Wildfire in Colorado, July 31, 2002

Name: Wildfire in Colorado, July 31, 2002
Start: 2002-07-31T00:00
End: 2002-07-31T23:59
Location: Colorado

July 31, 2002 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A construction crew sawing through rebar ignited a forest fire which became known as the Panorama Fire. The rate of fire spread increased to nearly 1000 acres per hour due to moderate winds.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $1.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 construction crew sawing through rebar ignited a forest fire which became known as the Panorama Fire. The rate of fire spread increased to nearly 1000 acres per hour due to moderate winds. 2400 acres of trees were consumed by the end of the day. Four houses were destroyed and another was damaged in the Spring Creek Reservoir area. More than 300 people were evacuated from over 200 homes in five subdivisions. The Panorama Fire continued into the month of August. See the August 2002 Storm Data publication for a continuation of this wildfire report.

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 Grand Junction, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 30, 11:52 AM MST, 12 hours 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 30, 11:52 AM MST, 12 hours 8 minutes before

WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
1252 PM MDT TUE JUL 30 2002

FORECAST IS ON TRACK AS WARMING TREND CONTINUES...WITH THE PEAK
IN HIGH TEMPERATURES ON WED.  DRY WESTERLIES WILL KEEP FORECAST AREA
DRY THROUGH WED IN SPITE OF MOISTURE OVER NM AND AZ. WATER VAPOR
IMAGERY SHOWS MOSTLY HIGH LEVEL MOISTURE HAS MADE ITS WAY OVER FAR
SOUTHWEST CO. WILL INTRODUCE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SAN
JUANS THIS EVENING. WITH DIURNAL/DIFFERENTIAL HEATING IT DOESNT TAKE
MUCH FOR A FEW THUNDERSTORMS THERE. ANY CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WILL DIE-
OUT WITH THE SUNSET. ISOLATED DIURNAL THUNDERSTORMS CAN AGAIN BE
EXPECTED ON WED OVER THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS.

BY THU...THE HIGH PRESSURE STRETCHED ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL
ROCKIES WILL SHIFT TO THE EAST ALLOWING A MORE FAVORED FLOW FOR
SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE TO MOVE OVER WESTERN CO AND EASTERN UT.  ALSO
ENERGY EJECTED BY BAJA LOW WILL ROTATE AROUND THE HIGH CENTER AND IS
FORECAST TO REACH NORTHWEST CO THU AFTERNOON. THIS WAVE HAS BEEN
CONSISTENTLY HANDLED BY THE AVN...BUT TIMING AND STRENGTH THAT FAR
OUT IS SOMEWHAT QUESTIONABLE.  THE ETA IS SLOWER AND WEAKER AT 60
HRS.  IN ANY CASE IT LOOKS A LIKE WETTER AND THUS COOLER TREND
BEGINNING ON THU...WHICH IS HANDLED WELL IN THE FORECAST.  WILL MAKE
ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS.  HEFFERNAN

EXTENDED (FRI-TUE)...BY FRIDAY, THE CENTER OF THE HIGH PRESSURE OVER
THE AREA WILL MIGRATE OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR
A MORE WEST-SOUTHWEST FLOW ACROSS THE CWA. THIS WILL ALLOW MONSOONAL
MOISTURE TO ADVECT INTO THE AREA FROM 2 SOURCES: 1) MOISTURE FROM
THE REMNANTS OF TROPICAL STORM ELIDA FROM THE WEST, AND 2) A
SERIES OF TROPICAL WAVES CURRENTLY MOVING UP THE WEST COAST OF
MEXICO. A SERIES OF MINOR SHORTWAVES MOVING THROUGH THE FLOW WILL
ACT AS TRIGGERS FOR CONVECTION, ESPECIALLY FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.
TIMING WILL BE DIFFICULT THOUGH. BY SUNDAY INTO MONDAY, HIGH
PRESSURE LOOKS TO SET UP OVER THE AREA AGAIN. HOWEVER, ADDITIONAL
MINOR WAVES AND RESIDUAL MOISTURE WILL PROBABLY ALLOW FOR SOME
AFTERNOON CONVECTION...MAINLY IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND MOUNTAINS.
THE REMAINDER OF THE CWA WILL SEE A RETURN TO THE HOT AND DRY
REGIME. BA

.GJT...NONE.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Garfield

When: July 31, 12:00 AM MST to 11:59 PM MST
Where: Garfield County, 7 mi NE of Carbondale
Property damage: $1.0 million
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 39.599, -107.904 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

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.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Colorado in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, July 2002

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: 5311555.