Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 112, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

August 2, 1997Douglas County, Elbert County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 2, 1997, 1:59 PM MDT for Douglas County, Elbert County, Colorado. It was in force for 31 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
Aug 2, 1997, 1:59 PM MDT (19:59 UTC)
Expired
Aug 2, 1997, 2:30 PM MDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Douglas County, CO, Elbert County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 58 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:02 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

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 139 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 1997-08-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 126 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 1997-08-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 9 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
126 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-185 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1709 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
75 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 022000 RRA
SVRDEN
COC035-039-022030-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
159 PM MDT SAT AUG 2 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 230 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
     EASTERN DOUGLAS

IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO
     WEST CENTRAL ELBERT

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     CASTLE ROCK...ELBERT...ELIZABETH...FRANKTOWN...PONDEROSA PARK
     AND THE PINERY

AT 159 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES SOUTH OF FRANKTOWN...OR ABOUT 32 MILES
SOUTH OF DENVER.

THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 MILES PER HOUR.

VERY LARGE HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THE STORM...PUT YOUR CAR IN A GARAGE AND MOVE TO A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.

IF SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...GO INSIDE A STURDY SHELTER
AWAY FROM CREEK BEDS AND OTHER FLOOD-PRONE AREAS. REMEMBER...A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OVER 60
MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.

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

TA

LAT...LON 3920 10446 3915 10473 3932 10494 3951 10472

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 2, 10:46 AM MDT, 3 hours 13 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-030600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1045 AM MDT SATURDAY AUG 2 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 STREAM OF MONSOONAL MOISTURE FROM MEXICO AND THE GULF
OF MEXICO HAS MOVED BACK OVER COLORADO TODAY.  WHILE THE TOTAL
AMOUNT OF MOISTURE IN THE AIR MASS IS CONSIDERABLY LESS THAN IT WAS
EARLIER IN THE WEEK THE THREAT OF LOCALLY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM RAIN
WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND
HIGHER TERRAIN DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON AND SPREAD OVER THE
NORTHEASTERN PLAINS OF COLORADO INTO THE EVENING.  RAINFALL
AMOUNTS UP TO 2.00 INCHES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE.  THIS AMOUNT OF
RAIN MAY CAUSE LOCAL FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS...ROADWAYS AND LOW
LYING OR FLOOD PRONE AREAS.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE REQUIRED.

GARD...WSFO DENVER
Special weather statement, Aug 2, 1:54 PM MDT, 5 minutes before
COZ041-022030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
154 PM MDT SAT AUG 2 1997

...THUNDERSTORM IN EAST CENTRAL DOUGLAS AND WEST CENTRAL ELBERT
COUNTIES...

AT 154 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM OVER CASTLEWOOD CANYON...OR ABOUT 31 MILES SOUTH OF
DENVER.

THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MILES PER HOUR.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR CASTLE ROCK...ELBERT...ELIZABETH...FRANKTOWN AND
PONDEROSA PARK

SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND MOVE TO A PLACE
OF SAFETY IF BAD WEATHER APPROACHES.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN WILL OCCUR WITH
THIS STORM.

TA
Special weather statement, Aug 2, 1:55 PM MDT, 4 minutes before
COZ041-022030-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
154 PM MDT SAT AUG 2 1997

...THUNDERSTORM IN EAST CENTRAL DOUGLAS AND WEST CENTRAL ELBERT
COUNTIES...

AT 154 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM OVER CASTLEWOOD CANYON...OR ABOUT 31 MILES SOUTH OF
DENVER.

THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 5 MILES PER HOUR.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR CASTLE ROCK...ELBERT...ELIZABETH...FRANKTOWN AND
PONDE:ROSA PARK

SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND MOVE TO A PLACE
OF SAFETY IF BAD WEATHER APPROACHES.

DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN WILL OCCUR WITH
THIS STORM.

TA

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.