A very active period in terms of well above normal temperatures with high fire danger, and damaging winds with blowing dust occurred across much of southern Colorado during this time frame. Multiple days with high winds up to 80 90 mph were observed.
Every event with a place to put it; 18 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 very active period in terms of well above normal temperatures with high fire danger, and damaging winds with blowing dust occurred across much of southern Colorado during this time frame. Multiple days with high winds up to 80 90 mph were observed.
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 8, 2:14 PM MST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Pueblo CO 314 PM MDT Sun May 8 2022 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Monday) Issued at 314 PM MDT Sun May 8 2022 Key Messages: 1) EXTREME fire weather conditions expected over our while forecast area through Monday evening. 2) Strong winds will persist across the area through Monday and will combine with humidity values under 10 percent to produce the extreme fire weather conditions. 3) Periods of blowing dust will be possible over the San Luis Valley and parts of the eastern plains. 4) Downslope wind event expected overnight. Southwest to westerly winds gusting 70 to 90 mph are possible over the higher elevations, down along the lee slopes of the Eastern Mountains, mainly along and west of I-25. The period for strongest winds will be between 3 AM and 8 AM. 5) A rare overnight Red Flag Warning will be in place due to poor humidity recoveries and expected high winds. Should a fire start, it could become out of control rapidly! Currently...satellite imagery shows an upper speed max moving out of Utah this afternoon, which will impact southern Colorado overnight. Ahead of this energy, strong southwest winds, gusting 35 to 50 mph across western portions of the warning area, while southeasterly flow is currently shifting eastward towards the Kansas border on the Plains. Temperatures have warmed nicely with upper 70s to mid 80s across the Plains, and 70s over the San Luis Valley. Humidity values are low, with most areas under 15 percent and the Red Flag Warning in good shape. Tonight...the upper speed max is forecast to lift out of Utah and across central Colorado overnight. There are two main concerns for tonight: critical fire weather conditions and high winds. For the high winds...we are looking at a very favorable setup for downslope winds for portions of the warning area. For higher elevations, the 70 to 90 kt jet will spread strong winds over the mountain tops. Most mountain areas will see high winds overnight into Monday morning. For the lee slopes, mainly along and west of I- 25, downslope winds look favorable. Looking at model sounding data, all have a stout mountain top inversion, with weak reverse shear and favorable cross barrier flow. Cross sections show strong winds ducting down the lee slopes into the adjacent Plains, where 60 to 80 mph winds may be possible. These winds could impact portions of I- 25 over El Paso County, and south of Walsenburg. Strong cross winds on north-south highways could topple high profile and light weight vehicles. Dry surface could lead to areas of blowing dust, which would reduce visibilities. People who live west of the Interstate should secure outdoor items that could blow away. For the fire danger...kept the Red Flag Warning going for the Eastern Mountains, down into the I-25 corridor all night. Model guidance continues to trend downward for dewpoints, with many locations only seeing humidity recoveries of 15 to 20 percent. With dry fuels, the very strong winds noted above and poor humidity recoveries, dangerous fire weather conditions are expected to prevail through the overnight hours. THIS IS RARE EVENT. Less than 1 percent of our Red Flag Warnings are in effect overnight! Avoid anything that could cause a spark! Monday...the upper jet will shift northeast of the area through the late morning to early afternoon, taking the high wind threat with it. The high wind potential should dissipate, with model guidance losing its favorable high wind profiles by late morning. That being said, it will still be windy across southern Colorado through the afternoon. With already low humidities, and winds only weakening to southwest 30 to 40 mph, another critical to extreme fire weather day is forecast. Avoid anything that could cause a spark, as any fire that starts could grow rapidly. Afternoon temperatures will once again heat up, with mid 80s to lower 90s on the Plains, and near 70 across the San Luis Valley. Mozley .LONG TERM...(Monday night through Sunday) Issued at 314 PM MDT Sun May 8 2022 Key Messages: 1) Fire weather conditions expected through Saturday. Thursday has the potential for extremely critical fire weather conditions. 2) Fire Weather Watch for the majority of the region on Tuesday. 