Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Watches in 1997

Tornado Watch 748

October 11, 199720 counties in Colorado

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Oct 11, 1997, 5:00 PM MDT for 20 counties in Colorado. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Oct 11, 1997, 5:00 PM MDT (23:00 UTC)
Expired
Oct 11, 1997, 11:00 PM MDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Adams County, CO, Arapahoe County, CO, Baca County, CO, Bent County, CO, Cheyenne County, CO, Crowley County, CO, Elbert County, CO, Kiowa County, CO, Kit Carson County, CO, Las Animas County, CO, Lincoln County, CO, Logan County, CO, Morgan County, CO, Otero County, CO, Phillips County, CO, Prowers County, CO, Sedgwick County, CO, Washington County, CO, Weld County, CO, Yuma County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 56 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:03 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.

Warnings issued inside it

22 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 11, 5:43 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBLas Animas47 min
Oct 11, 6:19 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBOtero46 min
Oct 11, 7:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBBent, Otero45 min
Oct 11, 7:05 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBBent, Otero45 min
Oct 11, 7:05 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBProwers45 min
Oct 11, 7:21 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUElbert, Lincoln24 min
Oct 11, 7:28 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBKiowa47 min
Oct 11, 7:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Phillips, Sedgwick45 min
Oct 11, 7:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne65 min
Oct 11, 7:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln, Washington46 min
Oct 11, 7:59 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBLas Animas46 min
Oct 11, 8:38 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBOtero47 min
Oct 11, 8:52 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBLas Animas, Otero58 min
Oct 11, 8:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln35 min
Oct 11, 9:01 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDKit Carson64 min
Oct 11, 9:03 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBCrowley47 min
Oct 11, 9:12 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBBent43 min
Oct 11, 9:53 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBBent, Otero47 min
Oct 11, 10:16 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne49 min
Oct 11, 10:18 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBKiowa47 min
Oct 11, 10:40 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBBent50 min
Oct 11, 10:41 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDCheyenne49 min

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 11.0 hours before the alert went out and 147 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 1997-10-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1997-10-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 218 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2393 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
218 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
322 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.

013 
WWUS9 KMKC 112247
SEL8  
MKC WW 112247
COZ000-120500-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 748
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
447 PM MDT SAT OCT 11 1997

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   EASTERN COLORADO                           

EFFECTIVE THIS SATURDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 500 PM UNTIL
1100 PM MDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 1 3/4 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 85 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 55 MILES EAST SOUTHEAST OF TRINIDAD COLORADO TO 55
MILES NORTH OF AKRON COLORADO.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 746...WW 747...

DISCUSSION...INCREASING POTENTIAL FOR SUPERCELLS AND A FEW
TORNADOES THIS EVENING AS CONVERGENCE IS ENHANCED ALONG OUTFLOW
BOUNDARY ASSOCIATED WITH CONVECTION SPREADING E FROM THE COLORADO
MOUNTAINS.  SHEAR PROFILE EXPECTED TO REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR
DEVELOPMENT AS UPPER TROUGH APPROACHES REGION FROM THE SOUTHWEST. 
 
AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 1 3/4 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 75 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
480.  MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 20040.


...CORFIDI

365,1042 405,1042 405,1020 365,1021

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Colorado, 1997Every tornado watch 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.