Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 1, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 15, 1997Adams County, Arapahoe County, Denver County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1997, 5:02 PM MDT for Adams County, Arapahoe County, Denver County, Colorado. It was in force for 28 min. 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
May 15, 1997, 5:02 PM MDT (23:02 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 1997, 5:30 PM MDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Adams County, CO, Arapahoe County, CO, Denver County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 20 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:02 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Fort Carson/Butt, CO (KFCS), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 119 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 1997-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 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 1997-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 2 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-109 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
909 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
67 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.

183 
WUUS1 KDEN 152304 RRA
SVRDEN
COC001-005-031-152330-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
502 PM MDT THU MAY 15 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 530 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
     NORTHWESTERN ARAPAHOE...NORTHEAST DENVER AND SOUTHWESTERN ADAMS

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     NORTHERN AURORA...COMMERCE CITY AND NORTHEASTERN DENVER

AT 457 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTH CENTRAL DENVER.  

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 25 MILES PER HOUR.

AT 500 PM A WIND GUST TO 58 MPH WAS RECORDED AT THE WEATHER SERVICE 
OFFICE IN NORTHEAST DENVER.  STRONG AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY IN 
THE WARNING AREA.  TAKE COVER IN A STURDY STRUCTURE UNTIL THE STORM 
PASSES.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN DENVER.

GIMMESTAD

LAT...LON 3975 10465 3966 10471 3975 10499 3981 10489
&

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 15, 11:14 AM MDT, 5 hours 48 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-160600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER COLORADO
1115 AM MDT THU MAY 15 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:  WITH VERY WEAK TO NO UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT TODAY...
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SHOULD BE LIMITED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA
COMPARED TO YESTERDAY.  HOWEVER MORE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS AVAILABLE
TODAY.  THIS MOISTURE ALONG WITH THE DAY'S HEATING WILL PRODUCE
ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM OVER THE
PLAINS AFTER 3 PM.  THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS CAN EXPECT WIDELY
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP BY 1 TO 2 PM.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED hTODAY.

RJK
Special weather statement, May 15, 11:15 AM MDT, 5 hours 47 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-160600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER COLORADO
1115 AM MDT THU MAY 15 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:  WITH VERY WEAK TO NO UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT TODAY...
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY SHOULD BE LIMITED ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA
COMPARED TO YESTERDAY.  HOWEVER MORE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS AVAILABLE
TODAY.  THIS MOISTURE ALONG WITH THE DAYS HEATING WILL PRODUCE
ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM OVER THE
PLAINS AFTER 3 PM.  THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS CAN EXPECT WIDELY
SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP BY 1 TO 2 PM.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY.

RJK
Special weather statement, May 15, 4:51 PM MDT, 11 minutes before
COZ040-152330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
451 PM MDT THU MAY 15 1997

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS MOVING ACROSS DENVER...

AT 451 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM OVER WHEAT RIDGE AND LAKEWOOD...OR ABOUT 6 MILES
NORTHWEST AND WEST OF DENVER.

THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR AND WILL PRODUCE
LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 50 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE
DENVER METRO AREA BY 530 PM.  BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL ARE
ALSO POSSIBLE.

PERSONS IN THE DENVER METRO AREA SHOULD MOVE INDOORS DURING THIS
STORM IF POSSIBLE.  IF OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH
OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES.  WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND
DOORS AND AVOID USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. TRY TO
UNPLUG UNNECESSARY ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM
APPROACHES.

GIMMESTAD
Special weather statement, May 15, 4:55 PM MDT, 7 minutes before
COZ040-152330-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
451 PM MDT THU MAY 15 1997

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS MOVING ACROSS DENVER...

AT 451 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM OVER WHEAT RIDGE AND LAKEWOOD...OR ABOUT 6 MILES
NORTHWEST AND WEST OF DENVER.

THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR AND WILL PRODUCE
LIGHTNING AND WIND GUSTS OF 30 TO 50 MPH AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE
DENVER METRO AREA BY 530 PM.  BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND SMALL HAIL ARE
ALSO POSSIBLE.

PERSONS IN THE DENVER METRO AREA SHOULD MOVE INDOORS DURING THIS
STORM IF POSSIBLE.  IF OUTDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH
OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES.  WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND
DOORS AND AVOID USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY. TRY TO
UNPLUG UNNECESSARY ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES BEFORE THE THUNDERSTORM
APPROACHES.

GIMMESTAD

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Colorado, 1997Every severe thunderstorm 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.