
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, May 3 to 4, 1999
- High Wind in California, May 3, 1999
- Tornado in Nebraska, May 3, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 3, 1999
- High Wind in Nevada, May 3, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, May 3, 1999
- Wildfire in Florida, May 3, 1999
- Tornado in Nebraska, May 3, 1999
More
Every storm in Colorado in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, May 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: 5715442, 5715443, 5715444, 5715445, 5715446, 5715447, 5715448, 5715449.