Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2001

Flash Flood Warning 16, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

August 6, 20014 counties in Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this flash flood warning at Aug 6, 2001, 1:01 PM MDT for 4 counties in Colorado. It was in force for 4 hr. No storm report in the archive falls 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.

The facts

Issued
Aug 6, 2001, 1:01 PM MDT (19:01 UTC)
Expired
Aug 6, 2001, 5:00 PM MDT
In force
4 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Boulder County, CO, Gilpin County, CO, Grand County, CO, Larimer County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 99 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:05 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 nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 206 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 2001-08-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 332 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2001-08-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -3 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
332 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-198 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2159 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
72 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 
WGUS55 KBOU 061915 CCA
FFWDEN
COC013-047-049-069-062300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING....CORRECTED COUNTY LOCATION AND ADDED ROCKY
                         MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK WORDING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
101 PM MDT MON AUG 6 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN GILPIN COUNTY IN CENTRAL COLORADO
  EASTERN GRAND COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
  SOUTHWESTERN LARIMER COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
  WESTERN BOULDER COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO

* UNTIL 500 PM MDT

* AT 101 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN FROM 6 MILES          
  NORTHWEST OF LONGS PEAK TO CENTRAL CITY...OR FROM 36 MILES        
  SOUTHWEST OF FORT COLLINS TO 33 MILES WEST OF DENVER.  THE LINE OF
  STORMS PRODUCING THE HEAVY RAIN WAS NEARLY STATIONARY.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...ARAPAHOE
PEAK...BRAINARD LAKE...CENTRAL CITY...ELDORA...LONGS PEAK...MT 
AUDUBON...ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK...AND TOLLAND.

RADAR INDICATES BETWEEN 1 AND 2 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN ALONG THE 
CONTINENTAL DIVIDE IN ELEVATIONS ABOVE 9000 FEET.  ADDITIONAL HEAVY 
RAIN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 3 PM...WITH ANOTHER 1 TO 2 INCHES OF 
RAINFALL LIKELY.

THIS IS A POTENTIAL LIFE THREATENING SITUATION

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY.
RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE
PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY
AUTOMOBILE. IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK
HIGHER GROUND.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THIS STORM WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS
AND STREAMS...ROADS AND ROADSIDE CULVERTS. THE HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO
TRIGGER ROCK AND MUDSLIDES IN STEEP TERRAIN.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW WHERE YOU ARE RELATIVE TO STREAMS...RIVERS...
OR CREEKS WHICH CAN BECOME KILLERS IN HEAVY RAINS. CAMPERS SHOULD
AVOID CAMPING ALONG STREAMS OR CREEKS DURING THREATENING RAINS.

LAT...LON 4038 10559 4010 10557 3977 10550 3983 10561
          4001 10574 4038 10578

BARJENBRUCH

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Aug 6, 3:30 AM MDT, 9 hours 31 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 6, 3:30 AM MDT, 9 hours 31 minutes before
NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER COLORADO
330 AM MDT MON AUG 6 2001

CHALK UP A WIN FOR THE AVN AS THE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE RETURNED AS IT
PREDICTED THIS MORNING.  RESULTING BATCH OF STORMS IN THE LOW LEVEL
CONVERGENCE MAX CONTINUES TO PUSH WEST TOWARD DENVER AND SEEMS IN NO
HURRY TO DIE OUT.  NOT SURE IF IT WILL MAKE IT TO THE CITY...BUT I
WILL PROBABLY NEED TO THROW IN SOME EARLY MORNING POPS IN SOME ZONES.
WEAK ELY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TODAY WITH NO BIG CHANGE IN THE
ENVIRONMENT FROM THIS MORNING.  ETA TRIES TO MOVE THE BEST LOW LEVEL
MOISTURE TOWARD THE NW AND OUT OF CO...BUT THE SURFACE WINDS SHOULD
BE MORE E THAN SE.  TIMING OF THE NEXT BATCH OF STORMS IS A
CHALLENGE.  FIRST GUESS WOULD BE MAINLY OVERNIGHT...BUT WE MAY STILL
HAVE CONVERGENCE ALONG A BROAD AREA...OR MORE LIKELY SEVERAL WEAK
BOUNDARIES...FROM ROUGHLY KDEN-KCOS TOWARD THE E AND NE.  GIVEN THE
CURRENT ACTIVITY...IT LOOKS LIKE IT MAY NOT TAKE MUCH LOW LEVEL
FORCING TO PRODUCE STORMS EARLIER.  THERE ARE HINTS IN THE MODELS OF
A SHORTWAVE ROTATING ACROSS NERN CO FROM E TO W TONIGHT.  THIS MAY
BE CAUSE OF THE CONVECTION OR EFFECT...BUT IF THERE IS SOME
ORGANIZATION IT WOULD PROVIDE BETTER COVERAGE AND A MORE SIGNIFICANT
FLASH FLOOD THREAT.  WE MAY ALSO HAVE MORE ACTIVITY IN THE FOOTHILLS
AS THE BETTER MOISTURE ARRIVES...SO THAT MAY BEAR WATCHING.

