A huge wildfire erupted Sunday afternoon. Lightning started a small ground fire which was fanned by strong southwest winds.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS PUB wrote it up.
A huge wildfire erupted Sunday afternoon. Lightning started a small ground fire which was fanned by strong southwest winds. The blaze quickly grew and eventually blackened nearly 14,000 acres. Hundreds of firefighters battled the wildfire, which closed the main route into the San Luis Valley from the east, La Veta Pass. The blaze also threatened hundreds of homes in Huerfano County, but efforts were successful in stopping the wildfire short. The fire was fully contained shortly before the end of the month. The fire started in the Malo Vega drainage (about 8 miles northeast of Fort Garland), but was incorrectly named Mato Vega, because a line on the topography map made the "l" look like a "t".
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 18, 2:42 AM MST, 9 hours 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 342 AM MDT SUN JUN 18 2006 .SHORT TERM... (TODAY AND TONIGHT) SHORTWAVE MOVING ACROSS THE NRN US ROCKIES IS SENDING A WEAK COLD FRONT SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE NRN HIGH PLAINS. LATEST MSAS PRESSURE RISES HAVE BEEN WEAKENING WITH TIME AS SFC FRONT MAKES SLOW SOUTHWARD PROGRESS THROUGH EASTERN WY. SHORT RANGE MODELS INDICATE FRONT WILL STALL OUT JUST NORTH OF THE AREA TODAY...AND WITH RIDGE BUILDING OVER THE SOUTHWEST US...MID LEVEL TEMPS WILL WARM AROUND 3 TO 5 DEGREES OVER THOSE OF YESTERDAY...WHICH SHOULD PUT MAX TEMPS BACK IN THE 90S ACROSS SOUTHEAST COLORADO...WITH UPPER 60S TO MID 80S FOR THE MOUNTAINS/HIGH VALLEYS. WITH THE WARMER TEMPERATURES...DAY TIME RELATIVE HUMIDITIES WILL DROP TO LESS THAN 15 PERCENT FOR MUCH OF THE AREA...HOWEVER WINDS SHOULD REMAIN FAIRLY LIGHT...SO NO FIRE WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS ANTICIPATED. MODEL SOUNDINGS LOOK FAIRLY DRY...SO ASIDE FROM SOME SHALLOW CU DEVELOPING ACROSS THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS...FCST SHOULD REMAIN DRY. FOR TONIGHT...SFC HIGH PUSHES SOUTHWARD THROUGH THE PLAINS CAUSING EASTERLY WINDS TO STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE SE CO PLAINS DURING THE EVENING HOURS. THIS SHOULD BRING SOME MODEST LOW LEVEL MOISTURE RETURN INTO SE CO OVERNIGHT WITH DEW POINTS AGAIN PUSHING NEAR 50 ALONG THE CO/KS BORDER. KEPT MIN TEMPS ON THE WARM SIDE OF GUIDANCE VALUES. -KT .LONG TERM... (MON THROUGH TUE) ...NEARING CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MON AND TUE... ...POTENTIAL ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WED THROUGH SAT... MON AND TUE...LARGE UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BE ANCHORED OVER NM/OLD MEXICO MON THROUGH TUE. THIS WILL PROMOTE W-SWLY FLOW OVER THE CNTRL ROCKIES. FLOW DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ALL THAT STRONG. H5 WIND SPEEDS ARE ONLY FORECAST TO BE 20-25KTS. POTENTIAL FOR SIGNIFICANT WIND GUSTS GREATER THAN 22KTS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE THAT GREAT. WILL GO WITH A 50-50 BLEND OF THE MET AND MAV MOS GUIDANCE AND KEEP ANY GUSTS ABOVE 8K FT MSL. H7 TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO BE +18C TO +21C...SO MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES AROUND 100F ARE DOABLE BELOW 6K FT MSL. WITH THE S-SWLY RELATIVELY DRY FLOW IN THE LOW LEVELS...SFC DEW POINTS SHOULD DROP DURING THE DAY THANKS TO MIXING. DAYTIME HUMIDITY VALUES WILL BE LESS THAN 15 PERCENT...AND HAINES INDICES WILL BE 6 FOR MOST AREAS. OBVIOUSLY... THE SEVERE TO EXTREME DROUGHT STRESSED FUELS ARE STILL IN PLACE. ALL OF THIS SHOULD INCREASE THE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ON MON AND AGAIN TUE. HOWEVER...THE WIND PORTION OF THE CRITERIA MAY NOT BE REACHED...SO WILL HOLD OFF ISSUING ANY FIRE WEATHER HEADLINES. POPS AND WX ARE A CHALLENGE. NAM WANTS TO BREAK-OUT ALMOST WIDESPREAD QPF MON AFTN-EVE. MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOW A STRONG INVERTED-V THERMAL STRUCTURE...SO NOT SURE IF ANY PRECIPITATION WILL REACH THE GROUND. NAM MODEL CAPE VALUES INCREASED SLIGHTLY AND IS PROBABLY A REFLECTION OF SLIGHTLY HIGHER SFC DEW POINTS BEING PROJECTED IN THE MODEL. THE GFS DOES NOT PRINT OUT ANY QPF FOR MON AFTN-EVE. WILL GO WITH VERY LOW SILENT POPS ON MON AFTN- EVE. IF THIS PRECIPTATION FORMS...A WEAK FRONTAL SURGE MAY MOVE THROUGH ERN CO MON