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Wild Horse, Colorado

12 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1891 and the latest in 1984. It stands in the Kit Carson census division. It lies in ZIP code area 80862. The Survey maps it on the Wild Horse quadrangle. It stands 4,885 feet above sea level.

Wild Horse within Cheyenne County

Topographic sheets covering this place

6 surveys from 12 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

9 since 2003

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 9 fires within 5 miles of Wild Horse between 2003 and 2016, burning about 53 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined9

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
8 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado State Forest Service-State Headquartersnot named
7 August 2003Missing data/not specified/undetermined10 acresColorado State Forest Service-State Headquartersnot named
5 August 2003Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresColorado State Forest Service-State Headquartersnot named
23 May 2005Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreColorado State Forest Service-State Headquartersnot named
28 February 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined40 acresColorado State Forest Service-State HeadquartersWILD HORSE
17 February 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresColorado State Forest Service-State HeadquartersWILD HORSE
1 November 2016Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreWest Cheyenne Fire Protection District (Kit Carson Volunteer Fire Department)UNKNOWN
29 October 2011Missing data/not specified/undetermined1.0 acresColorado State Forest Service-State HeadquartersWILD HORSE

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Cheyenne County

Storms near this place

60 of 88 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Wild Horse in 88 storm reports between 1993 and 2025: 51 hail, 24 thunderstorm wind, 9 tornado, 3 flash flood. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
June 2009HailWild Horse$750,000The combination of hail and strong wind broke windows and stripped leaves off of trees. Wind speeds were estimated at 65 mph.
August 2025Thunderstorm WindWild Horse$175,000Report of roof damage, some windows blown out. Stock tanks and dumpsters tossed up to half a mile away to the southeast. A communications tower folded in half. Tons of dead trees and fences blown over and laying to the southeast as well.
August 2017Flash FloodWild Horse$150,000An official for the railroad that runs by Wild Horse reported portions of track had been washed out along a five mile stretch from roughly CR R to CR 14. There were also public reports of water running over Highway 287/40 between CR R and CR 14. Rainfall estimates close to 2.50 occurred in this area in less than an hour time frame. Total amount of washed out track was not given; best guess is around 400 ft.
April 2007Tornado (EF0)Wild Horse$25,000Brief tornado on east side of town, or about Roads R, 9. The doors on a quonset hut were damaged, a trailer was pushed over and was leaning against a building. The cross on a church received minor damage.
June 2017HailWild Horse$5,000Quite a bit of golf ball size hail fell. The hail broke windows on the north side of the house.
July 2011Flash FloodWild Horse$2,500Cheyenne county dispatch reports that County Road 8 is washed out both north and south of Wild Horse. Another report included water over the intersection of Road 8 and Highway 287. In addition, a co-op observer north of Wild Horse reported 2.64 inches of rain as of 709 pm MDT.
September 2021Thunderstorm WindWild Horse$1,000As a line of thunderstorms moved across Cheyenne County, strong wind gusts up to 60 mph scattered construction barrels and signs across Highway 287.
August 2017Thunderstorm WindWild Horse$1,000Two limbs of unknown size were broken off trees and a 60 year old dead tree was blown over.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindWild Horse$1,000Five to nine inch diameter limbs torn from trees. A ten foot long empty stock tank was blown 1/8 mile. A ten foot long metal feeder was damaged and blown 1/16 mile. Time of report estimated from radar and nearby storm reports.
June 2024Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Trained spotter with anemometer measured an 82 MPH gust at Wild Horse due to outflow wind gusts from the thunderstorm.
June 2024HailWild Horse-Report from Spotter Network.
April 2021Tornado (EFU)Wild Horse-This second tornado occurred simultaneously with a larger tornado (first tornado entered). This one was visually smaller according to storm chaser footage.
June 2021Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Report received of an estimated 65 mph thunderstorm wind gust at location. No damage reported.
September 2021Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Report received of an estimated 50 to 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust at location.
