A wildfire, started by lightning, has burned under 100 acres approximately 4 miles northwest of Beulah, in Custer County. It continues to be a difficult fire to fight due to the steep terrain, and was still smoldering into the month of September.
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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 wildfire, started by lightning, has burned under 100 acres approximately 4 miles northwest of Beulah, in Custer County. It continues to be a difficult fire to fight due to the steep terrain, and was still smoldering into the month of September.
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 Aug 8, 2:06 AM MST, 7 hours 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 306 AM MDT WED AUG 8 2012 .SHORT TERM... (TODAY AND TONIGHT) CURRENTLY...HIGH PRESSURE IS CENTERED OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION WHILE A SHORTWAVE TROUGH CONTINUES SOUTH ACROSS THE TEXAS PANHANDLE. SKIES HAVE CLEARED AND TEMPERATURES HAVE COOLED INTO THE LOWER 60S THIS MORNING WITH LIGHT NORTHERLY WINDS ACROSS THE PLAINS. TODAY AND TONIGHT...HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN ANCHORED OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION WITH SUBSIDENCE BEHIND THE DEPARTING SHORTWAVE TROUGH SPREAD ACROSS COLORADO. THIS IS BEING PICKED UP WELL BY WATER VAPOR SATELLITE IMAGERY. MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS COLORADO THROUGH TONIGHT. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS POSSIBLE BY 21Z ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. HIGH-RES MODELS ALSO DEVELOPING A THUNDERSTORM OR TWO OVER THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS AS WELL. THE MAIN THREATS TODAY WILL BE LIGHTNING AND GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS WITH THE LACK OF MOISTURE ACROSS THE REGION. EXPECT CONVECTION TO DIE OFF THROUGH 03Z THIS EVENING. TEMPERATURES WILL BE HOT ACROSS THE PLAINS WITH MID TO UPPER 90S EXPECTED. CLEAR CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST FOR TONIGHT ACROSS THE REGION WITH THE HIGH PRESSURE OVERHEAD. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL FALL INTO THE LOWER TO MID 60S ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. MOZLEY .LONG TERM... (THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY) THU AND FRI AN UPR RIDGE WL BE CENTERED NR THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. ON THU SOME MSTR WL MOVE BACK OVR THE MTS AND HIGH VALLEYS AND THESE AREAS WL SEE SHOWERS AND TSTMS DEVELOP BY LATE MORNING OR IN THE AFTERNOON HOURS. DAYTIME HIGHS ON THU WL GENERALLY BE AT LEAST 5 DEG ABOVE NORMAL. ON FRI THE BEST MSTR WL STILL BE OVR THE HYR TRRN...HOWEVER A WEAK DISTURBANCE IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THRU THE NW FLOW ALOFT OVR ERN CO...AND MAY HELP TO KICK OF SOME CONVECTION OVR THE SERN PLAINS. THE GFS KEEPS THE ERN PLAINS DRY FRI AFTERNOON...WITH JUST A LITTLE EVENING CONVECTION...WHILE THE NAM HAS MORE WIDESPREAD ACTIVITY OVR THE PLAINS. HIGH TEMPS FRI SHOULD BE SIMILAR TO THOSE ON THU. A STRONGER SHORTWAVE TROF WL MOVE THRU THE FLOW SAT...PUSHING THE UPR RIDGE CENTER SOUTHWARD...AND SENDING A FRONT INTO SERN CO. AT THIS TIME IT LOOKS LIKE THE FRONT MAY GET HUNG UP OVR THE SERN CORNER OF CO IN THE AFTERNOON. MORE MSTR IS EXPECTED OVR ERN AREAS ON SAT AND PCPN CHANCES SHOULD BE HIGHER AS WELL. THE HYR TRRN WL AGAIN SEE SCT PCPN AS WELL. ON SUN ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROF IS EXPECTED TO MOVE ACRS ERN PORTIONS OF THE STATE. THERE WL AGAIN BE ENOUGH MSTR OVR THE FORECAST AREA FOR ISOLD TO SCT CONVECTION. HIGHS ON SUN WL PROBABLY BE A FEW DEGREES COOLER WHICH WL BE AROUND OR A FEW DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. MON AND TUE THE UPR RIDGE CENTER IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN OVR AZ AND WRN NM...WITH ENOUGH MSTR OVR THE AREA FOR ISOLD TO SCT MAINLY HYR TRRN CONVECTION. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS AT ALL TERMINALS THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON BUT WILL NOT IMPACT THE TAF SITES. MOZLEY && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && 88/28
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 538 AM MDT WED AUG 8 2012 COZ058>089-093>099-091145- 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- 538 AM MDT WED AUG 8 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND EASTERN MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE MAIN THREATS FROM THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIGHTNING AND GUSTY OUTFLOW WINDS TO NEAR 40 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED EACH DAY OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND ADJACENT LOWER ELEVATIONS. SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THERE WILL BE THE POSSIBILITY OF ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS. THE MAIN THUNDERSTORM THREATS WILL BE LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS TO 45 MPH. SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. 88/28
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 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, August 2012
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: 391659.