NGT-TUE AM. TUE IS A TOUGH CALL GIVEN THE PATTERN. RELATIVELY WEAK WLY FLOW ALOFT WITH H7 TEMPERATURES +18C TO +20C AGAIN. ALMOST SAME CONDITIONS AS MON. MAXIMUM TEMPERATURES 100F ARE DOABLE AGAIN BELOW 6K FT MSL. CURRENT LOW POPS LOOKS GOOD. WED THROUGH SAT...LOTS OF CHALLENGES THESE FORECAST PERIODS... ESPECIALLY EAST OF THE CONTDVD. UPPER LEVEL HIGH JUST TO OUR S WEAKENS AND SHIFTS A LITTLER FURTHER W PROMOTING W-NWLY FLOW OVER THE CNTRL ROCKIES. THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE WILL BE THE RETURN OF QUALITY LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ACROSS ERN CO AND THE POTENTIAL FOR MAINLY AFTN-EVE SHRA/TSRA EACH DAYS. A LOT OF THIS WILL RELY ON MESOSCALE CONVECTIVE SYSTEM FORMING OVER ERN CO AND THEN MIGRATING EWD INTO THE PLAINS EACH NIGHT. FURTHER W TOWARDS THE CONTDVD... RELATIVELY DRY CONDITIONS WILL BE LIKELY WITH LITTLE IN THE WAY OF WETTING PRECIPITATION. THIS WILL KEEP THE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS GOING IN THAT AREA. METZE && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 31/17
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 648 AM MDT SUN JUN 18 2006 COZ058>089-093>099-191300- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST LAKE COUNTY ABOVE 11000 FT- LEADVILLE VICINITY/LAKE COUNTY BELOW 11000 FT- EASTERN SAWATCH MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- WESTERN CHAFFEE COUNTY BETWEEN 9000 AND 11000 FT- CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY BELOW 9000 FT- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST CHAFFEE COUNTY ABOVE 9000 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY WEST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- SAGUACHE COUNTY EAST OF CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BELOW 10000 FT- LA GARITA MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- UPPER RIO GRANDE VALLEY/EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS BELOW 10000 FT- EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- DEL NORTE VICINITY/NORTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- ALAMOSA VICINITY/CENTRAL SAN LUIS VALLEY BELOW 8500 FT- SOUTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 8500 AND 11000 FT- NORTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FEET- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT- SOUTHERN SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- NORTHWESTERN FREMONT COUNTY ABOVE 8500 FT- WESTERN/CENTRAL FREMONT COUNTY BELOW 8500 FT- WET MOUNTAIN VALLEY BELOW 8500 FEET- WET MOUNTAINS BETWEEN 6300 AND 10000 FT- WET MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- TELLER COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE ABOVE 7500 FT/PIKES PEAK BETWEEN 7500 AND 11000 FT-PIKES PEAK ABOVE 11000 FT- CANON CITY VICINITY/EASTERN FREMONT COUNTY- NORTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/MONUMENT RIDGE/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7500 FT- COLORADO SPRINGS VICINITY/SOUTHERN EL PASO COUNTY/RAMPART RANGE BELOW 7400 FT-PUEBLO AND VICINITY/PUEBLO COUNTY BELOW 6300 FT- WALSENBURG VICINITY/UPPER HUERFANO RIVER BASIN BELOW 7500 FT- TRINIDAD VICINITY/WESTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY BELOW 7500 FT- CROWLEY COUNTY-LA JUNTA VICINITY/OTERO COUNTY- EASTERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY-WESTERN KIOWA COUNTY- EASTERN KIOWA COUNTY-LAS ANIMAS VICINITY/BENT COUNTY- LAMAR VICINITY/PROWERS COUNTY-SPRINGFIELD VICINITY/BACA COUNTY- 648 AM MDT SUN JUN 18 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS MAY BE INCREASING ACROSS CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL...AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO MONDAY AND AGAIN TUESDAY. FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY...IT WILL BE HOT...RELATIVELY DRY...AND UNSTABLE. THE ONLY UNCERTAINTY IS HOW BREEZY OR WINDY IT WILL GET. OTHERWISE...THERE WILL BE THE POTENTIAL FOR THUNDERSTORMS TUESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...MAINLY EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MAIN THREAT FROM ANY THUNDERSTORM WILL BE HAIL LESS THAN 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER...WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...AND CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. KT/METZE
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, June 2006
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: 5518572.