Lightning Strike Sparks Wheat Field Fire North of Fort Morgan

Portions of Northeast Colorado, including Morgan County, received a brief respite from the extreme heat on Thursday afternoon and evening (August 14th) as a line of heavy showers and thunderstorms moved through the region, bringing substantial rainfall.

Temperatures dropped by as much as 40 degrees within a 30-minute timeframe, as a severe thunderstorm warning went out from the National Weather Service around 4 pm. With the heavy rain came a lot of lightning, putting on a light show that lasted for nearly an hour. The lightning caused some issues, especially north of Morgan Heights, where a wheat field was struck by lightning and caught fire.

According to the Fort Morgan Fire Department, this was in the area of CR-17 and CR-O. Fire crews arrived and extinguished the flames in a decent amount of time. It’s possible that the area will continue to burn & smolder for a few days, as the landowner is onsite to monitor the situation. It’s unclear to the extent the damage, as there are no reports of any other incidents related to Thursday night's activity.

There is a 20-30% chance of storms for Friday evening and Saturday night as well. Listen to weather alerts from the NWS and stay tuned to the Media Logic Radio Networks. If there is any severe weather, Media Logic will keep you informed.