ALL THE MODELS AGREE ON A DECREASE IN MOISTURE...AND SLIGHT LOW
LEVEL COOLING...FOR TUE AND WED FROM LOW LEVEL SE WINDS.  CURRENT
FORECAST LOOKS REASONABLE HERE.  MOISTURE STARTS TO DRIFT UP FROM
THE SOUTH BY THU AND PERHAPS A WEAK SURFACE FRONT AS WELL...SO THE
WETTER AND NOT AS WARM TREND LOOKS GOOD FOR THE REST OF THE EXTENDED
FORECAST.      GIMMESTAD

.DEN...NONE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 6, 10:30 AM MDT, 2 hours 31 minutes before
COZ030>051-062000-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1030 AM MDT MON AUG 6 2001

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: A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE CENTERED NORTH OF
COLORADO TODAY AND TONIGHT ALLOWING FOR A WEAK BUT DEEP EASTERLY
FLOW ALOFT OVER THE REGION.

LOW LEVEL MOISTURE IS IN PLACE EAST OF THE URBAN CORRIDOR THIS
MORNING.  A BOUNDARY WAS EVIDENT ACROSS EASTERN LINCOLN AND EASTERN
WASHINGTON COUNTIES.  THIS BOUNDARY COULD SLOWLY SLIDE WESTWARD INTO
EASTERN PORTIONS OF MORGAN...ADAMS...ARAPAHOE AND ELBERT COUNTIES BY
LATE THIS AFTERNOON...AS EASTERLY WINDS AT THE SURFACE DEVELOP.

ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THIS BOUNDARY
LATER TODAY...WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FORMING IN THE MOUNTAINS
AND FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS.

SINCE THE FLOW ALOFT IS SO WEAK...THE STORMS WILL BE NEARLY
STATIONARY AND COULD PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...FROM 1 TO 3
INCHES PER HOUR.  FLOODING AND FLASH FLOODING MAY OCCUR WITH A FEW
OF THE STORMS.  A FLASH FLOOD WATCH MAY BE NECESSARY FOR PORTIONS OF
NORTHEAST COLORADO LATER TODAY.

WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH...SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING MAY ALSO OCCUR WITH THE STORMS.

SINCE THE STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE SEVERE...SPOTTER ACTIVATION
IS NOT ANTICIPATED.  RAINFALL REPORTS HOWEVER WOULD BE GREATLY
APPRECIATED.

COOPER
Special weather statement, Aug 6, 1:00 PM MDT, 1 minute before
COZ030>051-062100-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
100 PM MDT MON AUG 6 2001

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: A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BE CENTERED NORTH OF
COLORADO TODAY AND TONIGHT ALLOWING FOR A WEAK BUT DEEP EASTERLY
FLOW ALOFT OVER THE REGION.

AT 1 PM...SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN
THE MOUNTAINS AND FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS.  A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN
EFFECT FOR THIS AREA UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.

IN THE PLAINS...A BOUNDARY EXTENDED FROM AROUND NUNN TO FORT MORGAN
TO COPE...THEN SOUTHWEST INTO KARVAL.  SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE
EXPECTED TO FORM ALONG THIS LINE AS WELL.  THE STORMS THAT DEVELOP
...WILL SLOWLY TRACK WEST INTO WELD...MORGAN...LINCOLN...AS WELL AS
EASTERN PORTIONS OF ADAMS...ARAPAHOE AND ELBERT COUNTIES THROUGH
THIS EVENING.

SINCE THE FLOW ALOFT IS SO WEAK...THE STORMS WILL BE NEARLY
STATIONARY AND WILL PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAINFALL...FROM 1 TO 3 INCHES
PER HOUR.  IN ADDITION...THE STORMS WILL PRODUCE HAIL...WIND GUSTS
TO 40 MPH AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

ONE OR TWO STORMS COULD BECOME SEVERE PRODUCING HAIL UP TO AN INCH
IN DIAMETER.  DUE TO THE ISOLATED NATURE OF THE STORMS SPOTTER
ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.  RAINFALL REPORTS HOWEVER WOULD BE
GREATLY APPRECIATED.

COOPER

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Colorado, 2001Every flash flood warning in 2001

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.