3) Chance for scattered thunderstorms near the Kansas border on Wednesday with a low to medium chance of a severe storm. Main hazards are large hail and gusty winds. Monday night into Tuesday: The strong upper jet begins to weaken slightly and begin to shift to the northwest in response to the strengthening upper level high pressure center over the southern Mississippi Valley and the general southern progression the California low due to the ambiguous flow and eastern advancement of weaker lows over northwestern Canada. The impacts of this synoptic picture will be another critical fire weather day for most of southern Colorado, therefore a Fire Weather Watch has been issued for the entire region, with the exception of Kiowa, Prowers, Bent, Crowley, and Otero Counties. Those counties look to experience some easterly flow that would advect high moisture air over the region and MOS guidance is hinting at cooler high temperatures, and all of which would limit RH values from being considered critical. The notable parameter that keeps has me the most concerned are the PWAT values - they are very very low. The less moisture in the atmosphere, the more efficient it is at heating and cooling, therefore the regions experiences the strong downslope will compressional heat incredibly efficiently. Temperatures in the 90s with strong winds is once again a possibility over the plains and temperatures in the 80s with strong winds over the mountain valleys. Wednesday: Once again, fire weather conditions are a concern. The near stagnant SW to NE oriented jet continues to deliver very dry air over southern Colorado and provides the dynamics to continue to have strong winds. The highest confidence for critical fire weather conditions will be west as a sloshing dryline is expected over the far eastern plains. There will be an area over the eastern plains that a lee trough will form - to the west will be incredibly dry air (single digit RH) and to the east will gradually increase in Td values. Current grids have 50F Td values over Baca County just east of where the dryline is forming. So overall, another critical fire weather day is expected on Wednesday over the mountains, mountain valleys, and the I-25 corridor with some uncertainty for the far eastern plains. That dryline does pose some convective possibilities. In the realm of the eastern plains (west and east of the CO/KS border) MUCAPE values reach 1500-2000 J/kg found at and above the 650hPa level. Daytime heating will aid in eroding the CIN. Deep shear values are between 20 and 25 knots. The hodograph is straight, which would lead to splitting convection favoring both splits in which the right split would continue to propagate into a more favorable convective environment. Overall, there is a chance for thunderstorms over the far eastern plains, primarily Baca and Prowers Counties, after 3PM. If storms develop, there is low-medium chance they would become severe with the primary risk being large hail and strong thunderstorm wind gusts. Thursday: Extremely critical fire weather conditions are on track for Thursday afternoon. Even though the jet aloft will be weaker than what we are experience now, the rapid transition from positive to negative tilt will aid in strong winds reaching the surface. At this point, there is no question that the RH values will be in the single digit and current thoughts are for sustained winds to be in the 30-35 kt range with gusts even higher... potentially in the High Wind Warning criteria range. Friday through Sunday: Critical, albeit less critical than Thursday, fire weather conditions are expected on Friday and Saturday. A front is expected to pass overhead on Saturday, which may limit the time critical fire weather conditions will occur on Saturday, however the mountain and the mountain valleys are expected to remain critical. No strong fire weather signals are being observed on Sunday with the exception of the southern I-25 corridor. && .AVIATION...(For the 00Z TAFS through 00Z Monday evening) Issued at 314 PM MDT Sun May 8 2022 KALS...strong southwest winds will continue through the period. Gusts will increase through the evening, with southwest winds gusting 40 to 50 kts possible. This may cause areas of blowing dust near the terminal, reducing runway visibility at times. Strong southwest winds will continue through Monday, with gusts in excess of 40 kts expected. KCOS...strong south to southwest winds will continue into this evening, with gusts near 40 kts possible. Downslope winds are expected to develop overnight west of the airport, with LLWS becoming an issue. The period between 08z and 13z is most concerning, with low level winds expected out of the southeast, and winds just above the deck at 40 kts. As the wave breaks during the morning, flow will return southwesterly and be gusty near 40 kts through the afternoon. KPUB...winds will slowly shift south to southwest this afternoon with wind gusts to near 40 kts possible. Winds should slacken overnight with occasional gusts possible overnight into Monday morning. Strong southwest winds are expected on Monday with gusts near 40 kts possible. Mozley && .PUB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning until midnight MDT tonight for COZ220-223-224- 231>237. Red Flag Warning from 10 AM to 9 PM MDT Monday for COZ220-223- 224-231>237. Fire Weather Watch from Tuesday morning through Tuesday evening for COZ220>230-233-237. High Wind Warning until noon MDT Monday for COZ067-068-072>075- 078>080-087-088. Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT Monday for COZ221-222-225>230. High Wind Warning until noon MDT Monday for COZ069>071. High Wind Warning from 9 PM this evening to noon MDT Monday for COZ060-061-064>066-076-077-081>086. && SHORT TERM...MOZLEY LONG TERM...SKELLY AVIATION...MOZLEY
