Strong winds knocked down a power pole, which sparked a fast moving wildfire on the Pueblo Chemical Depot lands in northeast Pueblo County. No structures were threaten during the fire, which consumed approximately 1600 acres of short grass and weeds.
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The episode as NWS PUB wrote it up.
Strong winds knocked down a power pole, which sparked a fast moving wildfire on the Pueblo Chemical Depot lands in northeast Pueblo County. No structures were threaten during the fire, which consumed approximately 1600 acres of short grass and weeds.
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 Mar 24, 2:31 PM MST, 29 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 331 PM MDT THU MAR 24 2011 .SHORT TERM... (TONIGHT AND FRIDAY) ...FIRE DANGER REMAINS HIGH TOMORROW... ...SOME MORE SNOW FOR THE DIVIDE TOMORROW AFTERNOON... CURRENTLY... AS EXPECTED...LOWER ARKANSAS VALLEY INCLUDING WFO PUB A BIT SLOW TO MIX OUT THIS AFTERNOON. AS OF 230 MDT...TEMPERATURE STILL IN THE LOWER 50S...BUT EXPECT W WINDS TO KICK IN SOMETIME THIS AFTERNOON WHICH SHOULD BOOST TEMPS TO FORECAST VALUES NEAR 60. MOST SPOTS STILL A BIT TOO HIGH RH FOR RED FLAG CONDITIONS...BUT ALSO EXPECT THIS TO CHANGE AS WINDS STRENGTHEN AND DRY AIR BEGINS TO PUSH EWD. SAN LUIS VALLEY BEGAN BLOWING EARLY THIS MORNING...AND AIRPORT CAM AT KALS HAS SHOWN PERIODS OF BLDU WITH WINDS BRIEFLY GUSTING OVR 50 MPH. PUT OUT AN SPS FOR THE CONTDVD...WITH WOLF CREEK WEBCAM SHOWING SNOW COVERED ROADS AND POOR VISIBILITY WITH SOME LOCAL HEAVY SHSN THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON. WILL CONTINUE TO SEE SCT SHSN FOR THE DVD THRU THE EARLY EVE...UNTIL ACTIVITY DIES OFF TONIGHT. TOMORROW...A BIT OF A TRICKY CALL FOR THE FIRE WX WATCH. SOME DISCREPANCY BETWEEN THE NAM AND GFS...WITH GFS SHOWING STRONGER WIND POTENTIAL WHILE THE NAM WOULD NOT STRICTLY MEET RED FLAG CRITERIA FOR WINDS. HAVE OPTED TO BE LIBERAL WITH AN UPGRADE TO WARNING...SINCE FUELS ARE SO DRY WITH THE RECENT DROUGHT CONDITIONS. LEFT THE FAR EASTERN ZONES OUT ALONG WITH TELLER AND N EL PASO COUNTIES AS IT LOOKS LIKE RED FLAG WILL BE TOUGH TO BE MET FOR THOSE ZONES. IN COORDINATION WITH THE LONG TERM DESK...ALSO ISSUED A SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE SAWATCH RANGE WITH A COUPLE INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE FRI AFTERNOON AS THE NEXT SHORTWAVE BEGINS MOVING INTO N CO. NO REAL ISSUE WITH MIXING OR UPSLOPE WINDS ON FRI...SO EVEN IF W WINDS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY STRONG...EXPECT THE PLAINS TO MIX OUT RELATIVELY EARLY...AND THIS SHOULD HELP BOOST TEMPS INTO THE 60S FOR THE PLAINS...POSSIBLY NR 70 FOR A FEW SPOTS. MADE FEW CHANGES FOR THE TEMPS WITH INHERITED VALUES ALREADY ON THE HIGH SIDE OF GUIDANCE...WHICH LOOKS ON TARGET FOR TOMORROW. ROSE .LONG TERM... (FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY) SHORTWAVE ACROSS NRN CO FRI NIGHT KEEPING SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW GOING ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. SNOWFALL TOTALS SHOULD RANGE AROUND 4-8 INCHES ACROSS THE SAWATCH RANGE...WITH GENERALLY 1 TO 4 INCHES ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE CONTDVD. SNOW TAPERS OFF QUICKLY BEHIND SYSTEM GLANCING BY TO THE NORTH AFTER 06Z...BUT STILL ENOUGH MOISTURE TO WARRANT KEEPING ADVISORIES GOING THROUGH 12Z. THIS SYSTEM SHOULD DO LITTLE FOR THE PLAINS AS FAR AS PCPN GOES...AND HAVE TAPERED DOWN POPS. FRONT DROPS THROUGH THE PLAINS FRIDAY NIGHT WITH WINDS ON SATURDAY STARTING OUT BREEZY TO WINDY ALONG THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES AS SFC LOW PULLS AWAY THROUGH THE SRN PLAINS. HUMIDITY RECOVERIES NOT ALL THAT GREAT...SO ITS PLAUSIBLE THAT SPOTTY AREAS ALONG THE LOWER EASTERN SLOPES OF THE SE MTS COULD SEE SOME SPOTTY CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER PARAMETERS IN THE MORNING. HOWEVER...WINDS SHOULD WEAKEN QUICKLY AND SWING AROUND FROM AN UPSLOPE EASTERLY DIRECTION BY AFTERNOON WHICH SHOULD PRECLUDE NECESSITY OF ANY FIRE WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS. STRATUS DEVELOPS ACROSS THE PLAINS SAT NIGHT WITH A CLOUDY START TO THE MORNING FOR THE PLAINS LOCATIONS. ANOTHER WEAK WAVE MOVES ACROSS THE AREA ON SUNDAY. NOT AS MUCH MOISTURE WITH THIS FEATURE...BUT SHOULD SEE ANOTHER ROUND OF SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MTS SAT NIGHT/SUNDAY. MEANWHILE...LEE TROF DEEPENS ACROSS THE PLAINS ON SUNDAY AND COULD BE LOOKING AT ANOTHER ROUND OF CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER PARAMETERS FOR THE I-25 CORRIDOR/SE MTS/ADJACENT PLAINS SUNDAY AFTERNOON. HOW FAR EAST THIS DRY AIR WILL SPREAD DEPENDS ON THE TIMING OF THE SHORTWAVE AND EASTWARD PUSH OF THE DRY LINE. GIVEN THIS IS STILL OUT IN DAY 4 AND TIMING OF SHORTWAVES HAS BEEN CHANGING QUITE A BIT FROM