Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 1997

Flash Flood Warning 43, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

August 28, 1997Elbert County, Lincoln County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this flash flood warning at Aug 28, 1997, 2:00 PM MDT for Elbert County, Lincoln County, Colorado. It was in force for 2 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties.

The facts

Issued
Aug 28, 1997, 2:00 PM MDT (20:00 UTC)
Expired
Aug 28, 1997, 4:00 PM MDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Elbert County, CO, Lincoln County, CO

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 94 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 1997-08-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 70 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 12:00Z on 1997-08-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 48 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
70 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-227 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2137 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
48 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
36 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 282000
FFWDEN
COC039-073-282200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
200 PM MDT THU AUG 28 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A FLASH FLOOD 
WARNING AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORM EFFECTIVE UNTIL 400 PM MDT FOR 
PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES

IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO
     SOUTHEASTERN ELBERT AND CENTRAL LINCOLN

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     HUGO

AT 155 PM MDT WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED VERY HEAVY RAIN
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING UP TO 2 TO 3 INCHES IN AN HOUR ABOUT 20 MILES 
SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF LIMON. IN ADDITION...THIS STORM HAS A HISTORY OF 
PRODUCING GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR SMALL CREEKS AND STREAMS...INCLUDING RUSH CREEK 
SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR RAPID RISES IN WATER LEVELS.

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE 
ROADWAY. 

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE. IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS, ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK
HIGHER GROUND.


HERRALD

LAT...LON 3911 10332 3896 10343 3894 10370 3901 10381
          3915 10364 3913 10349

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 28, 11:30 AM MDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-290600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1130 AM MDT THU AUG 28 1997

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:  A NARROW STREAM OF MONSOONAL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO MOVE
OVER COLORADO TODAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE AREA REMAINS
ENTRENCHED OVER THE REGION.  A WEAK UPPER LEVEL WEATHER DISTURBANCE
IS ROTATING AROUND THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE THIS MORNING AND WAS
LOCATED OVER SOUTHERN WYOMING.  THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE EASTWARD
THROUGH THE EVENING AND MAY ASSIST SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT ON THE PLAINS BY THIS EVENING.  SURFACE WINDS ON THE
NORTHEAST COLORADO PLAINS ARE GENERALLY WEAK TODAY WHICH MEANS THERE
ARE NO FAVORED AREAS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT LATER THIS
AFTERNOON.

EXCEPT FOR A LINE OF SHOWERS DEVELOPING OVER A BOUNDARY IN CENTRAL
LINCOLN COUNTY LATE THIS MORNING...OTHER SHOWERS THAT DEVELOP SHOULD
BE CAUSED BY AFTERNOON HEATING OVER THE FOOTHILLS.  THUNDERSTORMS
WILL THEN PROGRESS EASTWARD THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
WITH THE WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING ACROSS WYOMING...THE
STORMS WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF BECOMING STRONGER THAN NORMAL WILL BE
IN LARIMER...WELD AND LOGAN COUNTIES.  WINDS ALOFT WILL BE STRONG
ENOUGH TO KEEP STORMS MOVING...WHICH WILL MINIMIZE THE THREAT OF
HEAVY RAINS.  STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SMALL HAIL.

STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH SEVERE LIMITS AND SPOTTER
ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.

DANKERS
Special weather statement, Aug 28, 11:32 AM MDT, 2 hours 28 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-290600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1130 AM MDT THU AUG 28 1997

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:  A NARROW STREAM OF MONSOONAL MOISTURE CONTINUES TO MOVE
OVER COLORADO TODAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE AREA REMAINS
ENTRENCHED OVER THE REGION.  A WEAK UPPER LEVEL WEATHER DISTURBANCE
IS ROTATING AROUND THE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE THIS MORNING AND WAS
LOCATED OVER SOUTHERN WYOMING.  THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE EASTWARD
THROUGH THE EVENING AND MAY ASSIST SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT ON THE PLAINS BY THIS EVENING.  SURFACE WINDS ON THE
NORTHEAST COLORADO PLAINS ARE GENERALLY WEAK TODAY WHICH MEANS THERE
ARE NO FAVORED AREAS FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT LATER THIS
AFTERNOON.

EXCEPT FOR A LINE OF SHOWERS DEVELOPING OVER A BOUNDARY IN CENTRAL
LINCOLN COUNTY LATE THIS MORNING...OTHER SHOWERS THAT DEVELOP SHOULD
BE CAUSED BY AFTERNOON HEATING OVER THE FOOTHILLS.  THUNDERSTORMS
WILL THEN PROGRESS EASTWARD THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
WITH THE WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING ACROSS WYOMING...THE
STORMS WITH THE BEST CHANCE OF BECOMING STRONGER THAN NORMAL WILL BE
IN LARIMER...WELD AND LOGAN COUNTIES.  WINDS ALOFT WILL BE STRONG
ENOUGH TO KEEP STORMS MOVING...WHICH WILL MINIMIZE THE THREAT OF
HEAVY RAINS.  STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SMALL HAIL.

STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO REACH SEVERE LIMITS AND SPOTTER
ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.

DANKERS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 28, 12:25 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUElbert, Lincoln65 min
Aug 28, 2:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUElbert, Lincoln2 hr
Aug 28, 4:58 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUDouglas, Elbert47 min
Aug 28, 5:34 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln41 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Colorado, 1997Every flash flood warning in 1997

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.