Wildfire in Colorado, July 12 to 15, 2006

Name: Wildfire in Colorado, July 12 to 15, 2006
Start: 2006-07-12T12:00
End: 2006-07-15T12:00
Location: Colorado

July 12 to 15, 2006 · NWS GJT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

This wildfire was named the Divide Fire and occurred about 20 miles northwest of Craig in Moffat County. This fast moving fire consumed 3,550 acres of grass, sagebrush, and wheat fields.

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: 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.

This wildfire was named the Divide Fire and occurred about 20 miles northwest of Craig in Moffat County. This fast moving fire consumed 3,550 acres of grass, sagebrush, and wheat fields. One structure was threatened by the blaze.

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 12, 2:46 AM MST, 9 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 2:46 AM MST, 9 hours 14 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
346 AM MDT WED JUL 12 2006

.SHORT TERM (TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY)...
A COUPLE OF WEAK WAVES EMBEDDED IN WESTERLY FLOW ARE KEEPING A FEW
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS GOING ACROSS EASTERN UTAH EARLY THIS
MORNING. EXPECT THAT SOME OF THESE SHOWERS WILL HANG TOGETHER THROUGH
DAYBREAK ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST COLORADO AS THEY RAMP UP
TOWARD TO CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. DRIER AIR WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA
TODAY AS THESE WAVES PASS TO THE EAST. ADDITIONAL WEAK RIPPLES IN THE
FLOW UPSTREAM WILL HAVE LESS MOISTURE TO WORK WITH AND SHOULD HAVE
LITTLE IMPACT ON THE FORECAST AREA TODAY. STORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS
AFTERNOON WITH LITTLE FORCING OUTSIDE OF LOCAL CONVERGENCE OVER THE
HIGHER TERRAIN. STORMS WILL BE HIGHER BASED AND SHOULD FOLLOW A MORE
TYPICAL DIURNAL CYCLE AND DISSIPATE THIS EVENING. WARMER TODAY WITH
MAX TEMPERATURES UP 3-5 DEGREES OVER YESTERDAY. A LITTLE MORE WIND
EXPECTED TODAY AS A TROUGH MOVING ACROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
TIGHTENS THE GRADIENT OVER THE AREA.

WARMING AND DRYING TREND TO CONTINUE THURSDAY WITH ANOTHER 1-3 DEGREE
INCREASE IN TEMPS. AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING SHOWERS AND
THUNDERSTORMS ON TAP AGAIN FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN BUT WITH LESS AREAL
COVERAGE THAN TODAY. LINDQUIST

.LONG-TERM (FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY)...CONTINUED TO TREND THE
EXTENDED FORECAST DRIER AND WARMER AS MEDIUM RANGE MODELS INDICATE
THE MID LEVEL HIGH CENTER SETTING UP NEAR THE FOUR CORNERS ON FRIDAY
THEN PARKING ITSELF OVER COLORADO THROUGH THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK.
ELONGATED STRUCTURE OF THE RIDGE SHOULD KEEP MOST OF THE MONSOONAL
MOISTURE SUPPRESSED WELL TO OUR SOUTH. STILL ANTICIPATING A LITTLE
MOISTURE REMAINING STUCK UNDER THE RIDGE THROUGH SATURDAY...BUT
INSTABILITY MAY BE LIMITED. THINK HAVING THE UPPER HIGH CENTER RIGHT
OVER THE FORECAST AREA WILL HAMPER CONVECTION THROUGH AT LEAST
SUNDAY. KEPT POPS OUT OF THE VALLEYS PRETTY MUCH THROUGH MONDAY.
MOISTURE INCREASE EARLY IN THE WEEK MAY HELP FIRE OFF A FEW MORE
STORMS MONDAY AND TUESDAY. EARLY INDICATIONS ARE THAT THE RIDGE
CENTER MAY SHIFT EAST ON WEDNESDAY WHICH WOULD LEAD TO AN UPSWING IN
ACTIVITY IF SOUTHERLY FLOW ONCE AGAIN DEVELOPS.
&&

.GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
.CO...NONE.
.UT...NONE.

&&

TAL/HLO

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, Central Yampa River Basin

When: July 12, 12:00 PM MST to July 15, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Central Yampa River Basin forecast zone
Reported by: GOVT OFFICIAL
Coordinates: 40.361, -107.805 (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 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Colorado, July 2006

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: 5524315.