A storm system moving across the Rockies generated strong to high winds across much of southern Colorado, with measured winds gusting as high as 63 mph across the southeast plains.
Every event with a place to put it; 16 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 storm system moving across the Rockies generated strong to high winds across much of southern Colorado, with measured winds gusting as high as 63 mph across the southeast plains.
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 May 26, 10:09 AM MST, 1 hour 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 1109 AM MDT SAT MAY 26 2012 .AVIATION... GUSTY SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE FOUND AT KCOS...KALS AND KPUB TODAY. IT IS ALREADY VERY WINDY AT KALS...AND IS EXPECTED TO PICK UP AT KCOS AND KPUB BETWEEN 18Z AND 20Z. SUSTAINED 30-35 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 45 KTS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN BLDU AND EVEN SOME SMOKE FROM THE NM FIRES WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY AT KALS. COULD SEE ISOLATED HIGH BASED SHOWERS OR STORMS OVER THE CENTRAL MTS AND NEAR THE KS BORDER LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EVENING. WINDS SPEEDS WILL DECREASE AFTER 02Z...BUT A COLD FRONT WILL BRING A WESTERLY WIND SHIFT AT TAF SITES BETWEEN 03Z- 06Z...KEEPING SOME BRISK WEST WINDS THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THE NIGHT TIME HOURS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 414 AM MDT SAT MAY 26 2012/ SHORT TERM... (TODAY AND TONIGHT) ..SUSTAINED HIGH WINDS EXPECTED TODAY...WITH CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA... UPPER LOW MOVING INTO SRN CA/NV THIS MORNING WILL LIFT TO THE NORTHEAST INTO SRN ID BY THIS EVENING AS SHORTWAVE ENERGY WITHIN THE BASE OF THE UPPER LOW LIFTS OUT ACROSS THE GREAT BASIN. ASSOCIATED UPPER JET TRANSLATES EASTWARD IN RESPONSE WHICH WILL SET THE STAGE FOR HIGH WINDS ACROSS MUCH OF THE DISTRICT THIS AFTERNOON AS SFC PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS IN RESPONSE. PER HIGH RES SHORT RANGE MODELS...AND MODEL GUIDANCE...THINK THIS EVENT HAS A HIGH PROBABILITY OF REACHING SUSTAINED HIGH WIND CRITERIA OF 40 MPH ACROSS THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND SOUTHEAST PLAINS...WITH SUSTAINED HIGH WINDS OF 50 MPH ACROSS THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS ABOVE TIMBERLINE. COULD SEE GUSTS APPROACHING 60 MPH ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE SAN LUIS VALLEY...AS WELL AS NORTHERN SLOPES OF THE RATON MESA. HIGH WIND WATCH AREA LOOKS FAIRLY GOOD...AND WILL UPGRADE THESE AREAS TO A WARNING STARTING AT 18Z. ONLY CHANGE WAS TO ADD THE LOWER ELEVATIONS OF THE SOUTHERN SANGRES ZONE...WHICH EXTENDS EASTWARD TO ENCOMPASS A SLIVER OF THE RATON RIDGE/RATON MESA. THINK SUSTAINED 50 MPH ACROSS THESE AREAS IS ACHIEVABLE DURING THE AFTERNOON. VALLEYS TO THE NORTH INCLUDING THE UPPER ARKANSAS RIVER VALLEY OF FREMONT...CHAFFEE AND LAKE COUNTIES...APPEAR TO COME UP JUST SHY OF HIGH WIND CRITERIA...AS THESE AREAS TEND TO BE A BIT MORE SHELTERED IN SOUTHERLY FLOW. BUT IT WILL STILL BE VERY WINDY FOR THESE AREAS AS WELL. WITH DEEP DRY AIR OVERSPREADING THE AREA...RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES SHOULD PLUMMET BELOW 15 PERCENT ACROSS MUCH OF THE MOUNTAINS...AND BELOW 10 PERCENT ACROSS THE VALLEYS AND SOUTHEAST PLAINS. WHERE FUELS ARE CRITICAL...CONDITIONS WILL BE FAVORABLE FOR EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPLOSIVE FIRE GROWTH AND RAPID RATES OF FIRE SPREAD. PER COORDINATION WITH LAND MANAGEMENT AGENCIES...FUELS ARE CONDUCIVE FOR THESE CONDITIONS ACROSS FREMONT AND TELLER COUNTIES WHERE SOUTHERN SLOPES HAVE DRIED OUT...AND LARGER DEAD FUELS WILL BE RECEPTIVE TO FIRE AS WELL. RED FLAG WARNING IS ALREADY OUT FOR THESE ZONES...AND HAVE EXTENDED IT UNTIL 04Z...AS WINDS WILL REMAIN STRONG AND RH RECOVERY POOR THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. ALTHOUGH ON THE AVERAGE...GREEN UP ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA SHOULD OFFSET THE AVAILABILITY OF RAPID FIRE GROWTH IN LINGERING DEAD FUELS...ANY POCKETS OF DRY FUELS COULD STILL BURN RAPIDLY. THUS...EXTREME CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN TODAY NOT TO START ANY WILD FIRES. ISOLATED HIGH BASED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...AS WELL AS ALONG THE FAR SOUTHEAST PLAINS LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING WHERE DRY LINE WILL WAVER BACK WESTWARD DURING THE EVENING HOURS. APPEARS THAT BACA AND EASTERN PROWERS COUNTIES WILL HAVE THE BEST CHANCE FOR AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM...WITH POTENTIAL FOR DAMAGING WINDS...AND POSSIBLE SOME HAIL UP TO NEAR 1 INCH IN DIAMETER. WITH FAIRLY UNIDIRECTIONAL FLOW IN DEEPLY MIXED ATMOSPHERE...DEEP LAYER SHEARS WILL BE LIMITED TO AROUND 35 KTS...WHICH COULD BE SUFFICIENT FOR A HIGH BASED ROTATING THUNDERSTORMS. WITH DRY SUB-CLOUD LAYER...DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL WOULD BE THE PRIMARY THREATS. AS UPPER LOW LIFTS NORTHWARD INTO MT/NRN WY OVERNIGHT...COLD FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA...SHIFTING WINDS OUT OF THE WEST...AND PUSHING THE DRY LINE INTO WESTERN KANSAS BY MORNING. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE OVERNIGHT...THOUGH GIVEN THE DRY AIR MASS...COOLING ALOFT...AND LACK OF CLOUD COVER...WE WILL SEE NEAR TO SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST/CENTRAL MTS/ AND PORTIONS OF THE VALLEYS TOWARDS MORNING WHERE WINDS DECOUPLE. SAN LUIS VALLEY MAY APPROACH THE FREEZING MARK BY MORNING...THOUGH GROWING SEASON DOESN'T TYPICALLY START UNTIL JUNE 1ST. THUS...NO FROST/FREEZE HIGHLIGHTS WILL BE ISSUED AT THIS POINT. HOWEVER IT WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA TO PROTECT ANY TENDER VEGETATION AS IT MAY GET CLOSE. -KT LONG TERM... (SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY) SUNDAY...LONGWAVE TROUGH BRUSHES NORTH OF CWA. MODELS FORECAST WINDS TO BE MUCH LIGHTER THAN SATURDAY...BUT STILL STRONG ENOUGH IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING FOR RED FLAG CONDITIONS OVER A MAJORITY OF THE AREA. SINCE CRITERIA FUELS ONLY INDICATED IN FIRE WEATHER ZONES 221 AND 222...WILL GO AHEAD WITH FIRE WEATHER WATCH. WITH LOWER TEMPERATURES AT MID LEVELS...STILL LOOKING AT HIGHS SOME 10 TO 15 DEGREES LOWER THAN SATURDAY. IT WILL BE DRY...WITH THE POSSIBLE EXCEPTION OF ISOLATED SHOWERS AND A RUMBLE OR TWO OF THUNDER ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. FOR MEMORIAL DAY...MODELS SHOW ZONAL FLOW ALOFT...AND DRY WEATHER THROUGHOUT THE AREA. MONDAY EVENING...UPPER TROUGH ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS MAY BRING A BACKDOOR COOL FRONT JUST INTO THE NORTHERN PART OF OUR PLAINS...WITH NO CHANCE FOR SHOWERS. TUESDAY...ZONAL FLOW CONTINUES...ALONG WITH DRY WEATHER AND FAIRLY LIGHT WINDS. TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...UPPER SYSTEM ACROSS THE PLAINS IS FORECAST TO DEEPEN...AND WITH THAT...SPREADING UPSLOPE...MOISTER FLOW INTO EASTERN COLORADO. INSTABILITY NOT EXPECTED TO BE THAT PRONOUNCED...SO WILL GO THE ISOLATED POPS AT MOST THROUGH THE TIME FRAME. MEANTIME...WESTERN PARTS OF CWA WITH REMAIN DRY AND MILD. -TLM- AVIATION... PATCHY STRATUS OR GROUND FOG WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS EL PASO AND PUEBLO COUNTIES THOUGH 13Z...THOUGH THINK THAT PROBABILITY OF THIS OCCURRING WILL BE TOO LIMITED TO WARRANT INCLUSION IN TAFS...AS DRY AIR AND INCREASING WINDS ALOFT SHOULD ERODE ANY FOG OR STRATUS QUICKLY. LATEST FOG PRODUCT HAS SHOWN STRATUS ALREADY ERODING STRATUS NORTHWARD EARLY THIS MORNING. GUSTY SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE AT KCOS AND KALS TAF SITES BY 15-16Z...AND AT KPUB BY 18Z. SUSTAINED 30-35 KTS WITH GUSTS TO 45 KTS WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN