Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 158, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Oct 11, 1997, 7:30 PM MDT for Logan County, Phillips County, Sedgwick County, Colorado. It was in force for 45 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
- Oct 11, 1997, 7:30 PM MDT (01:30 UTC)
- Expired
- Oct 11, 1997, 8:15 PM MDT
- In force
- 45 min
- Issued by
- NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
- Area
- Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction
Counties Logan County, CO, Phillips County, CO, Sedgwick County, CO
The radar
The Goodland radar (KGLD), 177 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:29 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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 5:00 PM MDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 116 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2617 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 56 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 120 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 68 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KDEN 120131 RRA
SVRDEN
COC075-095-115-120215-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
730 PM MDT SAT OCT 11 1997
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 815 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
EASTERN LOGAN...NORTHWESTERN PHILLIPS AND WESTERN SEDGWICK
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
CROOK...FAIRFIELD...FLEMING...HAXTUN...MARKS BUTTE...OVID...
PAOLI...SEDGWICK...ST PETERSBURG AND TWIN BUTTES
AT 730 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES WEST OF HAXTUN...OR ABOUT 22 MILES WEST
OF HOLYOKE.
THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTH ABOUT 35 MILES PER HOUR.
A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN COLORADO
UNTIL 11 PM MDT.
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.
REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN DENVER.
LAT...LON 4099 10236 4052 10251 4051 10299 4099 10286
END...GCF...WSFO DENVERWhat 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, Oct 11, 2:15 PM MDT, 5 hours 15 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-120600- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 215 PM MDT SAT OCT 11 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: STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT CREATED FROM AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TO THE WEST OF COLORADO IS BRINGING THE FORECAST AREA VERY STRONG WINDS THIS AFTERNOON. SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 35 TO 60 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 90 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. THE PLAINS CAN EXPECT SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS AT 20 TO 40 MPH WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH. THE AIRMASS OVER THE FORECAST AREA WILL BE PRETTY UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING. A SURFACE TROUGH NOW STRETCHING NORTH-SOUTH ALONG THE PLAINS WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST THROUGH MID EVENING. AREAS TO THE WEST WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO PRODUCE ANY SIGNIFICANT THUNDERSTORMS...HOWEVER OVER THE FAR EASTERN BORDER COUNTIES...ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MAY BE PRESENT TO PRODUCE SOME STRONG STORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THE STRONG UPPER TROUGH TO THE WEST WILL MOVE INTO COLORADO LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY BRINGING A SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM TO THE MOUNTAINS. THE PLAINS CAN EXPECT TEMPERATURES 40 TO 50 DEGREES COLDER ON SUNDAY COMPARED TO TODAY ALONG WITH STRONG NORTH WINDS AND RAIN CHANGING OVER TO SNOW. SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING... BUT SOME WIND REPORTS WOULD BE HELPFUL. RJK
Special weather statement, Oct 11, 2:17 PM MDT, 5 hours 13 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-120600- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 215 PM MDT SAT OCT 11 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: STRONG SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT CREATED FROM AN APPROACHING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TO THE WEST OF COLORADO IS BRINGING THE FORECAST AREA VERY STRONG WINDS THIS AFTERNOON. SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 35 TO 60 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 90 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS. THE PLAINS CAN EXPECT SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WINDS AT 20 TO 40 MPH WINDS WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH. THE AIRMASS OVER THE FORECAST AREA WILL BE PRETTY UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO THIS EVENING. A SURFACE TROUGH NOW STRETCHING NORTH-SOUTH ALONG THE PLAINS WILL MOVE SLOWLY EAST THROUGH MID EVENING. AREAS TO THE WEST WILL NOT HAVE ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE TO PRODUCE ANY SIGNIFICANT THUNDERSTORMS...HOWEVER OVER THE FAR EASTERN BORDER COUNTIES...ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE MAY BE PRESENT TO PRODUCE SOME STRONG STORMS LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THE STRONG UPPER TROUGH TO THE WEST WILL MOVE INTO COLORADO LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY BRINGING A SIGNIFICANT WINTER STORM TO THE MOUNTAINS. THE PLAINS CAN EXPECT TEMPERATURES 40 TO 50 DEGREES COLDER ON SUNDAY COMPARED TO TODAY ALONG WITH STRONG NORTH WINDS AND RAIN CHANGING OVER TO SNOW. SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE LIKELY THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING... BUT SOME WIND REPORTS WOULD BE HELPFUL. (RJK
Special weather statement, Oct 11, 6:30 PM MDT, 1 hour before
COZ033>036-038-039>045-120200- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 630PM MDT SAT OCT 11 1997 ...HIGH WIND WARNING CANCELLED FOR FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND NEARBY PLAINS... ...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR EASTERN ADAMS...EASTERN ARAPAHOE... EASTERN WELD AND MORGAN COUNTIES... ALTHOUGH STRONG GUSTY WINDS CONTINUE OVER THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND NORTHEAST PLAINS THEY HAVE DECREASED IN INTENSITY AND NO LONGER POSE A THREAT OF PRODUCING DAMAGING GUSTS. AS A RESULT THE HIGH WIND WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED AT 630 PM MDT FOR THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND NEARBY PLAINS IN LARIMER...BOULDER...DENVER...ADAMS ...ARAPAHOE...WELD...DOUGLAS AND ELBERT COUNTIES. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO RANGE FROM 25 TO 40 MPH THROUGH THE REST OF THE EVENING. A HIGH WIND WARNING DOES CONTINUE UNTIL 9 PM MDT FOR LOGAN...SEDGWICK ...PHILLIPS AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES. WINDS IN THESE AREAS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN THE 20 TO 40 MPH RANGE BUT GUSTS OF 60 TO 80 MPH ARE STILL POSSIBLE FROM THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE MOVING NORTH THROUGH WASHINGTON AND LOGAN COUNTIES AT 630 PM MDT. THE TORNADO WATCH FOR EASTERN WELD...MORGAN...EASTERN ADAMS AND EASTERN ARAPAHOE COUNTIES HAS ALSO BEEN CANCELLED AT 630 PM MDT. THE BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE THREATENING THIS AREA HAVE MOVED EAST AND NOW STRETCH FROM NEBRASKA SOUTH THROUGH LOGAN... WESTERN WASHINGTON INTO NORTHWEST LINCOLN COUNTY. A TORNADO WATCH STILL EXISTS FOR SEDGWICK...LOGAN...PHILLIPS...WASHINGTON AND LINCOLN COUNTIES UNTIL 11 PM MDT AS WELL AS FOR COUNTIES IN SOUTHEAST COLORADO. DRIVERS OF LIGHTWEIGHT AND HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES SHOULD STILL BE ALERT FOR STRONG DANGEROUS CROSSWINDS ESPECIALLY EAST OF A FORT MORGAN TO LIMON LINE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER NEWS OUTLETS AS A VARIETY OF WINTER WEATHER WARNINGS...ADVISORIES AND WATCHES ARE IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF COLORADO THROUGH SUNDAY. ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS WILL BE ISSUED CONCERNING THESE OTHER HIGHLIGHTS. END...GCF...WSFO DENVER
The office that day
Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 11, 7:21 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Elbert, Lincoln | 24 min |
| Oct 11, 7:59 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Lincoln, Washington | 46 min |
| Oct 11, 8:55 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Lincoln | 35 min |
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.