Wildfire in Colorado, June 29 to 30, 2002

Name: Wildfire in Colorado, June 29 to 30, 2002
Start: 2002-06-29T16:00
End: 2002-06-30T23:59
Location: Colorado

June 29 to 30, 2002 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning ignited a forest fire which was named the Soap Creek Fire. This fire persisted through the end of the month.

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
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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.

Lightning ignited a forest fire which was named the Soap Creek Fire. This fire persisted through the end of the month. See the July 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 Jun 29, 1:24 PM MST, 2 hours 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 29, 1:24 PM MST, 2 hours 36 minutes before

WESTERN COLORADO & EASTERN UTAH AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
224 PM MDT SAT JUN 29 2002

DRY AND HOT CONDITIONS TO CONTINUE THROUGH BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK.
SHORTER RANGE MODELS TRY TO BRING IN A SFC WIND SHIFT TO THE
NORTHWEST THIS AFTERNOON WITH MORE NORTHERLY COMPONENT OVERNIGHT...
SPEEDS REMAIN LIGHT GENERALLY 5-10 MPH IN THE BOUNDARY LAYER. THIS
APPEARS IN RESPONSE TO STRENGTHENING LEESIDE TROUGH OVER EASTER CO/NM
AND A WEAK SURFACE FRONT ATTEMPTING TO SLIDE INTO THE AREA FROM THE
NW. THERE IS A MINOR DECREASE IN THICKNESS FORECAST OVER THE NEXT 24
HOURS IN ERN UT/WRN CO ASSCTD WITH THE WIND SHIFT...BUT RIGHT NOW ITS
HARD TO SEE ANY SENSIBLE AFFECTS AT THE SURFACE FROM THIS FEATURE
OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. IF THIS WEAK NW FLOW COMES TRUE...THE AIR
ADVECTED IN WILL STILL BE DRY. MODELS GUIDANCE SHOWS ONLY DIURNAL
WIND DIRECTIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. RIDGE CONTINUES IN
CONTROL OVER THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH MON WITH PERSISTENCE IN THE
FCST TEMPS.  CJC

.EXTENDED (WED-SAT).. WESTERLY FLOW SHIFTS NORTHWARD EARLY IN THIS
PERIOD WITH LIGHT FLOW ALOFT BECOMING SOUTHWESTERLY.. AS A PACIFIC
NORTHWEST TROUGH STRENGTHENS.  MID LEVEL MOISTURE INCREASES FOR THE
THREAT OF HIGH BASED THUNDERSTORMS. BUT THE FORECAST BECOMES MORE
MURKY BY DAY 6 AND 7.. WITH THE MRF INDICATING A SURGE OF SUB
TROPICAL MOISTURE ON FRIDAY DUE TO AN EJECTING SHORT WAVE FROM OFF
THE BAJA CALIFORNIA COAST.  BUT THE ECMWF MODEL IS STRONGER WITH
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TROUGH.. AND IF VERIFIES IT WOULD SUPPRESS
CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL IN DRY SOUTHWEST FLOW.  VERY TOUGH FOR A STRONG
TROUGH TO SHIFT INLAND DURING JULY.. SO WILL BASE EXTENDED FORECAST
ON THE LESS AGGRESSIVE MRF MODEL.  PF

.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, Gunnison

When: June 29, 4:00 PM MST to June 30, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Gunnison County, 7 mi NNW of Sapinero
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 38.667, -107.032 (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, June 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: 5304216.