May 2021HailWild Horse-Report received of hail ranging from pea to penny size that fell at location for 15 minutes and covered the ground.
June 2020Tornado (EFU)Wild Horse-Brief landspout tornado observed by NWS employee and Viaero webcam. This is the first observed landspout of the day.
June 2020Tornado (EFU)Wild Horse-Brief landspout tornado observed by NWS employee and Viaero webcam.
June 2020Tornado (EFU)Wild Horse-Third brief landspout tornado observed by NWS employee and Viaero webcam. This one began as the second landspout tornado of the day was ending.
August 2017HailWild Horse-The hail was mostly quarter to ping-pong ball size, covering the ground. Wind driven hail broke windows. No report of how many windows were broken.
August 2017HailWild Horse-The hail stripped leaves from the trees in town and covered the ground. The hail also broke some windows in town. No report of how many windows were broken. The hail ranged from dime to nickel in size.
August 2017Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Tree branches were blown down in the yard. Anemometer measured 54 MPH before failing. No size or number of tree branches blown down were given.
September 2014Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Estimated gusts of 60 MPH with storms.
June 2014HailWild Horse-Time estimated from Doppler radar. Two inches of rain fell in 15 minutes.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Estimated the wind gusts to be 75-80 MPH and were accompanied by Ping-Pong ball size hail. Also saw gustnado along the leading of the severe wind gusts. Estimated time of report from radar.
May 2013HailWild Horse-Hail lasted 15-20 minutes. Estimated time of report from radar.
May 2013Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Estimated the wind gusts to be 60-70 MPH. The wind was accompanied by dime size hail and sheets of rainfall. Estimated time of report from radar.
July 2011HailWild Horse-Trained spotter also reported estimated peak wind gust of 50 mph.
June 2011Tornado (EF0)Wild Horse-The tornado remained over open fields with no known damage.
July 2009HailWild Horse-Heavy rain and strong (non-severe) winds were also reported.
July 2009Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Spotter estimated the winds at 60 mph.
August 2008Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Thunderstorm winds broke 3-inch diameter tree limbs.
October 2008Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Observer reported thunderstorms winds that blew down a 6-inch diameter tree limb.
April 2007HailWild Horse-Hail nearly covered the ground.
April 2007Tornado (EF0)Wild Horse-No known damage...over open fields. Tornado developed near Roads R, 5 and dissipated near Roads R, 1.
April 2007Tornado (EF0)Wild Horse-No known damage...over open fields. Tornado developed near Roads U, 1 (near the junction of Hwy 287 and Hwy 94) and exited the county near Roads U, 0, moving into Lincoln county.
May 2006Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Weather station at a private residence measured a 73 mph wind gust.
May 2004HailWild Horse-Hail covered the ground 1 inch deep.
June 2003Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Six-inch tree limbs down.
June 2003HailWild Horse-Dime-size hail covered the ground.
May 2001Tornado (F0)Wild Horse-Brief tornado with no damage reported.
August 1999Flash FloodWild Horse-Water flooded over highway 40.
July 1998Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-Estimated 60 to 70 mph winds.
July 2020HailWild Horse-no account filed
July 2020HailWild Horse-no account filed
June 2019Funnel CloudWild Horse-no account filed
August 2019HailWild Horse-no account filed
May 2016Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-no account filed
May 2015HailWild Horse-no account filed
June 2014HailWild Horse-no account filed
June 2013HailWild Horse-no account filed
May 2013HailWild Horse-no account filed
June 2011Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-no account filed
June 2011HailWild Horse-no account filed
June 2009Thunderstorm WindWild Horse-no account filed
July 2009HailWild Horse-no account filed
July 2009HailWild Horse-no account filed
September 2009HailWild Horse-no account filed
September 2008HailWild Horse-no account filed
April 2005HailWild Horse-no account filed
July 2005HailWild Horse-no account filed

Every storm recorded in Cheyenne County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Aroya6.3 miles12
Fort Big Spring12.2 miles13
Kit Carson12.6 miles13
Mount Pearl15.1 miles13
Firstview25.0 miles13
Cheyenne Wells34.9 miles14
Old Wells36.7 miles14
Arapahoe44.0 miles14

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on Wild HorseAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q10992201The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 195193. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.