BLDU AND EVEN SOME SMOKE FROM THE NM FIRES WILL BE POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY AT KALS AND WILL INTRODUCE THIS IN A TEMPO GROUP WITH 12Z TAF ISSUANCE. COULD SEE ISOLATED HIGH BASED -SHRA/-TSRA ACROSS THE CENTRAL MTS AND NEAR THE CO/KS BORDER LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THE EVENING. ALTHOUGH WINDS SPEEDS WILL DECREASE AFTER 02Z...COLD FRONT WILL BRING A WESTERLY WIND SHIFT AT TAF SITES BETWEEN 03Z-06Z...KEEPING SOME BRISK WEST WINDS THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF THE NIGHT TIME HOURS. -KT && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR COZ058-060- 065>071-073>076-080-082-084>089-093>099. RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 10 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR COZ221-222. FIRE WEATHER WATCH FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING FOR COZ221-222. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO 1100 AM MDT SAT MAY 26 2012 COZ058>089-093>099-271700- 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- 1100 AM MDT SAT MAY 26 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL...EAST CENTRAL...SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND THE SOUTHEAST PLAINS NEAR THE KANSAS BORDER. THE MAIN THREAT WITH THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND VERY STRONG WINDS WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 60 MPH. ONE OR TWO STORMS IN BACA AND EASTERN PROWERS COUNTIES LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...COULD BECOME SEVERE WITH HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER. STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL BE FOUND ACROSS ALL OF SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 35 TO 45 MPH...WITH GUSTS FROM 55 TO 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED...WITH THE STRONGEST OF THESE GUSTS OCCURRING ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS AND NEAR THE SOUTHERN COLORADO BORDER. GUSTS UP TO 70 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN AREAS ABOVE 10000 FEET. THE STRONG WINDS...COMBINED WITH LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES...AND SUFFICIENTLY DRY VEGETATION...WILL LEAD TO THE POTENTIAL FOR EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR ACROSS TELLER AND FREMONT COUNTIES THROUGH LATE THIS EVENING. ALTHOUGH SPRING GREEN UP ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION SHOULD MITIGATE EXTREME FIRE BEHAVIOR...POCKETS OF DRY FUELS WHERE RAINFALL HAS BEEN LACKING LATELY COULD STILL RESULT IN RAPID RATES OF FIRE SPREAD SHOULD A FIRE START. THUS EXTREME CARE SHOULD BE TAKEN TODAY WITH OUTDOOR BURNING AND GRILLING. IN ADDITION...BLOWING DUST PICKED UP BY STRONG WINDS THIS AFTERNOON...ALONG WITH SMOKE DRAWN NORTH FROM WILDFIRES IN SOUTHERN NEW MEXICO WILL RESULT IN REDUCED VISIBILITIES THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY DANGEROUS FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE FORECAST FOR MUCH OF THE AREA SUNDAY. THE FUELS ARE REPORTED AS BEING NOT CRITICAL IN ALL AREAS...WITH THE EXCEPTIONS OF TELLER COUNTY...THE RAMPART RANGE AND FREMONT COUNTY. THUS ONLY THOSE AREAS WILL HAVE A FIRE WEATHER HIGHLIGHT IN EFFECT SUNDAY. CAUTION IS ADVISED WITH ANY OUTDOOR BURNING...INCLUDING GRILLING. THERE MAY BE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS FROM WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY ACROSS THE EASTERN MOUNTAINS...WITH THE MAIN THREAT BEING LIGHTNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER CONDITIONS THAT MEET REPORTING CRITERIA FOR SPOTTERS WILL BE POSSIBLE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
16 high wind. 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, May 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: 382090, 382091, 382092, 382097, 382088, 382089, 382093, 382094, 382095, 382096, 382098, 382099, 382100, 382101, 382102, 382103.