Colorado, 2002

Damaging Wind in Colorado, June 8, 2002

June 8, 2002 · NWS PUB · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A microburst knocked over several camping trailers at Lake Meredith southwest of Sugar City causing 5 minor injuries.

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.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
5
Property damage
$10,000
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 PUB wrote it up.

A microburst knocked over several camping trailers at Lake Meredith southwest of Sugar City causing 5 minor injuries.

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 Pueblo, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 8, 1:00 PM MST, 4 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 8, 1:00 PM MST, 4 hours 30 minutes before
SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO COLORADO
200 PM MDT SAT JUN 8 2002

...WINDS AND TEMPERATURES REMAIN FORECAST CONCERN...

...A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SUNDAY...

CURRENTLY...WINDS PICKING UP ACROSS THE AREA...WITH AWOS SENSORS
HITTING GUSTS AS HIGH AS 53 KNOTS...WHILE THE PLAINS HOLD THEIR OWN
WITH GUSTS NEAR 30 KTS. WV SHOWS SLIVER OF ENERGY MOVING OVER THE
MOUNTAINS...AT PEAK HEATING...HOWEVER THINK ANYTHING THAT GOES WILL
BE VIRGA AS ITS SO DRY...NOT SURE ANYTHING WOULD HIT THE
GROUND.

TONIGHT...THINK WINDS WILL CONTINUE MOST OF THE NIGHT OVER THE
AREA...WITH ONLY A BRIEF DECOUPLING IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OVER
THE PLAINS...RESULTING IN WARM OVERNIGHT LOWS ALL AREAS.

SUNDAY...MORE OF THE SAME...HOT DRY AND WINDY WITH BRISK SW FLOW
(40-50KT AT 500MB) OVER THE MOUNTAINS...AND MIXING DOWN TO THE PLAINS
(20-35KTS AT 500MB). VERY DRY AIR OVERHEAD LEAVES LITTLE CHANCE FOR
POPS...ALTHOUGH HIGH LAPSE RATES MAY RESULT IN SOME VIRGA OVER MTNS.
WHILE MODELS HAVE VARYING SOLUTIONS TO EXACT LOCATION OF THE UPPER
LOW...WE ARE STILL ON THE SOUTHEAST SIDE OF IT...AND ALL PROGGED
TRACKS LEAVE US IN DRY SW FLOW. WITH TRACK SLIGHTLY FARTHER NORTH AND
WEST...WIND SPEEDS WILL STILL BE WITHIN RED FLAG CRITERIA BUT SHOULD
REMAIN BELOW HIGH WIND WARNING CRITERIA.

MONDAY...IS A LITTLE TRICKIER.  MESOETA BRINGS A COOL FRONT THROUGH
AROUND 15Z.  ON THE PLAINS...AIRMASS DEPTH IS UP TO 700MB..AND
ALTHOUGH TEMPS ARE NOT DRAMATICALLY COOLER...THEY ARE MORE NEAR CLIMO
(10-14C AT 700MB). AVN HANGS THE FRONT BACK ALONG THE CO/WY BORDER
WITH TEMPS 16C OVER THE AREA. GIVEN THE AVN TENDENCY TO DEVELOP LEE
SIDE LOWS TOO FAR NORTH...WILL SIDE MORE WITH THE MESOETA ALTHOUGH
MESOETA TENDS TO DROP FRONTS ACROSS THE PALMER DIVIDE A BIT TOO FAST.
HARD PART WILL BE IF SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW KEEPS COOLER AIR FROM MAKING
IT TO THE MOUNTAINS AND KEEPS I-25 CORRIDOR IN THE DOWNSLOPE FLOW.
THINK FOR NOW UPPER FLOW ISNT STRONG ENOUGH FOR THAT AND WILL KEEP
CURRENT COOLER TEMPS. WITH FROPA OVER MTNS...AS WELL AS INCOMING
JET(S)...WINDS ARE LIKELY TO REMAIN AN ISSUE THROUGH MONDAY
ESPECIALLY MOUNTAINS...AND RED FLAG MAY NEED TO BE ADJUSTED TO
REFLECT THIS. WILL ADJUST WINDS ON GRIDS. MESOETA SCENARIO COULD
PROVIDE ENOUGH LIMITED MOISTURE TO ADD SOME ISOLD POPS EASTERN
MTNS...WILL WAIT FOR CONTINUITY AND LEAVE OUT FOR NOW.

TUESDAY...MON NITE INTO TUES AVN PUSHES SFC LOW INTO KS...AND
LEAVES US IN NW FLOW AT THE SURFACE. LEE LOW REDEVELOPS IN THE
AFTERNOON...BUT CURRENT DEPICTION WOULD STILL RESULT IN COOLER TEMPS
ON TUESDAY. OVERNIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...SFC FRONT AHEAD OF HIGH
PRESSURE MOVING INTO THE CNTRL PLAINS LEAVES AREA IN UPSLOPE FLOW.

WED-SAT...NO BIG CHANGES.  SURFACE HIGH MOVES SOUTH INTO THE CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN PLAINS WHILE UPPER RIDGE MOVES IN BEHIND DEPARTING
LOW. GENERAL PATTERN IS EASTERLY FLOW ON PLAINS...NORTHWEST
FLOW ALOFT...TEMPS NEAR GUIDANCE. PATTERN COULD RESULT IN ADDING SOME
NEAR MTN POPS...WILL NOT ADD YET.

KC

.PUB...RED FLAG WARNING TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY FOR ALL FIRE WEATHER
ZONES.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Crowley

When
June 8, 5:30 PM MST to 5:35 PM MST
Where
Crowley County, 1 mi SW of Sugar City
Injuries
5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.327, -103.785 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Colorado in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 5301084.