Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 129, NWS Pueblo, CO

July 20, 1996El Paso County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 20, 1996, 11:50 PM MDT for El Paso County, Colorado. It was in force for 50 min. 4 reports 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
Jul 20, 1996, 11:50 PM MDT (05:50 UTC)
Expired
Jul 21, 1996, 12:40 AM MDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO
Area
Whole counties

County El Paso County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:50 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
Jul 20, 11:50 PM MDTHail 0.75Colorado Spgs, CO
Jul 20, 11:56 PM MDTHail 0.75Manitou Spgs, CO
Jul 21, 12:05 AM MDTHail 1Colorado Spgs, CO
Jul 21, 12:22 AM MDTHail 1.25(Cos)Peterson Field, 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, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 160 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 1996-07-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 7 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 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 1996-07-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -15 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
7 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-32 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
3778 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
26 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 KPUB 210549
SVRPUB
COC041-210640-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1150 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 1996

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  EL PASO COUNTY      IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO

* UNTIL 1240 AM MDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
    COLORADO SPRINGS THROUGH 1230 AM

* AT 1149 PM RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE STORM IN NORTHWEST COLORADO SPRINGS
  MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.



A FOLLOW UP STATEMENT 0WITH MORE DETAILS WILL BE OUT SHORTLY.

SR

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, Jul 20, 8:49 PM MDT, 3 hours 1 minute before
COZ067-071-072-210355-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
849 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER TELLER COUNTY...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS DIVIDE THROUGH 905 PM AND
CONTINUE TRACKING ALONG AND SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 24 EAST OF DIVIDE THROUGH
930 PM.  THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...PEA SIZE HAIL...
WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

AT 847 PM...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THE STORM NEAR DIVIDE...MOVING EAST AT
20 MPH.

SR
Local storm report, Jul 20, 9:05 PM MDT, 2 hours 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
905 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 1996

TIME(MDT)  ...CITY LOCATION...     STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ..COUNTY LOCATION..

245 PM     WALSENBURG                CO   0.75 INCH HAIL
7/20/96    HUERFANO

627 PM     17 SE SECURITY            CO   1 INCH HAIL
7/20/96    EL PASO

630 PM     17 SE SECURITY            CO   0.75 INCH HAIL
7/20/96    EL PASO

720 PM     TRUCKTON                  CO   1 INCH HAIL
7/20/96    EL PASO

738 PM     ELLICOTT                  CO   1.5 INCH HAIL
7/20/96    EL PASO

725 PM     ELLICOTT                  CO   1.5 INCH HAIL
7/20/96    EL PASO

757 PM     3 W YODER                 CO   1 INCLH HAIL
7/20/96    EL PASO

KT
Special weather statement, Jul 20, 9:09 PM MDT, 2 hours 41 minutes before
COZ071-072-210415-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
909 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING THROUGH SOUTHERN COLORADO SPRINGS...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN COLORADO SPRINGS SOUTH
OF HIGHWAY 24 THROUGH 945 PM...BRINGING HAIL LESS THAN 3/4 INCH IN
DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL.

AT 907 PM MDT...PUEBLO DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS STRONG STORM LOCATED 4X
MILES SOUTHWEST OF DOWNTOWN COLORADO SPRINGS MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

KT
Special weather statement, Jul 20, 10:55 PM MDT, 55 minutes before
COZ067-210600-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1056 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHERN TELLER COUNTY...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE INTO NORTHERN TELLER COUNTY NORTH OF
HIGHWAY 24 THROUGH 1145 PM MDT AND MOVE INTO THE VICINITY OF WOODLAND
PARK BY 1140 PM.  THIS STORM WILL BRING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY
WINDS...HAIL LESS THAN 3/4 INCH IN DIAMETER...AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS
LIGNTNING.|

AT 1055 PM MDT...PUEBLO DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM
LOCATED 5 MILES NORTH OF FLORISSANT MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

KT
Local storm report, Jul 20, 11:16 PM MDT, 34 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1015 PM MST SAT JUL 20 1996

TIME(MDT)  ...CITY LOCATION...     STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ..COUNTY LOCATION..

800 PM     8 E COS                 CO     50 KNOT WIND
           EL PASO

900 PM     3 SE COS                CO     0.75 INCH HAIL
           EL PASO

1000 PM    FOUNTAIN                CO     0.75 INCH HAIL
           EL PASO

1018 PM    FOUNTAIN                CO     0.75 INCH HAIL
           EL PASO
Special weather statement, Jul 20, 11:34 PM MDT, 16 minutes before
COZ071-072-210710-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1135 PM MDT SAT JUL 20 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR COLORADO SPRINGS...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY THROUGH
MIDNIGHT AND LIKELY AFFECT NORTHERN COLORADO SPRINGS BETWEEN 1145 PM
AND 1230 AM.

THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH...
SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

AT 1133 PM...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THE STORM 12 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF
DOWNTOWN COLORADO SPRINGS...OR JUST WEST OF THE AIR FORCE ACADEMY.
MOVEMENT WAS EAST SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

IF YOU PLAN TO BE OUTDOORS...CHECK THE LATEST WEATHER
INFORMATION AND KEEP AN EYE TO THE SKY. DEADLY LIGHTNING CAN
OCCUR WITH ALL THUNDERSTORMS. IF A THUNDERSTORM APPROACHES... GET
INDOORS OR IN A VEHICLE. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE SEVERAL MILES AWAY
FROM THE STORM...WHERE IT IS NOT RAINING AND WHERE YOU MAY BE.

SR

The office that day

Everything else NWS Pueblo, CO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 20, 6:29 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso46 min
Jul 20, 7:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso61 min
Jul 20, 7:34 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso41 min
Jul 20, 8:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso61 min
Jul 20, 9:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso63 min
Jul 20, 10:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso31 min
Jul 21, 4:34 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBLas Animas61 min
Jul 21, 5:34 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBBaca46 min
Jul 21, 5:43 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBLas Animas47 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.