Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 19, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

July 29, 2003Jefferson County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this flash flood warning at Jul 29, 2003, 2:20 PM MDT for Jefferson County, Colorado. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jul 29, 2003, 2:20 PM MDT (20:20 UTC)
Expired
Jul 29, 2003, 5:15 PM MDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Jefferson County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 61 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:22 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, 8.3 hours before the alert went out and 173 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 2003-07-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 176 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 2003-07-29The 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
176 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-229 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1477 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
2 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 
WGUS55 KBOU 292021
FFWBOU
COC059-292315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
220 PM MDT TUE JUL 29 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO

* UNTIL 515 PM MDT

* AT 220 PM MDT...THE A WEATHER SERVICE EMPLOYEE REPORTED VERY
  HEAVY RAIN OVER GOLDEN...OR ABOUT 15 MILES WEST OF DENVER. THE 
  STORM PRODUCING THE HEAVY RAIN WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...WESTERN
ARVADA...GOLDEN...NORTHWESTERN LAKEWOOD...WESTERN WHEAT RIDGE AND
WHITE RANCH OPEN SPACE.

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 SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS AND OTHER
LOW LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLASH FLOODING.

LAT...LON 3985 10535 3966 10531 3968 10513 3985 10514

$$
DANKERS
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS75 KBOU 292112
FFSBOU
COC059-292230-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
310 PM MDT TUE JUL 29 2003

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR

  NORTH CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY

UNTIL 515 PM MDT.

AT 300 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
WEAKENING THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTH SOUTHEAST OUT 
OF NORTH CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY.  WHILE THE HEAVY RAIN HAS 
ENDED IN NORTH CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY...FLOOD PROBLEMS ARE 
STILL BEING REPORTED ALONG SECTIONS OF HIGHWAY 93. 

DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES AND RAIN GAGES INDICATE THAT BETWEEN 1 
AND 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ALONG HIGHWAY 93 NORTH OF GOLDEN IN 
LESS THAN 30 MINUTES.  THE RAINFALL HAS CAUSED SIGNIFICANT RISES
IN VAN BIBBER CREEK AND LENA GULCH.  HOWEVER...THE CREEKS ARE
STILL BELOW BANKFULL.

WHILE THE RAINFALL IS ENDING...FLOODING OF CREEKS AND GULLIES... 
ROADS AND CULVERTS IS LIKELY CONTINUING.  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.

LAT...LON 3985 10535 3966 10531 3968 10513 3985 10514

$$
000 
WGUS75 KBOU 292212
FFSBOU
COC059-292230-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
410 PM MDT TUE JUL 29 2003

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING CANCELLED...

THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY HAS BEEN 
CANCELLED.  AT 400 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR 
INDICATED THE THUNDERSTORMS AND HEAVY RAIN SHOWERS OVER THE WESTERN 
SUBURBS OF DENVER HAD DISSIPATED.  A FEW MORE LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS 
WERE BEGINNING TO MOVE OUT OF THE FOOTHILLS...BUT ADDITIONAL RAIN 
AMOUNTS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LESS THAN A QUARTER OF AN INCH. 

NO ADDITIONAL FLOODING PROBLEMS WERE BEING REPORTED IN THE GOLDEN 
AREA.  EARLIER...SOME BASEMENT FLOODING WAS REPORTED IN NORTHERN 
GOLDEN AND ALONG GOLDEN GATE CANYON ROAD. HIGH WATER WAS ALSO 
REPORTED IN LENA GULCH. 

DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES AND RAIN GAGES INDICATE THAT BETWEEN 1 AND 
1.5 INCHES OF RAIN FELL ALONG HIGHWAY 93 NORTH OF GOLDEN AND OVER 
WHITE RANCH OPEN SPACE IN LESS THAN 30 MINUTES.  RUNOFF FROM THE 
RAINFALL CAUSED SIGNIFICANT RISES IN VAN BIBBER CREEK AND LENA 
GULCH.  

LAT...LON 3985 10535 3966 10531 3968 10513 3985 10514

$$
DANKERS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 28, 6:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld50 min
Jul 29, 3:09 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUArapahoe, Douglas51 min
Jul 29, 3:34 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUDouglas41 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Colorado, 2003Every flash flood warning in 2003

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.