Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 15, 2003Elbert County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this flash flood warning at May 15, 2003, 7:45 PM MDT for Elbert 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
May 15, 2003, 7:45 PM MDT (01:45 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 2003, 10:45 PM MDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Elbert County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 77 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:49 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 00:00Z, 1.8 hours before the alert went out and 94 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 2003-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 68 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2003-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 23 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
68 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1333 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
23 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
40 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 160152
FFWBOU
COC039-160445-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
745 PM MDT THU MAY 15 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED ANOTHER

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EASTERN ELBERT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO

* UNTIL 1045 PM MDT

* AT 745 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN CONTINUING OVER MUCH OF EASTERN ELBERT 
COUNTY.  THE STORMS PRODUCING THE RAIN WERE NEARLY STATIONARY.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...AGATE AND
MATHESON.  WATERWAYS AFFECTED BY THE HEAVY RUNOFF IN THE WARNING 
AREA INCLUDE EAST BIJOU...AGATE...AND BIG SANDY CREEKS OF EASTERN 
ELBERT COUNTY.

DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED A LARGE AREA OF 4 TO 7 INCHES OF RAIN HAS  
FALLEN IN THE WARNING AREA FROM JUST NORTH OF MATHESON NORTHWARD TO 
JUST SOUTH OF AGATE HEN EASTWARD TO INTERSTATE 70.  THE RAIN STARTED 
IN THIS AREA EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON AROUND 3:45 PM.  HIGHWAY 86 JUST 
WEST OF INTERSTATE 70 HAS BEEN CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING. 

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...COUNTRY ROADS...NORMALLY DRY WASHES AND
ARROYOS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

LAT...LON 3917 10404 3906 10404 3913 10374 3955 10373
          3954 10411 3917 10413

RJK
2 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS75 KBOU 160314
FFSBOU
COC039-160445-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
912 PM MDT THU MAY 15 2003

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EASTERN ELBERT COUNTY
UNTIL 1045 PM MDT.

AT 912 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN STILL FALLING OVER EASTERN ELBERT COUNTY THE 
STORMS PRODUCING THE RAIN WERE MOVING SOUTH AT 15 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...AGATE AND
MATHESON.  WATERWAYS AFFECTED BY THE HEAVY RUNOFF IN THE WARNING 
AREA INCLUDE EAST BIJOU...AGATE...AND BIG SANDY CREEKS OF EASTERN 
ELBERT COUNTY.

DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED A LARGE AREA OF 4 TO 7 INCHES OF RAIN HAS  
FALLEN IN THE WARNING AREA FROM JUST NORTH OF MATHESON NORTHWARD TO 
JUST SOUTH OF AGATE THEN EASTWARD TO INTERSTATE 70.  THE RAIN 
STARTED IN THIS AREA EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON AROUND 3:45 PM.  HIGHWAY 
86 JUST WEST OF INTERSTATE 70 HAS BEEN CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING. 

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...COUNTRY ROADS...NORMALLY DRY WASHES AND
ARROYOS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

LAT...LON 3917 10404 3906 10404 3913 10374 3955 10373
          3954 10411 3917 10413

RJK
000 
WGUS75 KBOU 160349
FFSBOU
COC039-160400-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
949 PM MDT THU MAY 15 2003

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR EASTERN ELBERT COUNTY IS CANCELLED

AT 949 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
ONLY LIGHT RAIN SHOWERS PUSHING SOUTHWARD ACROSS EASTERN ELBERT 
COUNTY.  SO THREAT OF ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED SO THE FLASH 
FLOOD WARNING FOR EASTERN ELBERT COUNTY IS CANCELLED.

DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF 4 TO 7 INCHES OF RAIN HAD  
FALLEN IN THE WARNING AREA FROM JUST NORTH OF MATHESON NORTHWARD TO 
JUST SOUTH OF AGATE THEN EASTWARD TO INTERSTATE 70.  HIGHWAY 86 JUST 
WEST OF INTERSTATE 70 HAS BEEN CLOSED DUE TO FLOODING EARLIER IN THE 
EVENING.


LAT...LON 3917 10404 3906 10404 3913 10374 3955 10373
          3954 10411 3917 10413

RJK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 7:57 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningBOUBoulder3 hr

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.