Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 18, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

June 2, 1997Weld County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 2, 1997, 4:35 PM MDT for Weld County, Colorado. It was in force for 40 min. 1 report came from 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, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jun 2, 1997, 4:35 PM MDT (22:35 UTC)
Expired
Jun 2, 1997, 5:15 PM MDT
In force
40 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Weld County, CO

The radar

The Cheyenne radar (KCYS), 79 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:56 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
Jun 2, 4:55 PM MDTHail 1Briggsdale, 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Jun 2, 2:00 PM MDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 1997-06-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 99 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, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 1997-06-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -2 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
99 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-13 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
562 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
76 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KDEN 022239 RRA
SVRDEN
COC123-022315-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
435 PM MDT MON JUN 2 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 515 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES...

IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
     CENTRAL WELD

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     BRIGGSDALE

AT 430 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF BRIGGSDALE...OR ABOUT 25 
MILES NORTHEAST OF GREELEY.  ONE INCH SIZE HAIL WAS REPORTED IN 
BRIGGSDALE AT 428 PM MDT.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR.

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 TORNADOES WITH LITTLE WARNING...LARGE 
DAMAGING HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS OVER 60 MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND 
VERY HEAVY RAIN.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST COLORADO UNTIL
8 PM MDT.

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 4054 10401 4054 10416 4051 10437 4072 10452
          4078 10415

KLEYLA

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, Jun 2, 1:13 PM MDT, 3 hours 22 minutes before
COZ033-035-038-022000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
113 PM MDT MON JUN 2 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER LARIMER COUNTY EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON...

AT 110 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM NEAR VIRGINIA DALE OR ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF FORT
COLLINS.  THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2 INCH
IN DIAMETER...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES PER HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF BAD WEATHER
APPROACHES.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 1:14 PM MDT, 3 hours 21 minutes before
COZ033-035-038-022000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
113 PM MDT MON JUN 2 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER LARIMER COUNTY EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON...

AT 110 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM NEAR VIRGINIA DALE OR ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF FORT
COLLINS.  THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2 INCH
IN DIAMETER...STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES PER HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF BAD WEATHER
APPROACHES.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 1:45 PM MDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before
COZ033-035-038-022015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
145 PM MDT MON JUN 2 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER EASTERN LARIMER COUNTY EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON...

AT 140 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM 12 MILES NORTHWEST OF BUCKEYE...OR ABOUT 26 MILES
NORTHWEST OF FORT COLLINS.  THIS STORM CONTAINS VERY HEAVY
RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR AND WILL BE

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF BAD WEATHER
APPROACHES.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 1:45 PM MDT, 2 hours 50 minutes before
COZ033-035-038-022015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED 2ND PARAGRAPH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
145 PM MDT MON JUN 2 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER EASTERN LARIMER COUNTY EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON...

AT 140 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM 12 MILES NORTHWEST OF BUCKEYE...OR ABOUT 26 MILES
NORTHWEST OF FORT COLLINS.  THIS STORM CONTAINS VERY HEAVY
RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF BAD WEATHER
APPROACHES.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 1:47 PM MDT, 2 hours 48 minutes before
COZ033-035-038-022015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
145 PM MDT MON JUN 2 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER EASTERN LARIMER COUNTY EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON...

AT 140 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM 12 MILES NORTHWEST OF BUCKEYE...OR ABOUT 26 MILES
NORTHWEST OF FORT COLLINS.  THIS STORM CONTAINS VERY HEAVY
RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR AND WILL BE

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF BAD WEATHER
APPROACHES.

KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 1:49 PM MDT, 2 hours 46 minutes before
COZ033-035-038-022015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED 2ND PARAGRAPH
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
145 PM MDT MON JUN 2 1997

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER EASTERN LARIMER COUNTY EARLY
THIS AFTERNOON...

AT 140 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM 12 MILES NORTHWEST OF BUCKEYE...OR ABOUT 26 MILES
NORTHWEST OF FORT COLLINS.  THIS STORM CONTAINS VERY HEAVY
RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR.

PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF BAD WEATHER
APPROACHES.

KLEYLA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 2, 12:16 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Washington44 min
Jun 2, 2:10 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULarimer35 min
Jun 2, 3:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld45 min
Jun 2, 3:56 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWeld34 min
Jun 2, 4:55 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWeld35 min
Jun 2, 5:18 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan, Weld42 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.