Avalanche, Northwestern San Juan Mountains
- When
- January 20, 9:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 38.210, -107.755 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Avalanche in Colorado, January 20, 2006
Fresh snowfall led to several natural avalanches in the San Juan Mountains. Debris from avalanches caused Highway 550 over Red Mountain Pass to be closed for 3 hours while the highway was cleared.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- 2
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.
Fresh snowfall led to several natural avalanches in the San Juan Mountains. Debris from avalanches caused Highway 550 over Red Mountain Pass to be closed for 3 hours while the highway was cleared. Debris up to 5 feet deep over a distance of 30 feet covered the centerline of the highway in one instance.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
Avalanche, Southwestern San Juan Mountains
- When
- January 20, 9:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southwestern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
- Reported by
- GOVT OFFICIAL
- Coordinates
- 37.594, -107.912 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Avalanche
- A mass of snow sliding down a mountainside that caused a death, an injury or damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Winter Weather in North Dakota, January 20, 2006
- Ice Storm and Winter Storm in Illinois, January 20 to 21, 2006
- Winter Weather in Missouri, January 20, 2006
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 20 to 21, 2006
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, January 20 to 21, 2006
- High Surf in Hawaii, January 20 to 27, 2006
- Winter Storm in Illinois, January 20 to 21, 2006
- Winter Weather in Kansas, January 20, 2006
- Dense Fog in California, January 20 to 21, 2006
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Iowa, January 20, 2006
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, January 20 to 21, 2006
- Heavy Snow in Montana, January 20 to 21, 2006
More
Every storm in Colorado in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, January 2006
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5482487, 5482488.