A lightning strike ignited a wildfire about 10 miles southeast of Dove Creek.
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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 lightning strike ignited a wildfire about 10 miles southeast of Dove Creek.
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 Jun 18, 10:54 AM MST, 2 hours 6 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 1154 AM MDT Tue Jun 18 2019 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Wednesday) Issued at 249 AM MDT Tue Jun 18 2019 Models haven't initialized so well this morning. Current radar imagery shows a thin line of showers having formed along the Roan and Tavaputs, just north of the Book Cliffs and it looks like more showers will continue to increase over the next few hours. Either the models go way overboard with precip or with non so it's all or nothing with regards to the models. At least they all agree that convection will fire again today as a longwave trough moves through the area. While there isn't any jet support to speak of, the ample moisture (forecast PWATs near .75 inches) and lift from the trough and orographics will be more than able to tap into instability aloft causing showers and storms to form. Convection will be very similar to what was seen yesterday with some heavy rainers, small hail, and gusty outflow winds. The short range models are hinting at the best convection along the Continental Divide but with the appropriate ingredients in place, would expect widespread convection to be the rule today. Overnight, showers, maybe a storm or two, will continue favoring the northern mountains and surrounding areas as a weak piece of energy moves through. Wednesday, we'll dry out as the next system begins to drop down from the northwest. Flow becomes west to northwest ushering in drier conditions as well. Expect some CU buildup over the higher terrain, maybe a passing shower as well, but nothing to impressive. With more sun than clouds, expect high temperatures to jump 5 to 7 degrees. .LONG TERM...(Wednesday night through Monday) Issued at 249 AM MDT Tue Jun 18 2019 By Wednesday night, a new trough will dive south through the northern Rockies. Westerly flow will increase aloft ahead of this system and surface wind speeds will increase notably by later Thursday afternoon. Afternoon and evening thunderstorm activity will increase on Thursday afternoon in northeast Utah and northwest Colorado as the trough dives southward. A reinforcing wave is expected to arrive on Friday afternoon and slowly move through allowing showers and thunderstorms to fire up north Friday and shift southward on Saturday following the wave. The EC has come into better alignment with the GFS solution with showing precip Saturday and drying out on Sunday into Monday. Temperatures will remain on the cool side inching up towards more normal values Monday onwards. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Wednesday afternoon) Issued at 1150 AM MDT Tue Jun 18 2019 Showers will remain a bit more persistent across the I-70 corridor early this afternoon with extensive cloud cover in place due to morning activity. Thunderstorms are developing already around the periphery of this cloud deck, across eastern utah mountains and the southwest Colorado mountains. Expect storms to increase throughout the afternoon with valleys being impacted after 20Z through early evening. Brief heavy rain, gusty winds to 40 mph and small hail possible in stronger storms. Storm activity will wind down after sunset coming to an end shortly after midnight as drier air moves in behind. Expect VFR conditions most areas with brief reduction to IFR under heavier showers/storms. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...None. UT...None. && SHORT TERM...TGR LONG TERM...TGJT AVIATION...MDA
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 455 AM MDT Tue Jun 18 2019 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-191200- 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- 455 AM MDT Tue Jun 18 2019 This hazardous weather outlook is for eastern Utah and western Colorado. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Another day of showers and thunderstorms is expected this afternoon and evening. Main concerns will be heavy rain, small hail, and some gusty outflow winds. Most convection will die down shortly after sunset. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday Some gusty winds will increase fire weather concerns on Thursday for southeastern Utah and southwestern Colorado. Showers and storms return Friday and Saturday. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed.
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Grand Junction CO
132 PM MDT Tue Jun 18 2019
COZ018>020-182000-
Southwest San Juan Mountains CO-
Paradox Valley/Lower Dolores River CO-
Northwestern San Juan Mountains CO-
132 PM MDT Tue Jun 18 2019
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTH CENTRAL DOLORES AND CENTRAL
SAN MIGUEL COUNTIES UNTIL 200 PM MDT...
At 131 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 14 miles southwest of Norwood to 23 miles west
of Sawpit to 21 miles west of Rico. Movement was east at 25 mph.
Half inch hail and winds in excess of 40 mph will be possible with
these storms.
These storms will remain over mainly rural areas of north central
Dolores and central San Miguel Counties.
LAT...LON 3801 10826 3787 10819 3773 10819 3778 10848
3789 10849 3801 10855
TIME...MOT...LOC 1931Z 278DEG 21KT 3796 10844 3788 10841 3779 10840
CharnickThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
The Doe Canyon Fire began in mid June due to lightning about 10 miles southeast of Dove Creek and grew to 2,560 acres before it was contained in mid July.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, June 2019
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: 834813.