High-Impact Weather and Climate Events

The Cameron Peak Fire is the largest wildfire in Colorado history as of 2020. It is also the third most destructive wildfire in Colorado history, in terms of homes destroyed, behind the Black Forest Fire in 2013 and the Marshall Fire in 2021.

"The Cameron Peak Fire was reported on Thursday, August 13 at approximately 1:48 PM. The fire was burning in steep, rugged terrain, approximately 25 miles east of Walden and 15 miles southwest of Red Feather Lakes near Cameron Pass.

The fire burned through an area of 208,913 acres on the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in Larimer and Jackson Counties and Rocky Mountain National Park.

The cause of the wildfire remains under investigation. Large scale and long duration evacuations took place throughout the fire.

During the time the Cameron Peak Fire was burning, there was another fire (East Troublesome) burning simultaneously to the west of the Cameron Peak Fire, on the west side of the Continental Divide. On October 22, the East Troublesome Fire spotted over the Continental Divide, and created what became known as the “Thompson Zone” of the East Troublesome Fire.

On the Cameron Peak Fire, extreme temperatures, low humidity, rough terrain and gusty winds reaching over 70 miles per hour were just some of the elements that contributed to extreme fire behavior and rapid rates of spread. A major contributing factor to the large fire growth was the tremendous amount of beetle kill trees and the drought-stricken Ponderosa Pine, Engelmann Spruce and mixed conifer stands available as fuel.

After 62 days of burning, on October 14, the Cameron Peak Fire became the largest recorded wildfire in Colorado's history, surpassing the Pine Gulch Fire that burned near Grand Junction in 2020.

The Cameron Peak Fire was 100% contained as of December 2, 2020." - InciWeb

"The Grizzly Creek Fire (also called the 120 Fire) was a wildfire that burned 32,631 acres (13,205 ha) in Glenwood Canyon in Colorado. The fire first ignited on August 10, 2020 and was declared 100% contained on December 18, 2020. The Grizzly Creek fire's proximity to Interstate 70 resulted in a 13-day closure of the interstate. It threatened the Shoshone Generating Station and resulted in the evacuation of residences in the area, as well as closure of recreational land in portions of White River National Forest. The fire was human caused with the exact cause under investigation." - Wikipedia

"The Mullen Fire is a wildfire that burned over 176,878 acres (71,580 ha), 28 miles (45 km) west of Laramie, Wyoming. The fire started on September 17, 2020 in the Savage Run Wilderness of Carbon County, and spread to Albany County. On September 30, it spread into Jackson County, Colorado. The cause is still under investigation. It burned close to the Rob Roy Reservoir, and Platte River Wilderness. On October 15, 2020, the fire was estimated to span 25 miles north to south, and 23 miles east to west." - Wikipedia

Winter Storm Xylia. "Cheyenne, Wyoming, was buried by 30.8 inches of snow from March 13-14. According to the National Weather Service, 22.7 inches of snow fell on March 14, alone, which smashed the city's all-time single-day snow record which was set on Nov. 20, 1979 (19.8 inches). That snowstorm total was more than half of Cheyenne's average annual snowfall (60.3 inches). The National Weather Service said snowdrifts in southeast Wyoming were 5 to 10 feet high in some areas. Denver had its fourth-heaviest snowstorm on record after it piled up 27.1 inches. It was their heaviest since the March 2003 snowstorm." - The Weather Channel

"A powerful blizzard developed across the Front Range of Colorado late Tuesday, March 22, and continued through much of Wednesday, March 23, 2016. The storm tracked east/southeast across Utah Tuesday afternoon and evening, and then into Southeast Colorado by Wednesday morning. The storm rapidly intensified as the storm reached eastern Colorado, producing extremely heavy and intense snowfall with snowfall rates exceeding 3 inches per hour at times. In addition to heavy snow, strong winds gusting in excess of 50 mph east of Interstate 25 produced widespread blizzard conditions and zero visibilities. Further south across southern Colorado, peak wind gusts were between 70-80 mph." - National Weather Service

"Freezing rain was first detected in the Steamboat Springs area around 2 in the morning, where over 4600 customers went without power due to a downed feeder line west of Clark likely caused by a coating of ice on the power lines due to freezing rain. Then between 4 am and 6 am, freezing rain occurred in La Plata County in southwest Colorado as well as the Grand Valley through Glenwood Canyon in west-central Colorado. This resulted in icy roads, numerous slide offs and accidents and major highways to be closed for the majority of the day due to accidents and cleanup activities, including Interstate 70 from Grand Junction to Glenwood Springs and Highway 160 from Durango to Hesperus Hill. Impacts were felt not only with the morning commute, but also at dispatch centers and hospitals that were overwhelmed. Emergency rooms at various hospitals throughout the Grand Valley, including Grand Junction, exceeded their daily admittance records with over 200 people treated for broken bones and other blunt force injuries due to the icy surfaces. Schools were also closed throughout the Grand Valley and many businesses were negatively impacted by either not opening, opening late or the lack of customers. This was the first day back from winter break for Mesa County schools, which in addition to the icy road impacts, crippled transportation. The Grand Junction Regional Airport also closed for several hours due to the ice, resulting in a few diverted flights." - National Weather Service

23" of snow. "This is by far the biggest April snowstorm in Denver history, according to Weather 5280. Even more notable? It happened during an April where 32" fell on the city, which is almost a record for the entire month." - 9News

22.7" of snow.

21.5" of snow. "This storm was known as the "Thanksgiving Blizzard" and was also accompanied by epic cold, with temperatures dipping into the teens and 20s, according to the Farmer's Almanac. What made this storm particularly unique is the fact the snow stuck around for 63 days, and snow removal cost the city $1.5 million." - 9News

"The Blizzard of 1887 was just one part of an absolutely brutal winter. Cattle herds across the plains were decimated. Spoiled by previously mild winters and picture-perfect summers, ranchers in Wyoming and Montana had overstocked their lands. They were completely ill-prepared for the coming winter. For months, low temperatures, high winds, and record snowfall in Wyoming made it a battle to keep cattle fed. When a huge storm began in January, over an inch of snow fell every single hour for over 16 hours straight. Ranchers had no way to easily access their already fragile herds. The small bits of grass that the cattle had available to them was covered in snow and ice. They had no way to feed. In the end, hundreds of thousands of cows starved to death by the time spring arrived and the pastures were thawed." - Only In Your State

"The winter of 1886-1887 brought one of the most significant early storms recorded. The snow came early and grew very deep. Then, a freak thaw turned much of this to water. Cold weather moved back in, freezing the thawed liquid into a crust of ice, which prevented cattle from getting through to the forage underneath. These conditions, accompanied by a blizzard of unusual severity, caused a loss of more than 50 percent of the state's livestock. The snow was 6 feet deep on the level between Mountain Home and Woods Landing. On February 12, 1887, the storms were still raging over the state, and the snow was packed so hard that stages could drive over it. Trains were stalled on their tracks." - WY Hazard Mitigation Plan 2021-2026