Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 5, 1998Weld County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 5, 1998, 3:26 PM MDT for Weld County, Colorado. It was in force for 64 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
May 5, 1998, 3:26 PM MDT (21:26 UTC)
Expired
May 5, 1998, 4:30 PM MDT
In force
64 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), 77 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:26 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
May 5, 3:45 PM MDTHail 1Evans, 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 12:00Z, 9.4 hours before the alert went out and 143 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 1998-05-05Temperature 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 1998-05-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -21 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
890 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-121 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 KDEN 052126 RRA
SVRDEN
COC123-052230-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
326 PM MDT TUE MAY 5 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
     WEST CENTRAL WELD COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO

* UNTIL 430 PM MDT

* AT 322 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 3 MILES NORTHWEST OF LA SALLE...OR ABOUT 4
  MILES SOUTHWEST OF GREELEY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE GREELEY...AULT...BARNESVILLE...
  EATON...EVANS...GALETON...GILL...LA SALLE...LUCERNE...PURCELL AND
  WINDSOR

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WIND IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH...
DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. FOR YOUR
PROTECTION MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME
OR BUSINESS. HEAVY RAINS FLOOD ROADS QUICKLY SO DO NOT DRIVE INTO
AREAS WHERE WATER COVERS THE ROAD.

LESZCYNSKI

LAT...LON 4041 10495 4027 10470 4056 10441 4068 10462

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, May 5, 10:45 AM MDT, 4 hours 41 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-060600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1045 AM MDT TUE MAY 5 1998

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: SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO
DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE FOOTHILLS AND ALONG THE PALMER
DIVIDE. MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW COMBINED WITH AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE
WILL LEAD TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THESE STORMS. THE STORMS WILL
EVENTUALLY SPREAD EASTWARD ONTO THE PLAINS LATE IN THE AFTERNOON AND
EVENING. A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY REACH SEVERE LEVELS FOR BRIEF
PERIODS OF TIME BY PRODUCING HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER.

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY DUE TO THE LIMITED
COVERAGE AND BRIEF NATURE OF ANY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. HOWEVER ANY
REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT WEATHER WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

HERRALD
Local storm report, May 5, 10:57 AM MDT, 4 hours 29 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1057 AM MDT TUE MAY 5 1998

...PRELIMINARY STORM REPORT FOR MAY 04 1998...

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0256 PM    7SW CARR                  CO      0.75 INCH HAIL
05/04/98   WELD

0700 PM    HONHOLTZ RANCH            CO      1.00 INCH HAIL
05/04/98   LARIMER

BENTON
Local storm report, May 5, 10:57 AM MDT, 4 hours 29 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1057 AM MDT TUE MAY 5 1998

...PRELIMINARY STORM REPORT FOR MAY 04 1998...

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0256 PM    7SW CARR                  CO      0.75 INCH HAIL
05/04/98   WELD

0700 PM    HONHOLTZ RANCH            CO      1.00 INCH HAIL
05/04/98   LARIMER

FREDIN
Special weather statement, May 5, 2:50 PM MDT, 36 minutes before
COZ044-045-049-052145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
250 PM MDT TUE MAY 5 1998

AT 235 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AN
AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN ADAMS...WEST CENTRAL
WASHINGTON...EXTREME NORTHEASTERN ARAPAHOE AND SOUTHEASTERN MORGAN
COUNTIES.  THE STRONGEST STORM WAS 4 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WOODROW...OR
ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF AKRON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER
HOUR.

HEAVY RAIN WAS OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS.  DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
UP TO AN INCH AND A HALF OF RAIN HAD FALLEN IN AN HOURS TIME OVER WEST
CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY...JUST WEST OF WOODROW.  LOCALIZED
FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND ROADWAYS IS POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN
WEST CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR GARY...LAST CHANCE...SHAMROCK...WOODLIN SCHOOL AND
WOODROW SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND MOVE TO
A PLACE OF SAFETY IF BAD WEATHER APPROACHES.

LESZCYNSKI
Special weather statement, May 5, 2:50 PM MDT, 36 minutes before
COZ044-045-049-052145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
250 PM MDT TUE MAY 5 1998

AT 235 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AN
AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER EASTERN ADAMS...WEST CENTRAL
WASHINGTON...EXTREME NORTHEASTERN ARAPAHOE AND SOUTHEASTERN MORGAN
COUNTIES.  THE STRONGEST STORM WAS 4 MILES SOUTHEAST OF WOODROW...OR
ABOUT 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF AKRON...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER
HOUR.

HEAVY RAIN WAS OCCURRING WITH THESE STORMS.  DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
UP TO AN INCH AND A HALF OF RAIN HAD FALLEN IN AN HOURS TIME OVER WEST
CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY...JUST WEST OF WOODROW.  LOCALIZED
FLOODING OF SMALL STREAMS AND ROADWAYS IS POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN
WEST CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY.

PERSONS IN OR NEAR GARY...LAST CHANCE...SHAMROCK...WOODLIN SCHOOL AND
WOODROW SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND MOVE TO
A PLACE OF SAFETY IF BAD WEATHER APPROACHES.

LESZCYNSKI

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 5, 3:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld50 min
May 5, 4:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld31 min
May 5, 4:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington33 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Colorado, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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.