A wildfire began from unknown causes 3 miles north-northeast of La Sal.
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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 3 miles north-northeast of La Sal.
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 Oct 19, 10:30 AM MST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 1130 AM MDT Mon Oct 19 2020 .SHORT TERM...(Today through Tuesday) Issued at 322 AM MDT Mon Oct 19 2020 The Hudson Bay vortex hand analyzed on 19/00Z H500 map will be forced northward over the next 24 hours by upstream energy rotating through the large gyre of low pressure covering much of NOAM. This will allow the jet stream to wander back northward overnight along with the thicker areas of cirrus that have been moving through at times. For today however breezy afternoon conditions and passing high cloudiness will once again be in place. Do expect some localized areas of critical fire weather conditions the next few afternoons as the drought and above normal highs push humidity down below 15 percent where the winds will be gusty. The high level cloudiness may have something to say about this and confidence not high enough to widespread conditions and fire headlines attm. Expect a bit more sunshine on Tuesday and a downturn in the gustier winds as the northern shift in the jet takes place. .LONG TERM...(Tuesday night through Sunday) Issued at 322 AM MDT Mon Oct 19 2020 Weak zonal flow will dominate the weather pattern through most of the work week as storm systems track east across the northern Rockies. A stronger system will brush northern portions of the forecast area Thursday into Friday with an uptick in afternoon gusts and critical fire weather concerns expected on Thursday with a slight chance of valley rain and mountain snow showers possible across the northeast portion of the forecast area Thursday night into Friday. Another shortwave is expected to move across the area later in the weekend and this system continues to show a more southerly track with possibly more widespread coverage of valley rain and mountain snow across the region. Temperatures are expected to remain unseasonably warm this week, with high temperatures running around 10 degrees above normal with a cooldown expected on Friday through the weekend. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Tuesday afternoon) Issued at 1129 AM MDT Mon Oct 19 2020 VFR conditions will prevail over next 24 hours. Scattered to broken high cloud cover will continue moving across areas north of I-70 through this afternoon with few cirrus along and south of I-70. No impacts to operations expected. Winds will remain gusty in the higher elevations with light, terrain driven winds in the lower elevations. && .GJT WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... CO...None. UT...None. && SHORT TERM...15 LONG TERM...MPM AVIATION...MDA
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Grand Junction CO 330 AM MDT Mon Oct 19 2020 COZ001>014-017>023-UTZ022>025-027>029-200930- 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- 330 AM MDT Mon Oct 19 2020 This hazardous weather outlook is for eastern Utah and western Colorado. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Tuesday through Sunday A quick moving system could bring some light high elevation snowfall to the northern Colorado mountains Thursday afternoon and evening. A much stronger and slower system is looking more probable to move through the region this weekend. Valley rainfall and mountain snowfall could be more widespread if trends in this storm continue to come together. .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 Doe Canyon Fire began in mid October 3 miles north-northeast of La Sal from unknown causes. The fire grew to 230 acres before it was contained a week later.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Utah in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, October 2020
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: 921529.