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Pueblo CO 1139 AM MDT Sun May 8 2022 COZ058>089-093>099-091745- Western Mosquito Range/East Lake County Above 11000 Feet- Leadville Vicinity/Lake County Below 11000 Feet- Eastern Sawatch Mountains Above 11000 Feet- Western Chaffee County Between 9000 and 11000 Feet- Central Chaffee County Below 9000 Feet- Western Mosquito Range/East Chaffee County Above 9000 Feet- Saguache County West of Continental Divide Below 10000 Feet- Saguache County East of Continental Divide Below 10000 Feet- La Garita Mountains Above 10000 Feet- Upper Rio Grande Valley/Eastern San Juan Mountains Below 10000 Feet-Eastern San Juan Mountains Above 10000 Feet- Del Norte Vicinity/Northern San Luis Valley Below 8500 Feet- Alamosa Vicinity/Central San Luis Valley Below 8500 Feet- Southern San Luis Valley- Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 8500 And 11000 Feet- Northern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Feet- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Between 7500 and 11000 Feet- Southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains Above 11000 Feet- Northwestern Fremont County Above 8500 Feet- Western/Central Fremont County Below 8500 Feet- Wet Mountain Valley Below 8500 Feet- Wet Mountains between 6300 and 10000 Feet- Wet Mountains Above 10000 Feet- Teller County/Rampart Range Above 7500 Feet/Pikes Peak Between 7500 And 11000 Feet-Pikes Peak Above 11000 Feet- Canon City Vicinity/Eastern Fremont County- Northern El Paso County/Monument Ridge/Rampart Range Below 7500 Feet- Colorado Springs Vicinity/Southern El Paso County/Rampart Range Below 7400 Feet-Pueblo Vicinity/Pueblo County Below 6300 Feet- Walsenburg Vicinity/Upper Huerfano River Basin Below 7500 Feet- Trinidad Vicinity/Western Las Animas County Below 7500 Feet- 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- 1139 AM MDT Sun May 8 2022 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of central...east central...south central and southeast Colorado. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Critical to extreme fire weather conditions are expected through much of tonight across southern Colorado. Humidity values will be low this afternoon, under 10 percent, with strong southwesterly flow with gusts near 50 mph into this evening. Areas along the Eastern Mountains, out into the Interstate 25 corridor, will see dangerous fire weather conditions prevail overnight into Monday morning. Humidity recoveries are only expected to reach around 20 percent. Adding to the fire weather risk will be the very strong winds. A mountain wave is forecast to develop overnight with winds 60 to 80 mph possible over the Eastern Mountains, down along the lee slopes, mainly west of Interstate 25. Should a fire start, it will grow rapidly. High winds are expected over the San Juan Mountains, Sangre de Cristo and Wet Mountains, and the Rampart Range. Strong winds will move down the lee slopes into the Interstate 25 corridor. Gusts 60 to 80 mph, and possibly higher, are possible. This will produce dangerous cross winds on Interstate 25 and light weight and high profile vehicles will be prone to blowing over. These strong winds may also produce areas of blowing dust, producing restricted visibilities on area highways. Peak winds are most likely from 3 AM through 8 AM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Widespread dangerous fire weather conditions are expected each day through the end of the forecast period, with prolonged periods of low relative humidity and gusty winds. The most critical conditions look to occur Monday, and once again Wednesday into Thursday. High winds are expected Monday morning over the San Luis Valley, along the Rampart Range, Wet and Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and down along the lee slopes to near the Interstate 25 corridor. Gusts in excess of 60 mph are likely. An isolated strong to severe storm may be possible Wednesday afternoon over the far Eastern Plains. Strong outflow winds and damaging hail would be the primary severe risks with storms out near the Kansas border. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Weather conditions that meet reporting criteria for spotters will be possible across all of south central and southeastern Colorado through tonight. 88/88
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
307 PM MDT SUN MAY 8 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0232 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 S ALAMOSA 37.43N 105.87W
05/08/2022 M61 MPH ALAMOSA CO ASOS
ASOS STATION KALS ALAMOSA AIRPORT.
&&
COHENPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
309 PM MDT SUN MAY 8 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0233 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 S WOLF CREEK PASS 37.45N 106.80W
05/08/2022 M67 MPH MINERAL CO AWOS
AWOS STATION KCPW WOLF CREEK PASS.
&&
COHENPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
311 PM MDT SUN MAY 8 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0258 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 9 W ORTIZ 37.02N 106.20W
05/08/2022 M62 MPH CONEJOS CO MESONET
MESONET STATION BHRC2 BIG HORN.
&&
COHENPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
312 PM MDT SUN MAY 8 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0253 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 S WOLF CREEK PASS 37.45N 106.80W
05/08/2022 M66 MPH MINERAL CO AWOS
AWOS STATION KCPW WOLF CREEK PASS.
&&
COHENPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
320 PM MDT SUN MAY 8 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0150 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 ENE PONCHA PASS 38.45N 106.01W
05/08/2022 M61 MPH FREMONT CO MESONET
MESONET STATION FW3603 SALIDA.
&&
COHENThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
18 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Alamosa airport.
Colorado City.
Colorado City.
Saguache.
Wolf Creek Pass.
Fort Carson airport.
Colorado City.
Colorado City.
Red Creek.
Apache City.
La Junta airport.
Air Force Academy.
Springfield airport.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Colorado, May 2022
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: 1026743, 1026735, 1026704, 1026753, 1026705, 1026731, 1026747, 1026714, 1026699, 1026697, 1026695, 1026700, 1026752, 1026750, 1026712, 1026729, 1026706, 1026749.