Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 216, NWS Pueblo, CO

August 15, 1996Las Animas County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 15, 1996, 5:28 PM MDT for Las Animas County, Colorado. It was in force for 62 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 15, 1996, 5:28 PM MDT (23:28 UTC)
Expired
Aug 15, 1996, 6:30 PM MDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO
Area
Whole counties

County Las Animas County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 128 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:31 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 15, 5:48 PM MDTHail 1.75Tyrone, 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

Fort Carson/Butt, CO (KFCS), launched 12:00Z, 11.5 hours before the alert went out and 162 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, Fort Carson/Butt, CO at 12:00Z on 1996-08-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 341 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, Fort Carson/Butt, CO at 12:00Z on 1996-08-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
341 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-248 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1878 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
73 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 152327
SVRPUB
COC071-160030-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
528 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  LAS ANIMAS COUNTY      IN SOUTHEAST COLORADO

* UNTIL 630 PM MDT
 
* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
    TRINCHERA BY 530 PM MDT
    BRANSON BY 540 PM MDT

* AT 527 PM MDT RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE STORM OVER TRINCHERA MOVING EAST
  AT 15 MPH.

REMEMBER...SEVERE STORMS CA6N PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE WARNING.

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 SHORTLY.

SC

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 15, 11:51 AM MDT, 5 hours 37 minutes before
COZ060>081-160600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1150 AM MDT THU AUG 15 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

MONSOON MOISTURE IS IN PLACE OVER COLORADO TODAY AND THE THUNDERSTORMS
LAST NIGHT HELPED TO MOISTEN THE LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE.  THIS
MOISTURE...COMBINED WITH AFTERNOON HEATING WILL ALLOW STORMS TO DEVELOP
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

IN THE UPPER LEVELS THE WINDS ARE WEAK AND THIS WILL MAKE FOR SLOW
MOVING THUNDERSTORMS...RESULTING IN A THREAT FOR HEAVY RAIN.  LARGE
HAIL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH SOME STORMS TODAY.

A WEAK DISTURBANCE IS EXPECTED TO CLIP EASTERN PO
RTIONS OF THE AREA
THIS EVENING...ENHANCING THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT AND RESULTING IN
PROLONGED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY TONIGHT.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED BY LATE AFTERNOON.
Special weather statement, Aug 15, 12:57 PM MDT, 4 hours 31 minutes before
COZ071-072-152000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1257 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING IN EL PASO COUNTY...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH MANITOU SPRINGS THROUGH
120 PM AND ACROSS COLORADO SPRINGS THROUGH 145 PM...PRODUCING HEAVY
RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY HAIL UP TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER.

AT 1255 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING OVER WESTERN EL PASO
COUNTY AND WERE LOCATED NEAR MANITOU SPRINGS AND NORTH OF MANITOU
SPRINGS.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.
Special weather statement, Aug 15, 1:05 PM MDT, 4 hours 23 minutes before
COZ074-075-152010-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
106 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPING IN HUERFANO COUNTY...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL MOVE OVER OPEN COUNTRY AND ACROSS HIGHWAY 160
WEST OF WALSENBURG THROGUH 140 PM. THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE HEAVY
RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL UP TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER.

AT 100 PM THE STORM WAS LOCATED 4 MILES NORTH OF THE TOWN OF LA VETA
AND WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.
Special weather statement, Aug 15, 1:30 PM MDT, 3 hours 58 minutes before
COZ071-072-152020-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
130 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE DEVELOPING IN EL PASO COUNTY...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH COLORADO SPRINGS THROUGH 200
PM...SECURITY BY 145 PM...ACROSS HIGHWAY 24 THROUGH 200 PM...AND
HIGHWAY 96 THROUGH 215 PM.  THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY
RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...AND POSSIBLY SMALL HAIL.

AT 125 PM STORMS WERE LOCATED OVER SOUTHERN COLORADO SPRINGS...5 MILES
WEST OF FALCON...AND 2 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FALCON ALONG HIGHWAY 24.
THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTH-SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.
Special weather statement, Aug 15, 1:52 PM MDT, 3 hours 36 minutes before
COZ067-071-072-152040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
152 PM MDT THU AUG 15 1996

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM OVER SOUTHEAST TELLER COUNTY...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST EL PASO COUNTY BY 200
PM AND WILL MOVE OVER HIGHWAY 115 BY 200 PM AND WILL THEN CONTINUE
SOUTHEAST ACROSS FORT CARSON THROUGH 240 PM.  THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE
HEAVY RAIN...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLY HAIL UP TO 1/2 INCH IN
DIAMET"ER.

AT 150 PM THIS STORM WAS LOCATED 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF VICTOR AND WAS
MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 14, 6:54 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBLas Animas61 min
Aug 14, 7:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBPueblo49 min
Aug 14, 7:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBOtero64 min
Aug 14, 8:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBProwers65 min
Aug 14, 8:54 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso66 min
Aug 14, 9:52 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso63 min
Aug 15, 2:11 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso59 min
Aug 15, 3:56 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBPueblo49 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.