Lighting from area storms ignites several local fires

Over the last couple days, thunderstorms and the accompanying lightning sparked 10 brush fires in Mesa County. The idea of storms starting a brush fire is odd for this mid-westerner. The concept isn't completely foreign. It happens back home but its usually a structure that catches fire from a lighting strike.

Forchently the fires were small and quickly contained by local firefighters. The largest started at 21 1/2 Road on Glade Park yesterday evening. That fire torched about 4 acres of grass and brush. Other locations were near the Colorado River, the Glade Park area, and Moore Creek above Enoch Lake in the Grand Mesa National Forest. The good news is that no homes or structures were threatened by the fires.

All of this serves as a reminder of just how dry conditions are. Use caution. The fire restrictions are in place for a reason. A spark from a dragging chain, an ember from your grill, or a cigarette butt flicked out the car window could spell disaster.

There's a slight chance of some precipitation over the next 24 hours but then it's right back to the hot, dry, and low humidity. Here's the official Grand Junction forecast from the National Weather Service.

Today
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 4 pm. Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 97. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Tonight
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11 pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. West southwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light and variable after midnight.
Thursday
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after noon. Partly sunny, with a high near 92. Southeast wind around 5 mph becoming northwest in the afternoon.
Thursday Night
A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. North northwest wind around 5 mph becoming east southeast after midnight.
Friday
Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 98. 
Saturday
Sunny and hot, with a high near 99.
Sunday
Mostly sunny and hot, with a high near 99.

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