Lightning sparked a fire which burned slowly, then erupted on the 17th and rapidly spread from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains east of the Great Sand Dunes into Custer County. The fire continued to burn into July, and has consumed nearly 6300 acres.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
Lightning sparked a fire which burned slowly, then erupted on the 17th and rapidly spread from the Sangre de Cristo Mountains east of the Great Sand Dunes into Custer County. The fire continued to burn into July, and has consumed nearly 6300 acres.
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 17, 7:42 AM MST, 4 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 842 AM MDT THU JUN 17 2010 .SHORT TERM... HAVE CANCELLED OUR HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THIS MORNING. CURRENTLY SEEING SOME GUSTS IN THE 40S...WITH WIND SIGNATURE QUITE EVIDENT OVR THE LEE SIDE OF THE MTNS...SO IT IS PROBABLY PRETTY WINDY OVR A PORTION OF THE ERN SLOPES. HOWEVER...MTN WAVE THREAT NO LONGER IN PLAY AND MOST STATIONS REPORTING RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS AT THIS TIME. ROSE && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 425 AM MDT THU JUN 17 2010/ SHORT TERM... (TODAY AND TONIGHT) MAIN CONCERN IS STRONG WINDS AND FIRE WX. CURRENTLY...SHORT WAVE WHICH WILL IS BEGINNING TO BRING STRONG WINDS TO THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE MTNS WAS LOCATED OVER C WY/NC CO AND WAS MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST. THE PASSES IN THE S MTNS AND C MTNS HAVE BEEN GUSTING IN THE 40-50 MPH RANGE BUT NO STRONG WINDS YET NOTED IN THE PIKES PEAK REGION. STRONG WINDS WERE NOTED OVER THE FAR E PLAINS. THIS MORNING... WINDS EXPECTED TO RAMP UP OVER THE S MTNS STARTING AROUND 09Z AND LASTING UNTIL ABOUT 17Z. EXPECT GUSTS IN THE 60 TO 70 MPH RANGE...AND NEARLY ALL OF THE WINDS WILL OCCUR ON THE IMMEDIATE EAST SLOPES OF THE PIKES PEAK REGION...SANGRES AND WETS. STRONG WINDS OCCURRING OVER THE E PLAINS WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE PRIOR TO SUNRISE. OTHERWISE...TEMPS WILL WARM UP RELATIVELY QUICKLY (THEY REALLY NEVER COOLED DOWN THAT MUCH DUE TO THE DOWNSLOPING...AND TEMPS AT 2 AM WERE STILL IN THE MID 70S ALONG THE LOWER ARK RIVER VALLEY...AND WERE QUITE WARM ALONG THE IMMEDIATE EAST SLOPES. AFTERNOON... WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO DECREASE. BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL BE NOTED MOST AREAS ABOVE 6500 FEET...WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS...30-40 MPH...CONTINUING OVER THE HIGHEST PEAKS. IT WILL BE WARM AND EXPECT TEMPERATURES WELL INTO THE 90S MOST OF PLAINS...WITH SOME AREAS APPROACHING 100F. TONIGHT... CLEAR SKIES WITH LIGHT DRAINAGE WINDS. IT WILL BE COOL IN THE MTN VALLEYS....WITH LOWS NEAR 32F IN THE UPPER ARK RIVER VALLEY (KLXV)...AND MID 30S IN THE CENTRAL SECTIONS OF THE SAN LUIS VALLEY. OTHERWISE EXPECT 50S ON THE PLAINS. LONG TERM... (FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY) ..HOT AND DRY... LONG TERM MODELS AGREE ON KEEPING A SOMEWHAT STAGNANT WEATHER PATTERN IN PLACE FOR THE STATE THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD. BRISK WARM AND DRY WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ACROSS COLORADO IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE...KEEPING ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS IN PLACE. A BROAD AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE IS FORECAST TO REMAIN OVER TEXAS AND THE SOUTH THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...WHILE AN UPPER LOW MEANDERS ACROSS THE PAC NW AND NORTHERN ROCKIES FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY. BOTH NAM AND GFS MODELS INDICATE A COLD FRONT DROPPING DOWN EASTERN CO LATE FRI NIGHT THROUGH SAT MORNING...BUT LATEST NUMERICAL GUIDANCE SHOWS NO CHANGE IN THE EXPECTED MAX TEMPS. THEREFORE...AT BEST IT WILL RESULT IN A WIND SHIFT AND PERHAPS A SLIGHTLY BETTER CHANCE FOR CONVECTION. AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES OFF ON MON...THE UPPER PATTERN SHIFTS A BIT WITH A DISTURBANCE MOVING ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN. THIS MIGHT MEAN A BRIEF CHANGE IN THE RESULTING WEATHER FOR THE STATE...BUT CONFIDENCE IS LOW AND LEANED TOWARDS PERSISTENCE. THEREFORE...EXPECT MAX TEMPS IN THE 90S TO NEAR 100 FOR THE E PLAINS...80S FOR THE HIGH VALLEYS...AND 60S AND 70S FOR THE HIGHER TERRAIN. FINALLY...THE DRYLINE CONTINUES TO FLIT ALONG THE CO/KS STATELINE AND 10 POPS FOR THE E PLAINS EACH AFTN AND EVE BEGINNING ON SAT IS REASONABLE. CONCERNING CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER POTENTIAL...THIS WILL BE A CONCERN ESSENTIALLY EVERY AFTN AS THE WINDS KICK UP SINCE NO SIGNIFICANT PCPN IS EXPECTED. TAKING INTO ACCOUNT LATEST FUELS INFO...ADDED FIRE ZONES 220 AND 222 TO THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH AREA FOR FRIDAY. 27 AVIATION... MAIN CONCERN IS WIND SHEAR AT KCOS. HI-RES INTERNAL MODELS INDICATING WIND SHEAR LIKELY AT KCOS AT ROTOR WINDS WILL BE OCCURRING EAST OF PIKES PEAK. WINDS AT KCOS WILL LIKELY BE QUITE "SQUIRRELLY" DUE TO THE STRONG SHORT WAVE MOVING THROUGH AND CAUTION SHOULD BE EXERCISED AT THIS SITE THROUGH MID MORNING. ONCE AFTERNOON ROLLS AROUND...MAINLY WSW WINDS OF 15-25 KNOTS WILL OCCUR AT KCOS. WINDS WILL DECREASE TOWARDS SUNSET. KPUB AND KALS WILL JUST SEE GUSTY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS ALL DAY TODAY WITH WINDS DECREASING TOWARDS SUNSET. && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR COZ220>222-224>229. FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM FRIDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING FOR COZ220>222-224>227. && 31/44
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 850 AM MDT THU JUN 17 2010 COZ058>089-093>099-181500- 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- 850 AM MDT THU JUN 17 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG GUSTY WINDS COMBINED WITH LOW HUMIDITIES AND DRY VEGETATION WILL RESULT IN HIGH FIRE DANGER ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS...INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR...SAN LUIS VALLEY...AND CHAFFEE AND LAKE COUNTIES. RAPID RATES OF FIRE SPREAD WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY FIRE STARTS TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY HIGH FIRE DANGER WILL BE POSSIBLE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING IN THE SAN LUIS VALLEY...THE SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS...LAKE...CHAFFEE... FREMONT...TELLER AND EL PASO COUNTIES. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE EACH AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG THE COLORADO AND KANSAS BORDER THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. 44/31
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, June 2010
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: 244479, 244480.