Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 73, NWS Goodland, KS

June 14, 1997Yuma County, Colorado

NWS Goodland, KS issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 14, 1997, 9:38 PM MDT for Yuma County, Colorado. It was in force for 62 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jun 14, 1997, 9:38 PM MDT (03:38 UTC)
Expired
Jun 14, 1997, 10:40 PM MDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Whole counties

County Yuma County, CO

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 94 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:41 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 14, 9:49 PM MDTHail 0.75Eckley, 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 nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 3.6 hours before the alert went out and 70 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 00:00Z on 1997-06-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 70 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 00:00Z on 1997-06-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -71 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
70 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-106 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2413 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
3 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-71 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-39 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 150338 RRA
SVRGLD
COC125-150440-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
938 PM MDT SAT JUN 14 1997

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR
  EXTREME NORTHERN YUMA COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO

* UNTIL 1040 PM MDT
 
* TAKE COVER IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNED AREA.

* AT 938 PM MDT...GOODLAND DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
  THUNDERSTORM 27 MILES NORTHWEST OF WRAY OR 21 MILES NORTH OF ECKLEY
  MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM! STAY INDOORS AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

TURNER

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 Jun 14, 2:22 PM MDT, 7 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 14, 2:22 PM MDT, 7 hours 16 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
222 PM MDT (322 PM CDT) SAT JUN 14 1997

CHANCES FOR RAIN EACH PERIOD MAIN CONCERN FOR THIS PACKAGE.

MODELS ARE RATHER SIMILAR...BUT MINOR DIFFS CREATE HAVOC WITH TIMING
OF PRECIP AND LOCATION OF FRONT ON SUNDAY.

HAVE LEANED TO AVN BASED ON SLIGHTLY BETTER H70 THERMAL
INITIALIZATION AND 6-HOUR SURFACE PRESSURE VERIFICIATION.  THUS
QUESTION BECOMES WHERE AND WHEN WILL PRECIP FALL.

LOOKS LIKE COLORADO COUNTIES UNDER THE GUN FOR SEVERE AFTER 00
UTC...BUT WITH LOSS OF HEATING SEVERITY PROBABILITY SHOULD DROP OFF
DRAMATICALLY.  SOME STORMS MAY WORK INTO NORTHWEST KANSAS AND
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA...BUT BETTER DYNAMICS SHOW UP SUNDAY BEHIND FROPA.

WILL BLEND FAN AND FWC POPS AND LEAN TO FAN TEMPS.  NGM SEEMED MORE
REALISTIC WITH MOISTURE FIELDS THAN AVN...HENCE THE TENDENCY SPLIT.

GLD 058/080/052/071/051 4353   HLC 060/085/057/077/053 2543
CBK 058/081/052/072/051 4353   MCK 059/083/054/076/051 2543
TRB 058/082/052/073/052 4553   ITR 056/079/051/070/050 4253

ENTWISTLE

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 14, 4:20 PM MDT, 5 hours 18 minutes before
COZ090>092-KSZ001>004-013>016-027>029-041-042-NEZ079>081-150600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
420 PM MDT SAT JUN 14 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 WILL BE NEEDED.

SYNOPSIS:
THE COMBINATION OF A MOIST UNSTABLE AIR MASS WITH STRONG MID LEVEL
WINDS WILL PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER OVER EASTERN COLORADO THIS
EVENING. LOW LEVEL WIND PROFILES INDICATE THAT STORMS COULD QUICKLY
BECOME TORNADIC. HEAVY RAIN AND LARGE HAIL WILL ALSO LIKELY BE
PRODUCED. ALTHOUGH THE THREAT WILL NOT BE AS EXTENSIVE OVER
SOUTHWEST NEBRASKA AND WESTERN KANSAS...SEVERE WEATHER MAY ALSO
OCCUR THERE AFTER 6 PM MDT.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IS REQUESTING THAT SPOTTERS BE
ACTIVATED OVER KIT CARSON...CHEYENNE...AND YUMA COUNTIES IN
COLORADO...WHERE A TORNADO WATCH IS ALREADY IN EFFECT. SPOTTERS
ELSEWHERE SHOULD KEEP INFORMED ON THIS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION.

MENTZER
Special weather statement, Jun 14, 7:41 PM MDT, 1 hour 57 minutes before
COZ090>092-150345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
741 PM MDT SAT JUN 14 1997

...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR KIT CARSON AND YUMA
COUNTIES UNTIL 9 PM MDT...

THE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER HAS DIMINISHED OVER CHEYENNE
COUNTY...SO THE TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED THERE. A TORNADO
WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT FOR YUMA AND KIT CARSON
COUNTIES.

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING EAST OVER EASTERN COLORADO. AT 735
PM MDT THE STORM WAS MOVING INTO WESTERN WASHINGTON COUNTY. THIS
STORM MAY REACH YUMA COUNTY LATER THIS EVENING.

IF A THUNDERSTORM MOVES NEAR YOUR AREA...SEEK SHELTER INSIDE A
REINFORCED BUILDING.

MENTZER
Special weather statement, Jun 14, 9:06 PM MDT, 32 minutes before
COZ090-091-150510-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
906 PM MDT SAT JUN 14 1997

...THE TORNADO WATCH FOR EXTREME EASTERN COLORADO EXPIRED AT 9 PM
MDT...

THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY GENERALLY WAS DECREASING OVER EASTERN COLORADO
THIS EVENING. THEREFORE...THE TORNADO WATCH HAS EXPIRED.

HOWEVER...ONE LAST ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS REMAINS OVER EXTREME
NORTHERN YUMA COUNTY. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL
ALONG THE NORTHERN YUMA COUNTY BORDER THROUGH 930 MDT.

MENTZER
Special weather statement, Jun 14, 9:07 PM MDT, 31 minutes before
COZ090-091-150510-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
906 PM MDT SAT JUN 14 1997

...THE TORNADO WATCH FOR EXTREME EASTERN COLORADO EXPIRED AT 9 PM
MDT...

THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY GENERALLY WAS DECREASING OVER EASTERN COLORADO
THIS EVENING. THEREFORE...THE TORNADO WATCH HAS EXPIRED.

HOWEVER...ONE LAST ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS REMAINS OVER EXTREME
NORTHERN YUMA COUNTY. THESE STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL
ALONG TTHE NORTHERN YUMA COUNTY BORDER THROUGH 930 MDT.

MENTZER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Goodland, KS issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 14, 8:52 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDYuma48 min
Jun 14, 10:40 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDYuma45 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.