The Dexes / Winter Storm, Blizzard & Heavy Snow / 5616594
Eventdex · Winter Storm, Blizzard & Heavy Snow
EASTERN ELBERT AND NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTIES/LIMON AND VICINITY
5616594
The record
Everything the slot carries, as measured. Series arrays are drawn above and listed here in full.
| Event typeevent_type | Blizzard |
|---|---|
| NOAA NCEI event IDncei_event_id | 5,616,594 |
| Episode IDepisode_id | 2,069,785 |
| Begin UTCbegin_utc | 1997-10-24T22:00:00+00:00 |
| End UTCend_utc | 1997-10-26T04:00:00+00:00 |
| Statestate | COLORADO |
| County/zone typecz_type | Z |
| County/zone namecz_name | EASTERN ELBERT AND NORTHERN LINCOLN COUNTIES/LIMON AND VICINITY |
| Deaths directdeaths_direct | 0 |
| Deaths indirectdeaths_indirect | 0 |
| Injuries directinjuries_direct | 0 |
| Injuries indirectinjuries_indirect | 0 |
| Damage cropsdamage_crops | 0 |
| Episode narrativeepisode_narrative | A deep east to northeast flow associated with a vigorous upper level low pressure system over the Four Corners area, combined with a strong Arctic airmass in the central plains, to create deadly blizzard conditions across all of eastern Colorado. Snowfall totals along the Urban Corridor and adjacent plains generally ranged from 14 to 30 inches. The heaviest snowfall occurred in the foothills west and southwest of Denver where 2 to 4 feet of snow was reported. In addition, sustained winds to 40 mph (35 kts) with gusts as high as 60 mph (52 kts) caused zero visibilities and deadly wind chill temperatures to dip between 25 below and 40 below zero. The blizzard stirred up snowdrifts ranging from 4 to 10 feet in depth. Several major highways and interstates were closed as conditions became life threatening and travel impossible. Red Cross shelters were set up for hundreds of travellers who became stranded and were forced to abandon their vehicles. In the mountains, sustained winds to 70 mph (61 kts) with peak wind gusts to 110 mph (96 kts) were recorded above 12,000 feet at the Breckenridge Ski Area. The blizzard was responsible, either directly or indirectly, for the deaths of 4 people in northeast Colorado. One man died of carbon monoxide poisoning when he became stranded in his vehicle and the snow clogged the exhaust pipe. A woman died when she lost control of the car in the blinding storm. In addition, 2 elderly men died from heart attacks while shovelling snow.At Denver International Airport (DIA), 4,000 travellers were stranded when the airport was forced to shut down. At least 120 cars were abandoned along Pena Blvd, the only arterial leading into and out of DIA. The blizzard cost air carriers at least $20 million. In Weld County, nearly 3,000 head of cattle died in the storm resulting in an estimated $1.5 million loss.Some of the more impressive snowfall totals included: 51 inches at Coal Creek Canyon, 48 inches at Silver Spruce Ranch and Monument Hill, 42 inches at Intercanyon, 37 inches at Sedalia, 36 inches at Foxton, 35 inches at Aspen Springs and Conifer, 32 inches at Elizabeth, 31 inches at Eldorado Springs, southeast Aurora and Englewood, with 30 inches reported at Allenspark, Sunshine Canyon and Table Mesa near Boulder. |
| Yearyear | 1,997 |
Provenance
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Storage: spine