Colorado, 2001High Wind in Colorado, April 11, 2001
April 11, 2001 · NWS PUB · 7 events in 7 counties and zones
7 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $6.1 million
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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 forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Pueblo, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 11, 4:00 AM MST, 1 hour 43 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 11, 4:00 AM MST, 1 hour 43 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO COLORADO
500 AM MDT WED APR 11 2001
UPDATED TO INCLUDE BLSN ADV FOR ZN72
MAJOR CHALLENGES FOR SHORT TERM FOCUS ON WINDS IN THE SOUTHEAST AND
SNOW IN THE NORTHWEST.
CURRENTLY...DEEP SURFACE LOW IN EXTREME SOUTHEAST COLO WITH UPPER
LOW ALMOST VERTICALLY STACKED. THIS IS CLOSE TO ETA TRACK. BEST SFC
PRESSURE FALLS NR KGLD SO SFC LOW SHOULD PULL NORTHEAST AS PROGGED.
WRAP AROUND MOISTURE AND RADAR SUGGESTING SNOW SHOWERS CONTINUING
OVER PIKES PEAK REGION AND CENTRAL MOUNTAINS. SURFACE WINDS ARE FROM
NORTHWEST WHICH IS FAVORABLE WIND FOR SNOW IS LEADVILLE AND TELLER
COUNTY BUT NOT THE BEST FOR ZONE 71. MOST REPORTS INDICATE LIGHT
SNOW WITH RADAR SHOWING NORTH-SOUTH BANDS WITH SOME MODERATE SNOW
ROTATING AROUND BACKSIDE OF SYSTEM. EXPECT BANDS OF SNOW TO CONTINUE
ALONG PALMER DIVIDE (ZN72) THROUGH EARLY THIS MORNING AND COULD BE 1
TO 3 ADDITIONAL SNOW. NUMEROUS REPORTS FROM SCHOOL DISTRICTS
SUGGESTING WHITE OUT CONDITIONS ALONG PALMER DIVIDE. WILL UPDATE
ADVISORY TO BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY THROUGH 10 AM.
MODELS IN GUD AGREEMENT ON DEEPENING STORM AND MOVEMENT OF SYSTEM
AND EXPECT IT TO LIFT OUT TO THE NORTHEAST INTO CENTRAL PLAINS TODAY
AS IT DEEPENS. STRONG SUBSIDENCE ON THE BACK SIDE SUGGESTS WE COULD
PULL DOWN 60 KT WINDS FROM 700 MB SO WILL HOIST HIGH WIND WARNING
FOR ZNS 76 AND 78>80. WILL NOT CONTINUE SNOW ADVISORY BUT WILL KEEP
MENTION GUSTY WINDS AND SNOWS SHOWERS THIS MORNING. SYSTEM SHOULD
LIFT OUT FAST ENOUGH TO LIMIT ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS TO BELOW
ADVISORY CRITERIA.
CURRENT SYSTEM LIFTS OUT RAPIDLY AS KICKER SLIDES INTO THE REGION ON
THURSDAY. WILL KEEP MENTION OF LOW POPS ALTHOUGH VORT PATTERN
FLATTENS OUT AND MOISTURE PRETTY SCARCE. AFTER THAT WE GO TO MORE
ZONAL FLOW AND BEGIN BUILDING THE WESTERN RIDGE.
IN THE EXTENDED MRF AND CANADIAN MODELS TAKES CANADIAN VORT INTO
GREAT LAKES REGION WITH COOL SURGE FORECAST DOWN COLO FRONT RANGE.
WILL SHAVE TEMPS A BIT FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY BUT LEAVE IT DRY FOR
NOW.
FORTUNE
.PUB...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR TODAY ZNS 76 (CROWLEY/OTERO) AND 78>80
(KIOWA, BENT AND PROWERS)
BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY ZN72 (NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY) TILL 1000High Wind, Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak
- When
- April 11, 5:43 AM MST
- Where
- Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
An intense low pressure system moving from southeast Colorado into northern Kansas produced damaging winds across the southeast Colorado plains. Some of the higher wind speeds follow:69 mph at the La Junta airport...76 mph at the Lamar airport...78 mph at Springfield...79 mph at Sheridan Lake...and a 94 mph wind gust at Cheyenne Mountain. Radio transmitters atop Cheyenne Mountain were temporarily knocked out. Extensive damage occurred in the far southeast counties of Colorado. Hundreds of power poles were taken down. Damage to signs, roofs, buildings, and vehicles occurred. Damage amounts are rough estimates.
High Wind, Crowley and Otero Counties/La Junta and Vicinity
- When
- April 11, 5:55 AM MST
- Where
- Crowley and Otero Counties/La Junta and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Eastern Las Animas County
- When
- April 11, 8:00 AM MST
- Where
- Eastern Las Animas County forecast zone
- Measured
- 66 kt (76 mph)
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 38.473, -105.440 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Bent County/Las Animas and Vicinity
- When
- April 11, 8:00 AM MST
- Where
- Bent County/Las Animas and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 66 kt (76 mph)
- Property damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 38.110, -105.070 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Prowers County/Lamar and Vicinity
- When
- April 11, 10:18 AM MST
- Where
- Prowers County/Lamar and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 66 kt (76 mph)
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.989, -104.947 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Baca County/Springfield and Vicinity
- When
- April 11, 11:31 AM MST
- Where
- Baca County/Springfield and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 68 kt (78 mph)
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 38.729, -105.043 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Kiowa County
- When
- April 11, 11:45 AM MST
- Where
- Kiowa County forecast zone
- Measured
- 69 kt (79 mph)
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 37.897, -105.164 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
- 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.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 11, 20012 deaths · 8 injured · $3.2 million · F3 · 53 events
- Tornado in Nebraska, April 11, 20012 injured · $400,000 · F2 · 1 event
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, April 11, 2001$10 million · 19 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Missouri, April 11, 2001$100,000 · F2 · 9 events
- High Wind in Kansas, April 11 to 12, 2001$4.0 million · 74 kt wind · 23 events
- Tornado and Hail in Oklahoma, April 11, 2001$404,000 · F1 · 33 events
- Blizzard in Colorado, April 11, 2001$4.0 million · 1 event
- Blizzard in Colorado, April 11, 2001$3.1 million · 5 events
- High Wind in Kansas, April 11, 20012 injured · $750,000 · 65 kt wind · 16 events
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, April 11 to 14, 2001$89,000 · F1 · 31 events
- High Wind in Kansas, April 11, 2001$500,000 · 72 kt wind · 13 events
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Michigan, April 11 to 12, 2001$455,000 · F0 · 13 events
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: 5239354, 5239355, 5239359, 5239360, 5239356, 5239357, 5239358.