Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 159, NWS Pueblo, CO

July 24, 1996El Paso County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 24, 1996, 9:11 PM MDT for El Paso County, Colorado. It was in force for 49 min. 5 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 24, 1996, 9:11 PM MDT (03:11 UTC)
Expired: Jul 24, 1996, 10:00 PM MDT
In force: 49 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 03:12 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

Time	Report	Where
Jul 24, 9:12 PM MDT	Hail 0.75	Colorado Spgs, CO
Jul 24, 9:28 PM MDT	Hail 1.5	Colorado Spgs, CO
Jul 24, 9:50 PM MDT	Hail 1.75	Fountain, CO
Jul 24, 9:52 PM MDT	Hail 0.75	Security, CO
Jul 24, 10:10 PM MDT	Hail 1	Fountain, 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, 3.2 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 1208 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1690 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 5 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 164 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.3
Supercell composite: 6.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KPUB 250317 COR
SVRPUB
COC041-250400-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
911 PM MDT WED JUL 24 1996

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

* UNTIL 1000 PM MDT

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
    DOWNTOWN COLORADO SPRINGS BY 915 PM MDT
    SECURITY AND WIDEFIELD BY 945 PM MDT

* AT 910 PM MDT RADAR SHOWED THE LEADING EDGE OF A SEVERE STORM 6
  MILES NORTH OF DOWNTOWN COLORADO SPRINGS MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.

LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FOLLOW UP STATEMENTS AND
WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO.

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

RMG

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 24, 3:15 PM MDT, 5 hours 56 minutes before

COZ063-064-242205-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
315 PM MDT WED JUL 24 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE SOUTHERN SAN LUIS VALLEY...

THE STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL BRING HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL TO
EASTERN CONEJOS AND COSTILLA COUNTIES BETWEEN 315 PM AND 415 PM MDT.
THE STORM WILL MOVE TO LA JARA AND CROSS HIGHWAY 285 BY 320 PM...THEN
MOVE TO SAN LUIS IN COSTILLA COUNTY BY 415 PM MDT.

AT 312 PM MDT A STRONG THUNDERSTORM HAD DEVELOPED 17 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
ALAMOSA. THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH. FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
IS EXPECTED.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE DURING A LIGHTNING STORM...FIND A LOW
SPOT. SHELTER YOURSELF UNDER SHORTER TREES. AVOID ISOLATED...TALL
TREES. STAY AWAY FROM WATER...POWER POLES AND METAL OBJECTS...
SUCH AS A FENCE ROW OR GOLF CLUBS. IF IN A GROUP...STAY APART. IF
SOMEONE IS STRUCK...OTHERS WILL BE ABLE TO HELP THE VICTIM.

STAY TUNED FOR LATER STATEME"NTS ON THE DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION IN
THE VALLEY.

GRAY

Special weather statement, Jul 24, 6:17 PM MDT, 2 hours 54 minutes before

COZ071>073-076>081-250500-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
617 PM MDT WED JUL 24 1996

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR MUCH OF SOUTHEAST COLORADO IN EFFECT
UNTIL 1100 PM...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EL PASO...EASTERN
PUEBLO...CROWLEY...OTERO...KIOWA...BENT...PROWERS...EASTERN LAS
ANIMAS AND BACA COUNTIES.

IF YOU ARE IN THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH AREA...KEEP AN EYE TO THE
SKY AND LISTEN RFOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS OVER
NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR FROM YOUR LOCAL MEDIA.

TLM

Special weather statement, Jul 24, 7:18 PM MDT, 1 hour 53 minutes before

COZ062-063-250210-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
718 PM MDT WED JUL 24 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER GREAT SAND DUNES...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM...BRING HAIL UP TO 1/2 INCH DIAMETER...GUSTY
WINDS...AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN...WILL MOVE OVER THE GREAT SAND DUNES
THROUGH 730 PM.

BY 800 PM THIS STORM WILL MOVE SOUTHEAST TO NEAR BLANCA PEAK.

PERSONS NEAR THE THUNDERSTORM SHOULD ALSO BE PREPARED FOR DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

WOLYN

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 24, 6:01 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Kiowa	89 min
Jul 24, 6:39 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	PUB	Kiowa	46 min
Jul 24, 7:05 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Bent	60 min
Jul 24, 7:59 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Bent	61 min
Jul 24, 10:00 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	El Paso	65 min
Jul 25, 2:02 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	El Paso, Teller	63 min
Jul 25, 3:15 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Huerfano	35 min
Jul 25, 4:36 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Las Animas	34 min
Jul 25, 5:21 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Las Animas	64 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Colorado, 1996 Every 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.