A wildfire began from unknown causes about 25 miles southwest of Maybell.
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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 GJT wrote it up.
A wildfire began from unknown causes about 25 miles southwest of Maybell.
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 Grand Junction, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 24, 2:51 PM MST, 9 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 351 PM MDT Fri Aug 24 2018 .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Saturday night) Issued at 351 PM MDT Fri Aug 24 2018 U/A H500 hand analysis shows the subtropical high parked over the east Texas Plains. Low pressure is upstream over the PacNW which will also remain in that vicinity as a few distinct waves pass through over the next 60 to 72 hours. Drier air will be drawn around the base of the trough and directed toward our NW CWA. Satellite derived imagery shows a good pool of monsoonal mositure over the deep Southwest and a weak circulation over northern Mexico which will be translating through the southwest flow over the next 24 hours. So it appears there will be fairly widespread precipitation over our SE CWA by tomorrow afternoon which translates to mainly sunny skies in the NW. Moisture field ensembles are not really picking out our CWA for anomalous moisture...which remains mainly south of the Colorado border. However there will be some concern of heavy rainfall rates impacting the 416 burn scar. As we saw the last good moisture push...these rates matter. We ended up with some decent rainfall amounts on the 416 but this fell over a 1 to 2 hour period. Storm motion looks to be SW at 20 mph or less so this may come into play for isolated flooding as well. Confidence just not there for a hydro product just yet. The trough base will swing a bit eastward Saturday night and this will push the drier air a bit farther south. However it also allows the thermal gradient to shift south and the entrance region to the jet will be located near the CO/UT border. This may keep some isolated convection firing through the overnight hours and low pops have been retained. .LONG TERM...(Sunday through Friday) Issued at 351 PM MDT Fri Aug 24 2018 By Sunday afternoon the last piece of energy will be dropping into the Western trough and allow it to begin to translate eastward. This in turn flattens the flow over the central Rockies enough to suppress the monsoonal tap. Convective activity will persist on Sunday but it will be a transition day with much drier conditions moving back in for upcoming week. The interesting part of the forecast really won't arrive until late next week into the weekend when a rather strong trough build down the high latitudes into the western CONUS. This will again lead to a better flow pattern for a monsoonal surge. Otherwise expect above normal temperatures to return. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Saturday afternoon) Issued at 1137 AM MDT Fri Aug 24 2018 VFR conditions will be the rule for all TAF sites through the next 24 hours. Isolated to scattered thunderstorms will develop over the mountains by noon and will continue through 21Z, but this activity isn't expected to move over TAF sites during this period. However, long-lived outflow winds may bring brief gusty winds to 25 to 35 MPH during the period. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...None. UT...None. && SHORT TERM...15 LONG TERM...15 AVIATION...NL
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 331 AM MDT Fri Aug 24 2018 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-250945- Lower Yampa River Basin-Central Yampa River Basin- Roan and Tavaputs Plateaus-Elkhead and Park Mountains- Upper Yampa River Basin-Grand Valley-Debeque to Silt Corridor- Central Colorado River Basin-Grand and Battlement Mesas- Gore and Elk Mountains/Central Mountain Valleys- Central Gunnison and Uncompahgre River Basin- West Elk and Sawatch Mountains-Flat Tops- Upper Gunnison River Valley-Uncompahgre Plateau and Dallas Divide- Northwest San Juan Mountains-Southwest San Juan Mountains- Paradox Valley/Lower Dolores River- Four Corners/Upper Dolores River-Animas River Basin- San Juan River Basin-Southeast Utah-Eastern Uinta Mountains- Eastern Uinta Basin-Tavaputs Plateau-Arches/Grand Flat- La Sal and Abajo Mountains-Canyonlands/Natural Bridges- 331 AM MDT Fri Aug 24 2018 This hazardous weather outlook is for eastern Utah and western Colorado. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Mostly clear skies with winds becoming southwesterly in afternoon. Lingering moisture will bring the threat of high elevation showers and thunderstorms this afternoon and evening in southwestern Colorado. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday High pressure to the south keeps the mostly quiet weather going through Thursday with the chance of isolated showers and thunderstorms continuing each afternoon. Winds become gusty for the start of the workweek across eastern Utah and northwestern Colorado. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Citadel Fire began from unknown causes about 25 miles southwest of Maybell and grew to 298 acres before it was contained.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, August 2018
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: 778605.