Colorado, 2000Wildfire and High Wind in Colorado, April 18 to 19, 2000
April 18 to 19, 2000 · NWS PUB · 20 events in 20 counties and zones
A strong cold front brought damaging winds and wildfires to parts of southern Colorado. Some of the highest wind gusts included 73 mph 5 miles southwest of South Fork in Rio Grande county and at the airport near Salida in Chaffee county, 72 mph at both Palmer Lake in northern El Paso county and 12 miles southwest of Creede in Mineral county.
Every event with a place to put it; 20 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
- $10,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 20
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.
A strong cold front brought damaging winds and wildfires to parts of southern Colorado. Some of the highest wind gusts included 73 mph 5 miles southwest of South Fork in Rio Grande county and at the airport near Salida in Chaffee county, 72 mph at both Palmer Lake in northern El Paso county and 12 miles southwest of Creede in Mineral county. A wildfire spread from a neighborhood burning pit near the Great Sand Dunes National Monument in Alamosa county, where about 5000 acres of grass and juniper burned. On Fort Carson in southern El Paso county 800 acres of grass was consumed when a power line sparked after being blown down. In Kiowa county a prescribed burn got out of control and burned large amounts of grassland west of Arlington, which was evacuated for a time. Power lines were blown down in southwest Fremont county, resulting in a power outage for about 2 hours for around 400 customers around Hillside, Texas Creek, and Howard. A few trees were brought down in Pueblo, including City Park. In Fountain, in El Paso county, a section of a roof at an apartment complex was ripped off, damaging three vehicles.
High Wind, Eastern San Juan Mountains
- When
- April 18, 11:35 AM MST to 12:35 PM MST
- Where
- Eastern San Juan Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 63 kt (72 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 38.747, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, La Garita Mountains
- When
- April 18, 11:35 AM MST
- Where
- La Garita Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 38.677, -106.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Upper Arkansas River Valley/Salida and Vicinity
- When
- April 18, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Upper Arkansas River Valley/Salida and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire, Alamosa
- When
- April 18, 1:00 PM MST to April 19, 2:00 PM MST
- Where
- Alamosa County, 18 mi NE of Alamosa
- Measured
- 5000
- Reported by
- PARK/FOREST SERVICE
- Coordinates
- 37.573, -105.788 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern San Luis Valley/Del Norte and Vicinity
- When
- April 18, 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern San Luis Valley/Del Norte and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 38.747, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Southern San Luis Valley
- When
- April 18, 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern San Luis Valley forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 38.081, -106.282 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties
- When
- April 18, 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- Western Fremont and Northern Custer Counties forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity
- When
- April 18, 1:02 PM MST
- Where
- Southern El Paso County/Colorado Springs and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 56 kt (64 mph)
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 37.240, -105.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Alamosa County/Alamosa and Vicinity
- When
- April 18, 1:03 PM MST
- Where
- Alamosa County/Alamosa and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 53 kt (61 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 38.747, -106.194 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains
- When
- April 18, 2:00 PM MST
- Where
- Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 62 kt (71 mph)
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 37.832, -106.332 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains
- When
- April 18, 2:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 37.778, -106.530 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Wet Mountains
- When
- April 18, 2:00 PM MST
- Where
- Wet Mountains forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- 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
- April 18, 2:00 PM MST
- Where
- Pueblo and Eastern Fremont Counties/Pueblo and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 37.867, -105.544 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge
- When
- April 18, 2:34 PM MST
- Where
- Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge forecast zone
- Measured
- 63 kt (72 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 37.992, -105.637 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity
- When
- April 18, 2:50 PM MST
- Where
- Upper Purgatoire River Basin/Trinidad and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 51 kt (59 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak
- When
- April 18, 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Teller County/Rampart Range/Pikes Peak forecast zone
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 37.484, -106.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity
- When
- April 18, 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Upper Huerfano River Basin/Walsenburg and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- UNKNOWN
- Coordinates
- 37.426, -104.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire, Kiowa
- When
- April 18, 4:00 PM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Kiowa County, Arlington
- Reported by
- PARK/FOREST SERVICE
- Coordinates
- 38.433, -102.740 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire, El Paso
- When
- April 18, 4:00 PM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- El Paso County, (Fcs)ft Carsn Aaf Co
- Measured
- 800
- Reported by
- PARK/FOREST SERVICE
- Coordinates
- 38.832, -104.526 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
High Wind, Crowley and Otero Counties/La Junta and Vicinity
- When
- April 18, 7:14 PM MST
- Where
- Crowley and Otero Counties/La Junta and Vicinity forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 38.473, -105.440 (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.
- Wildfire
- A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
- High Wind in Colorado, April 18, 2000$1.5 million · 80 kt wind · 19 events
- Blizzard in South Dakota, April 18 to 19, 2000$1.5 million · 10 events
- High Wind in New Mexico, April 18, 2000$160,000 · 79 kt wind · 21 events
- Damaging Wind in Nebraska, April 18, 2000$50,000 · 60 kt wind · 1 event
- High Wind in Colorado, April 18, 20003 injured · 71 kt wind · 5 events
- High Wind in Utah, April 18, 2000$20,000 · 60 kt wind · 6 events
- Damaging Wind in Nebraska, April 18, 2000$25,000 · 60 kt wind · 1 event
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, April 18 to 19, 2000$3,000 · 1.75 in hail · 14 events
- Hail and Damaging Winds in California, April 18, 200087 kt wind · 8 events
- Flooding in New Jersey, April 18, 20005 events
- High Wind in Nebraska, April 18 to 19, 200063 kt wind · 3 events
- Heavy Snow in Nevada, April 18, 20002 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: 5141773, 5142079, 5142156, 5141781, 5142080, 5142081, 5142155, 5141774, 5141775, 5142082, 5142153, 5142157, 5142158, 5141776, 5141777, 5142154, 5142159, 5141779, 5141780, 5141778.