Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 243, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

August 4, 1996Washington County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 4, 1996, 8:42 PM MDT for Washington County, Colorado. It was in force for 33 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 4, 1996, 8:42 PM MDT (02:42 UTC)
Expired
Aug 4, 1996, 9:15 PM MDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

County Washington County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:45 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 4, 9:20 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 52Cope, CO

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 2.7 hours before the alert went out and 11 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 1996-08-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1224 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 1996-08-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
1224 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-42 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2383 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
211 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
6.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 4, 6:01 PM MDT, 2 hours 41 minutes before
COZ042>050-050030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
602 MDT SUN AUG 4 1996

...THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING ACROSS NORTHEAST PLAINS OF COLORADO...

AT 555 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE
OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM EAST OF HUDSON TO NEAR WIGGINS.
ANOTHER LINE OF STORNG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM WEST OF LAST
CHANCE TO WEST OF AKRON.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY
RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2" IN DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA SEEK SHELTER INDOORS
UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PASSED.

KLEYLA


Special weather statement, Aug 4, 6:25 PM MDT, 2 hours 17 minutes before
COZ042>050-050100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
625 MDT SUN AUG 4 1996

...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHEAST PLAINS OF COLORADO...

AT 620 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE
OF SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR KIOWA IN ELBERT COUNTY
TO WIGGINS IN MORGAN COUNTY TO STONEHAM IN EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN WELD
COUNTY.  IN ADDITION A SECOND LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED
FROM NEAR LAST CHANCE TO AKRON TO NEAR FLEMING.  THESE STORMS MAY
PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS TO
50 MPH AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHrES YOUR AREA SEEK SHELTER INDOORS
UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PASSED.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Aug 4, 6:57 PM MDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before
COZ042>050-050130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
658 MDT SUN AUG 4 1996

...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHEAST PLAINS OF COLORADO...

AT 655 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE
OF SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM EAST OF LAST CHANCE TO AKRON TO
NEAR SEDGWICK.  THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2" IN
DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA SEEK SHELTER INDOORS
UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PASSED.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Aug 4, 8:20 PM MDT, 22 minutes before
COZ046>050-050300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
820 PM MDT SUN AUG 4 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS OF
COLORADO...

AT 815 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE
OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM AKRON EXTENDING SOUTHWEST TO LIMON.
ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS ALONG THE YUMA-PHILLIPS COUNTY LINE
SOUTH OF HOLYOKE.  THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY
RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH ALONG
WITH DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA SEEK SHELTER INDOORS
UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PASTSED.

KLEYLA

The office that day

Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 4, 7:16 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington29 min
Aug 4, 7:42 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington33 min
Aug 4, 9:11 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington19 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Colorado, 1996Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1996

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.