Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 14, NWS Pueblo, CO

May 31, 1996Kiowa County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 31, 1996, 4:03 PM MDT for Kiowa County, Colorado. It was in force for 62 min. 6 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
May 31, 1996, 4:03 PM MDT (22:03 UTC)
Expired
May 31, 1996, 5:05 PM MDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO
Area
Whole counties

County Kiowa County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 126 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:02 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
May 31, 4:20 PM MDTHail 1.75Eads, CO
May 31, 4:23 PM MDTHail 1.75Eads, CO
May 31, 4:35 PM MDTHail 2Eads, CO
May 31, 4:47 PM MDTHail 2Eads, CO
May 31, 5:00 PM MDTTornado F0Sheridan Lake, CO
May 31, 5:05 PM MDTTornado F0Sheridan Lake, 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 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 165 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 KPUB 312202
SVRPUB
COC061-312305-

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

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  NORTHERN KIOWA COUNTY      IN SOUTHEAST COLORADO

* UNTIL 505 PM MDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
    WILL CROSS HIGHWAY 287 5 MILES NORTH OF EADS BY 415 PM

* AT 400 PM RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE STORM 12 MILES NORTHWEST OF EADS
  MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

A\ TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT.  SEVERE STORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES.

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

MM

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, 12:45 PM MDT, 3 hours 18 minutes before
COZ060>081-010600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1245 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 1996

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COLORADO COUNTIES:

ALAMOSA      BACA        BENT          CHAFFEE        CONEJOS
COSTILLA     CROWLEY     CUSTER        EL PASO        FREMONT
HUERFANO     KIOWA       LAS ANIMAS    MINERAL        OTERO
PROWERS      PUEBLO      RIO GRANDE    SAGUACHE       TELLER

...NO SEVERE WEATHER EXPECTED TODAY...

PIKES PEAK REGION WILL SEE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS
BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS FAIRLY LOW. SURFACE
TEMPERATURES AND DEW POINTS ARE COOLER THAN YESTERDAY AND WITHOUT
UPPER LEVEL JET SEVERE CONVECTION IS DOUBTFUL. WEAK SHORT WAVE
WILL BE THE PRIMARY INSTIGATOR OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT MAY BRING
GUSTY WINDS AS THEY MOVE EAST ONTO THE PLAINS.
FARTHER EAST...HIGH DEWPOINTS FROM LA JUNTA TO KANSAS BORDER WILL
PROVIDE MOISTURE SUPPORT AND ALONG WITH AFTERNOON HEATING AND WEAK
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP TO SEVERE LEVELS
DURING THE EVENING HOURS.

THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG WIND GUSTS BUT SHOULD BE LESS THAN
50 MPH. LIGHTNING WILL LIKELY BE THE MOST COMMON THREAT INTO THE
EVENING HOURS.

TO RECAP...GREATEST THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS IS OVER PIKES PEAK REGION
AND OVER COUNTIES ADJACENT TO THE COLORADO/KANSAS BORDER. ISOLATED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE EXTREME EASTERWN COUNTIES
INTO THE EVENING HOURS.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON EXCEPT OVER THE
EASTERN COUNTIES.

FORTUNE
Special weather statement, May 31, 12:51 PM MDT, 3 hours 12 minutes before
COZ060>081-010600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST
COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1245 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 1996

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COLORADO COUNTIES:

ALAMOSA      BACA        BENT          CHAFFEE        CONEJOS
COSTILLA     CROWLEY     CUSTER        EL PASO        FREMONT
HUERFANO     KIOWA       LAS ANIMAS    MINERAL        OTERO
PROWERS      PUEBLO      RIO GRANDE    SAGUACHE       TELLER

PIKES PEAK REGION WILL SEE THUNDERSTORMS THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS
BUT THE THREAT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IS FAIRLY LOW. SURFACE
TEMPERATURES AND DEW POINTS ARE COOLER THAN YESTERDAY AND WITHOUT
UPPER LEVEL JET SEVERE CONVECTION IS DOUBTFUL. WEAK SHORT WAVE
WILL BE THE PRIMARY INSTIGATOR OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT MAY BRING
GUSTY WINDS AS THEY MOVE EAST ONTO THE PLAINS.
FARTHER EAST...HIGH DEWPOINTS FROM LA JUNTA TO KANSAS BORDER WILL
PROVIDE MOISTURE SUPPORT AND ALONG WITH AFTERNOON HEATING AND WEAK
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE THUNDERSTORMS COULD DEVELOP TO SEVERE LEVELS
DURING THE EVENING HOURS.

THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE STRONG WIND GUSTS BUT SHOULD BE LESS THAN
50 MPH. LIGHTNING WILL LIKELY BE THE MOST COMMON THREAT INTO THE
EVENING HOURS.

TO RECAP...GREATEST THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS IS OVER PIKES PEAK REGION
AND OVER COUNTIES ADJACENT TO THE COLORADO/KANSAS BORDER. ISOLATED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE EXTREME EASTERN COUNTIES
INTO THE EVENING HOURS.j

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON EXCEPT OVER THE
EASTERN COUNTIES.

FORTUNE
Special weather statement, May 31, 1:48 PM MDT, 2 hours 15 minutes before
COZ081-312040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
148 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM MOVING INTO SOUTHERN BACA COUNTY...

A STRONG STORM WILL MOVE OVER CAMPO BY 215 PM MDT AND TO NEAR
STONINGTON BY 230 PM MDT.  THIS STORM COULD PRODUCE HAIL LESS THAN 3/4
OF AN INCH IN DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS UP TO 50 MPH...AND LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL.

AT 145 PM MDT...PUEBLO DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THIS STORM LOCATED 12 MILErS
SOUTHEAST OF CAMPO MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

KT
Special weather statement, May 31, 3:03 PM MDT, 1 hour before
COZ076-077-312210-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
303 PM MDT FRI MAY 31 1996

...STRONG STORMS MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN LAS ANIMAS COUNTY AND INTO
SOUTHEASTERN OTERO COUNTY...

STRONG STORMS WILL MOVE ALONG HIGHWAY 350 REACHING TIMPAS BY 4
PM...PRODUCING SMALL HAIL AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN.

AT 300 PM PUEBLO DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THESE STORMS 30 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF LA JUNTA...MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

MM
 b

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 31, 2:20 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBBaca45 min
May 31, 2:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBBaca45 min
May 31, 5:00 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBKiowa25 min
May 31, 5:24 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBKiowa31 min
May 31, 5:37 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBProwers33 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.