Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 18, NWS Goodland, KS

May 22, 1997Cheyenne County, Colorado

NWS Goodland, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 22, 1997, 4:35 PM MDT for Cheyenne County, Colorado. It was in force for 60 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 22, 1997, 4:35 PM MDT (22:35 UTC)
Expired
May 22, 1997, 5:35 PM MDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Cheyenne County, CO

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 98 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:39 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 22, 4:30 PM MDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 10.6 hours before the alert went out and 128 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 1997-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 59 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 1997-05-22The 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
59 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
678 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
49 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 KGLD 222240 COR
SVRGLD
COC017-222335-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING...CORR TO WORDING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
435 PM MDT THU MAY 22 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  WESTERN CHEYENNE COUNTY COLORADO IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO

* UNTIL 535 PM MDT

* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED
  WILD HORSE                              AROUND 440 PM MDT
  8 MILES NORTH OF WILD HORSE             AROUND 510 PM MDT

* AT 435 PM MDT...GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 39 MILES WEST OF CHEYENNE WELLS OR IN THE VICINITY OF
  AROYA MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.
ESTIMATES RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR.

GO INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS! A TORNADO
WATCH IS IN EFFECT. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES.

VOJTESAK

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.

NWS Goodland, KS wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 22, 2:51 PM MDT, 1 hour 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 22, 2:51 PM MDT, 1 hour 44 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTION TO CCF PORTION /TRB/...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
251 PM MDT (351 PM CDT) THU MAY 22 1997

...RAINFALL BIG CONCERN THROUGH 3RD PERIOD...

COMBINATION OF A STRONG SHWV...LEE TROF...AND SUBTROPICAL MSTR WILL
INFLUENCE CWA INTO 3RD PD. ALL MODELS CLOSE WITH FEATURES HWVR ETA
IS MODEL OF CHOICE DUE TO BEST INITIALIZATION.

FIRST PROB IS RAINFALL DURING FIRST PD. HIGH DWPTS ACROSS AREA AS
WELL AS HIGH PW VALUES FROM DDC/DNR/LBF SOUNDINGS SHOW FAIRLY
SATURATED AIRMASS. EVEN THO DRY SLOT WORKING ITS WAY NORTH...EXPECT
THAT CLEARING WILL FILL IN WITH SHOWERS AND TSTORMS. FEEL THAT ETA
HAS GOOD HANDLE ON LIFT AHD OF SHWV AND RESULTING QPF...SO AM GOING
WITH POSSIBLE HEAVY RAIN OVERNIGHT. QPFERD STATES FFG MAY BE EXCEEDED
BUT WILL HOLD OFF ON HDLN. HAS BEEN DRY HERE AND SOIL SHOULD BE ABLE
TO SOAK UP MOST OF RAINFALL. WILL LV HDLN TO NEXT SHIFT ON REVIEW OF
NEXT MODEL RUN.

PER ETA 850-500 QVECT CONV FIELD...EXPECT WIDESPREAD RAIN TO
CONTINUE INTO FRI MORN. AS SYSTEM WINDS UP AND MOVES NE...EXPECT
SOME SUN BEHIND DEVELOPED FRONTAL BOUNDARY. HWVR...MSTR WILL BE SLOW
TO RETREAT AND SOAKED GROUND SHOULD BE PLENTY TO HELP FIRE SOME
AFTERNOON TSTRMS WITH HEATING. TSTRMS SHOULD CONT INTO EVENING HOURS
THUS POPS THIRD PD.

STUCK CLOSE TO MOS GUID DUE TO SIMILARITY IN FEATURES. HWVR...FEEL
THAT MOS WAY TOO HIGH 4TH PD.

GLD  052/075/051/079 955   HLC  057/075/054/081 955
CBK  053/077/R051/080 955   MCK  055/072/051/080 955
TRB  054/078/052/081 955   ITR  049/074/052/078 950

GONSOWSKI/BARKER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 22, 10:37 AM MDT, 5 hours 58 minutes before
COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-230600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
1037 AM MDT (1137 AM CDT) THU MAY 22 1997

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES

CHEYENNE CO   CHEYENNE KS   DECATUR KS     DUNDY NE        GOVE KS
GRAHAM KS     GREELEY KS    HITCHCOCK NE   KIT CARSON CO   LOGAN KS
NORTON KS     RAWLINS KS    RED WILLOW NE  SHERIDAN KS     SHERMAN KS
THOMAS KS     WALLACE KS    WICHITA KS     YUMA CO

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED SOUTHWEST OF A YUMA COLORADO /
GOODLAND KANSAS / RUSSELL SPRINGS KANSAS LINE.

SYNOPSIS: A STRONG UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE OVER NORTHEAST NEW MEXICO
IS EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT.
ALTHOUGH THIS SYSTEM IS RELATIVELY STRONG...MOST OF THE AREA REMAINS
RATHER COOL. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LIKELY ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA
LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND THIS EVENING...HOWEVER THE KEY TO WHETHER
ANY OF THE THESE STORMS SURPASS SEVERE THRESHOLDS WILL BE WHETHER
...AND IF SO...HOW MUCH SUNSHINE WILL OCCUR TO HEAT THE LOWER LAYERS
OF THE ATMOSPHERE. AN AREA OF CLEARING OVER SOUTHEAST COLORADO MAY
MOVE INTO CHEYENNE COUNTY COLORADO AND WEST CENTRAL KANSAS THIS
AFTERNOON PROVIDING THE HEATING REQUIRED TO DESTABALIZE THE
ATMOSPHERE.

THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP IN THIS AREA OF CLEARING AND
MOVE NORTHEAST THROUGH THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HAIL LARGER
THAN AN INCH AND WINDS GREATER THAN 60 MPH MAY BE POSSIBLE WITH THE
STRONGER STORMS. THE STORMS SHOULD WEAKEN AS THEY MOVE INTO THE
COOLER AIR OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO...NORTHWEST KANSAS...AND
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA. HOWEVER...SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE POSSIBLE
GENERALLY SOUTHWEST OF A YUMA COLORADO / GOODLAND KANSAS / RUSSELL
SPRINGS LINE.

BARKER
Special weather statement, May 22, 4:16 PM MDT, 19 minutes before
COZ092-KSZ027-028-041-042-230520-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
414 PM MDT THU MAY 22 1997

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM MDT (MIDNIGHT CDT) FOR
PORTIONS OF NORTHWEST KANSAS AND EXTREME EAST CENTRAL COLORADO...

A STRONG UPPER-AIR DISTURBANCE MOVING OUT OF SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO
AND ABUNDANT LOW-LEVEL MOISTURE IN PLACE ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS
WILL COMBINE TO BRING STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE HIGH
PLAINS THIS EVENING.

THE LOW LEVEL WINDS COUPLED WITH THE INTENSE UPPER LEVEL STORM
SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE FAVORABLE CONDITIONS FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT TORNADOES ARE POSSIBLE IN
AND NEAR THE WATCH AREA.  LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS MAY ALSO
OCCUR.  BE READY TO MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR STORM CELLAR IF A WARNING
IS ISSUED FOR YOUR AREA.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...RADIO...CABLE TELEVISION...OR
TELEVISION FOR THE LATEST UPDATES CONCERNING THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER
SITUATION.

VOJTESAK

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.