RUN-TO-RUN...WILL NOT HOIST ANY FIRE WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS THIS FAR OUT. EAST OF THE DRY LINE...EASTERN COUNTIES MAY HAVE ENOUGH ELEVATED CAPE FOR SOME ISOLATED AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS. MODEL DIFFERENCES GET LARGER FOR MONDAY AND BEYOND. GFS DROPS A CLOSED LOW INTO THE GREAT BASIN SUNDAY NIGHT WHICH OPENS UP AND MOVES ACROSS CO ON MONDAY/MONDAY NIGHT. FLOW STAYS NORTHWESTERLY AFTER THAT WITH ANOTHER TROF CARVING OUT ACROSS THE AREA FOR WEDNESDAY/WEDNESDAY NIGHT. ECMWF IS MUCH LESS AMPLIFIED AND FARTHER NORTH WITH BOTH FEATURES AND WOULD SUGGEST A DRIER SOLN THAN GFS. GIVEN THE PATTERN...HAVE TRENDED GRIDS CLOSER TO THE DRIER ECMWF FOR NOW. IF GFS IS RIGHT...WE COULD SEE A SHOT OF WETTING PCPN ACROSS THE PLAINS WED/WED NIGHT...HOWEVER ITS TOO SOON TO HAVE MUCH CONFIDENCE IN THIS SOLN. PLAN TO KEEP A BRIEF WINDOW OF ISOLATED POPS ACROSS THE PLAINS FOR MON NIGHT...AND AGAIN FOR WED/WED NIGHT...BUT FOR NOW PCPN AMOUNTS WILL PROBABLY BE SPOTTY AND LIGHT. -KT && .AVIATION... && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR COZ221-222- 224>233-235. RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON TO 8 PM MDT FRIDAY FOR COZ222-224-225- 227>233. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM NOON FRIDAY TO 6 AM MDT SATURDAY FOR COZ060. && 44/31
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 356 PM MDT THU MAR 24 2011 COZ058>089-093>099-252200- 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- 356 PM MDT THU MAR 24 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT EXISTING DRY CONDITIONS...LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES...WARM TEMPERATURES AND WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO RESULT IN CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS THE SAN LUIS VALLEY...SOUTHEAST MOUNTAINS...THE INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR AND MOST OF THE SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO PLAINS THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. GUSTS UP TO 40 TO 50 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE PLAINS...WITH GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH POSSIBLE IN AND NEAR THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THIS EVENING. IN THE MOUNTAINS ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND ACCUMULATING SNOW IS EXPECTED. TOTAL ACCUMULATIONS WILL RANGE BETWEEN 2 AND 4 INCHES. STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CAUSE CONSIDERABLE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR WILL RETURN ON FRIDAY FOR THE SAN LUIS VALLEY...THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO AND WET MOUNTAINS...INTERSTATE 25 CORRIDOR FROM COLORADO SPRINGS SOUTHWARD TO THE NEW MEXICO BORDER...AND MUCH OF THE EASTERN PLAINS. GUSTY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP AGAIN ON FRIDAY. THE GUSTY WINDS ALONG WITH LOW HUMIDITY AND DRY FUELS WILL RESULT IN EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL AFFECT THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. TOTAL SNOWFALL ACCUMULATIONS OF 4 TO 8 INCHES CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE EASTERN SAWATCH RANGE. COMBINED WITH WEST WINDS OF 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...POOR VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING SNOW CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN PASSES. THE REMAINDER OF THE MOUNTAINS WILL SEE BETWEEN 1 TO 4 INCHES OF SNOWFALL. MODERATE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS WILL ALSO BE LIKELY OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE REGION SATURDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. 44/31
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 138 PM MDT THU MAR 24 2011 COZ058-060-066-068-242315- WESTERN MOSQUITO RANGE/EAST LAKE COUNTY ABOVE 11000 FT- EASTERN SAWATCH MOUNTAINS ABOVE 11000 FT- LA GARITA MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- EASTERN SAN JUAN MOUNTAINS ABOVE 10000 FT- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...CLIMAX...MOSQUITO PASS... INDEPENDENCE PASS...MT ELBERT...MT MASSIVE...NORTH PASS... CUMBRES PASS...WOLF CREEK PASS 138 PM MDT THU MAR 24 2011 SCATTERED HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...GENERALLY AT ELEVATIONS ABOVE 10000 FEET. LOCAL ACCUMULATIONS OF UP TO THREE INCHES ARE POSSIBLE. ALONG WITH GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS...THIS WILL RESULT IN HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS AT TIMES OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES WITH SLICK ROAD SURFACES AND POOR VISIBILITY. SNOW SHOWERS SHOULD WIND DOWN BY SUNSET. SR
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 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, March 2011
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: 293799.