Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 41, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 31, 1996Lincoln County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 31, 1996, 2:17 PM MDT for Lincoln County, Colorado. It was in force for 43 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 31, 1996, 2:17 PM MDT (20:17 UTC)
Expired
May 31, 1996, 3:00 PM MDT
In force
43 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

County Lincoln County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:17 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 101 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 12:00Z on 1996-05-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 26 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 12:00Z on 1996-05-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
26 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-218 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1241 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
103 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KDEN 312019
SVRDEN
COC073-312100-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
217 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 300 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN
THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES

IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO
     CENTRAL LINCOLN

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     BOYERO...HUGO AND PUNKIN CENTER

AT 217 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF PUNKIN CENTER ...OR
ABOUT 21 MILES SOUTH OF LIMON.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH AND WILL MOVE BETWEEN HUGO AND
BOYERO BY 240 PM.

IF SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...GO INSIDE A STURDY
SHELTER AWAY FROM CREEK BEDS AND OTHER FLOOD-PRONE AREAS.
REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING
HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OVER 60 MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY
HEAVY RAIN.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER &HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE IN DENVER.

KLEYLA

LAT...LON 3878 10318 3886 10369 3910 10369 3916 10321

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, May 31, 11:22 AM MDT, 2 hours 55 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-010600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1120 AM MDT FRI MAY 31 1996

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COLORADO COUNTIES

ADAMS     ARAPAHOE     BOULDER   CLEAR CREEK   DENVER       DOUGLAS
ELBERT    GILPIN       GRAND     JACKSON       JEFFERSON    LARIMER
LINCOLN   LOGAN        MORGAN    PARK          PHILLIPS     SEDGWICK
SUMMIT    WASHINGTON   WELD

SYNOPSIS:  THE ATMOSPHERE OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO IS NOT AS UNSTABLE AS
YESTERDAY AS A DRIER AIRMASS HAS MOVED INTO THE REGION EXCEPT OVER THE
EXTREME NORTHEASTERN PLAINS WHERE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS DEEPER.
ALTHOUGH SOME THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON TTHE
THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT AS HIGH AS YESTERDAY.  A FEW STORMS MAY
BECOME SEVERE OVER THE EXTREME NORTHEAST PLAINS WITH LARGE HAIL AND
DAMAGING WINDS BEING THE MAIN THREAT.  OVER THE REST OF NORTHEAST
COLORADO AND THE NORTHERN FOOTHILLS WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE
POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON WHICH MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH AND
SMALL HAIL.  OVER THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS
ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WHICH MAY PRODUCE DANGEROUS LIGHTNI NG AND GUSTY WINDS.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED EXCEPT FOR POSSIBLY IN THE EXTREME
NORTHEAST PLAINS AFTER 3 PM.

KLEYLA

                                                                             [
Special weather statement, May 31, 12:31 PM MDT, 1 hour 46 minutes before
COZ038>050-311915-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1230 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 1996

...THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ACROSS PORTIONS OF ELBERT COUNTY
EARLY THIS AFTERNOON...

AT 1225 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED DEVELOPING
THUNDERSTORMS FROM SOUTHWEST OF ELBERT TO SOUTH OF MATHESON.  THESE
STORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, May 31, 1:08 PM MDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
COZ038>050-312000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
105 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 1996

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER ELBERT AND
SOUTHWESTERN LINCOLN COUNTIES...

AT 100 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING FROM SOUTHEAST OF CASTLE ROCK TO KIOWA
EXTENDING SOUTHEAST TO WEST OF KARVAL.  THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF
HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, May 31, 1:52 PM MDT, 25 minutes before
COZ038>050-312030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
150 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 1996

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER ELBERT AND WESTERN LINCOLN
COUNTIES...

AT 145 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM SOUTH OF AGATE TO 10 MILES
WEST OF HUGO TO 15 MILES WEST OF KARVAL.  THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...GUSTY WINDS ALONG WITH DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

KLEYLA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 30, 6:15 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington30 min
May 30, 6:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln64 min
May 30, 6:45 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington45 min
May 30, 7:15 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULincoln30 min
May 30, 7:31 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington29 min
May 30, 7:46 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULincoln29 min
May 30, 7:52 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington38 min
May 30, 7:52 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUElbert38 min
May 30, 8:15 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULincoln30 min
May 30, 8:37 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUElbert, Lincoln68 min
May 30, 8:50 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULincoln40 min
May 30, 9:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington48 min
May 30, 9:24 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington36 min
May 30, 9:49 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln41 min
May 31, 5:39 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan, Washington66 min
May 31, 5:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan, Weld60 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.