Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 61, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 15, 1997, 3:11 PM MDT for Adams County, Boulder County, Weld County, Colorado. It was in force for 34 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 15, 1997, 3:11 PM MDT (21:11 UTC)
- Expired
- Jun 15, 1997, 3:45 PM MDT
- In force
- 34 min
- Issued by
- NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
- Area
- Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction
Counties Adams County, CO, Boulder County, CO, Weld County, CO
The radar
The Denver radar (KFTG), 35 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:11 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 15, 3:21 PM MDT | Tornado F1 | Dacono, CO | A tornado touched down briefly at the Colorado National Speedway. The tornado ripped through the south grandstand causing at least $50, 000 in damage to a shed, kiosk, bleachers and several concession stands. |
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 nearest sounding before it
Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 126 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
- 62 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -239 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1525 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 18 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -73 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -77 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 152115 RRA
SVRDEN
COC001-013-123-152145-
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
311 PM MDT SUN JUN 15 1997
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 345 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
SOUTHEASTERN BOULDER...NORTHWESTERN ADAMS AND SOUTHWESTERN WELD
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
LONGMONT...BRIGHTON...DACONO...ERIE...FIRESTONE...FORT
LUPTON...FREDERICK...HUDSON...KEENESBURG...LAFAYETTE...
LOCHBUIE...MILTON RESERVOIR...PLATTEVILLE AND PROSPECT VALLEY
AT 305 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES NORTH OF HUDSON...OR ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTH
OF GREELEY.
THE STORM WAS STATIONARY.
PUBLIC REPORTS OF SEVERAL FUNNEL CLOUDS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH ANOTHER
DEVELOPING STORM OVER ERIE.
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.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE ADDITIONAL BRIEF FUNNEL CLOUDS OR
SHORT-LIVED TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. PREPARE TO
MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IN A STURDY STRUCTURE SUCH AS A BASEMENT
OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM IF A TORNADO IS SPOTTED.
HEAVY RAINS FROM THESE STORMS MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS
DITCHES AND UNDERPASSES. AVOID THESE AREAS AND DO NOT CROSS FLOODED
ROADS AS THEY MAY BE WASHED OUT. WATER LEVELS OF SMALL STREAMS AND
RIVERS MAY ALSO RISE...THEREFORE SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF THREATENED BY
FLOOD WATERS.
REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN DENVER.
DANKERS
LAT...LON 4001 10437 3994 10511 4014 10516 4032 10441What 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 15, 11:25 AM MDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-160600- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1125 AM MDT SUN JUN 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: THE AIRMASS OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO HAS MODIFIED THIS MORNING IN THE WAKE OF A WEATHER DISTURBANCE WHICH PASSED SOUTH OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT. AS A RESULT...THE CURRENT WIND PROFILE DOES NOT FAVOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG OR EVEN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG THE FOOTHILLS...MOVING ONTO THE PLAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A WEAK COLD FRONT AN AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON...BRINGING AN INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO. AS A RESULT...SOME OF THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AS WELL AS SMALL HAIL...MAINLY EAST OF A LIMON TO AKRON LINE AND OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGHER FOOTHILLS. SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY. LESZCYNSKI
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 11:26 AM MDT, 3 hours 45 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-160600- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1125 AM MDT SUN JUN 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: THE AIRMASS OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO HAS MODIFIED THIS MORNING IN THE WAKE OF A WEATHER DISTURBANCE WHICH PASSED SOUTH OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT. AS A RESULT...THE CURRENT WIND PROFILE DOES NOT FAVOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG OR EVEN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG THE FOOTHILLS...MOVING ONTO THE PLAINS DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. A WEAK COLD FRONT AN AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON...BRINGING AN INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ACROSS NORTHEAST COLORADO. AS A RESULT...SOME OF THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AS WELL AS SMALL HAIL...MAINLY EAST OF A LIMON TO AKRON LINE AND OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGHER FOOTHILLS. SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY. LESZCYNSKI
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 2:25 PM MDT, 46 minutes before
COZ041-046-047-152100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 225 PM MDT SUN JUN 15 1997 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WINDS AND HAIL POSSIBLE IN ELBERT COUNTY... AT 220 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF KUTCH...OR ABOUT 27 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LIMON. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 5 MILES PER HOUR. PERSONS IN OR NEAR ELIZABETH...KIOWA...KUTCH...MATHESON AND SIMLA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER..SUCH AS WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH...HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. IF SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD DEVELOP...MOVE QUICKLY TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. BAKER...WSFO DENVER
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 2:26 PM MDT, 45 minutes before
COZ041-046-047-152100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 225 PM MDT SUN JUN 15 1997 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WINDS AND HAIL POSSIBLE IN ELBERT COUNTY... AT 220 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF KUTCH...OR ABOUT 27 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LIMON. THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 5 MILES PER HOUR. PERSONS IN OR NEAR ELIZABETH...KIOWA...KUTCH...MATHESON AND SIMLA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER..SUCH AS WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH...HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. IF SEVERE WEATHER SHOULD DEVELO6P...MOVE QUICKLY TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. BAKER...WSFO DENVER
Special weather statement, Jun 15, 2:30 PM MDT, 41 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-160600- SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 230 PM MDT SUN JUN 15 1997 THIS UPDATED 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 WEAK COLD FRONT IS PUSHING INTO NORTHERN COLORADO THIS AFTERNOON AND IS BECOMING THE FOCUS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG STORMS. OTHER STRONG STORMS ARE DEVELOPING ALONG THE PALMER DIVIDE. IN ADDITION...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND ALONG THE FOOTHILLS. WINDS IN THE UPPER ATMOSPHERE WHICH WILL STEER THESE STORMS ARE LIGHT. AS A RESULT...ALL THE STORMS WILL BE SLOW MOVING...AND COULD DUMP HEAVY RAIN IN ANY GIVEN PLACE IN A VERY SHORT TIME. AGAIN...THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE STORMS WILL BE HEAVY RAIN...WHICH COULD PRODUCE LOCAL FLOODING...AND SMALL HAIL. BUT A FEW OF THE STRONGER STORMS COULD PRODUCE HAIL UP TO ONE INCH. A FORMAL SPOTTER NETWORK IS NOT ANTICIPATED...BUT RAIN >AND HAIL REPORTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL BE APPRECIATED. LESZCYNSKI
The office that day
Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 6:05 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Morgan, Weld | 35 min |
| Jun 14, 7:35 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Adams, Washington | 25 min |
| Jun 14, 7:55 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick | 45 min |
| Jun 14, 8:52 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick | 38 min |
| Jun 14, 9:38 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Phillips | 27 min |
| Jun 15, 12:33 AM MDT | Flash Flood Warning | BOU | Phillips | 3 hr |
| Jun 15, 3:25 AM MDT | Flash Flood Warning | BOU | Phillips | 2 hr |
| Jun 15, 5:23 AM MDT | Flash Flood Warning | BOU | Phillips | 3 hr |
| Jun 15, 1:41 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Larimer, Weld | 34 min |
| Jun 15, 3:20 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Adams, Weld | 25 min |
| Jun 15, 3:20 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Boulder | 25 min |
| Jun 15, 3:53 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Adams, Weld | 32 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.