Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 3, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 15, 2003Boulder County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this flash flood warning at May 15, 2003, 7:57 PM MDT for Boulder 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, 7:57 PM MDT (01:57 UTC)
Expired: May 15, 2003, 10:30 PM MDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Boulder County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:01 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, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 183 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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 160201
FFWBOU
COC013-160430-

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL BOULDER COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO

* UNTIL 1030 PM MDT

* AT 757 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR IS INDICATING HEAVY 
RAIN FALLING OF THE FOOTHILLS OF BOULDER COUNTY.  THE STORMS 
PRODUCING THE HEAVY RAIN WERE MOVING VERY LITTLE.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...WESTERN 
BOULDER...GOLD HILL AND JAMESTOWN.

A RAIN GAUGE IN THE WARNING AREA ALONG BOULDER CREEK HAS REPORTED 
1.97 INCHES OF RAIN SINCE 7 PM.  A SPOTTER LOCATED 6 MILES WEST OF 
BOULDER REPORTED 1 INCH OF RAIN IN 25 MINUTES WITH THESE STORMS.   

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.

DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES THAT AROUND 2.0 INCHES OF RAIN HAVE FALLEN 
FROM THESE STORM IN THE LAST 45 MINUTES.

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 3995 10546 3995 10541 3993 10539 3993 10530
          4002 10528 4013 10529 4026 10530 4026 10543

RJK

3 follow-up statements

000 
WGUS75 KBOU 160227
FFSBOU
COC013-160345-

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

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL BOULDER COUNTY
UNTIL 945 PM MDT.

AT 825 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN OVER THE FOOTHILLS OF CENTRAL BOULDER COUNTY.
THE STORMS PRODUCING THE RAIN WERE MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.

LOCATIONS REMAINING IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED 
TO...WESTERN BOULDER...GOLD HILL...AND JAMESTOWN.

RAIN GAUGES...SPOTTERS...AND THE DOPPLER RADAR HAVE ALL INDICATED 
RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE 1.5 TO 2.75 INCH RANGE ACROSS MOST OF THE 
BOULDER COUNTY FOOTHILLS SINCE ABOUT 7 PM.  SOME SPECIFIC RAINFALL 
AMOUNTS INCLUDE 1.5 INCHES IN ELDORADO CANYON...2.0 IN LEFT HAND 
CANYON...2.4 INCHES IN BOULDER AND FOUR MILE CREEK CANYONS...AND 
2.79 INCHES AT SUGARLOAF.  FLOODING WAS REPORTED BY THE BOULDER 
COUNTY OFFICIALS IN LOGAN HILL AND FOURMILE CANYON. 

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.

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.

LAT...LON 3995 10546 3995 10541 3993 10539 3993 10530
          4002 10528 4013 10529 4026 10530 4026 10543

RJK

000 
WGUS75 KBOU 160232 CCA
FFSBOU
COC013-160345-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT  ...CORRECTED EXPIRATION TIME...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
825 PM MDT THU MAY 15 2003

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL BOULDER COUNTY
UNTIL 1030 PM MDT.

AT 825 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN OVER THE FOOTHILLS OF CENTRAL BOULDER COUNTY.
THE STORMS PRODUCING THE RAIN WERE MOVING SOUTH AT 10 MPH.

LOCATIONS REMAINING IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED 
TO...WESTERN BOULDER...GOLD HILL...AND JAMESTOWN.

RAIN GAUGES...SPOTTERS...AND THE DOPPLER RADAR HAVE ALL INDICATED 
RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE 1.5 TO 2.75 INCH RANGE ACROSS MOST OF THE 
BOULDER COUNTY FOOTHILLS SINCE ABOUT 7 PM.  SOME SPECIFIC RAINFALL 
AMOUNTS INCLUDE 1.5 INCHES IN ELDORADO CANYON...2.0 IN LEFT HAND 
CANYON...2.4 INCHES IN BOULDER AND FOUR MILE CREEK CANYONS...AND 
2.79 INCHES AT SUGARLOAF.  FLOODING WAS REPORTED BY THE BOULDER 
COUNTY OFFICIALS IN LOGAN HILL AND FOURMILE CANYON. 

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.

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.

LAT...LON 3995 10546 3995 10541 3993 10539 3993 10530
          4002 10528 4013 10529 4026 10530 4026 10543

RJK

000 
WGUS75 KBOU 160331 CCA
FFSBOU
COC013-160340-

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

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR CENTRAL BOULDER COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

AT 930 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN SHOWERS PUSHING SOUTHWARD AT 20 MPH ACROSS 
THE EASTERN HALF OF BOULDER COUNTY.  THE HEAVY RAIN HAS DISSIPATED 
AND PUSH SOUTHWARD OUT OF BOULDER COUNTY SO THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING 
HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

RAIN GAUGES...SPOTTERS...AND THE DOPPLER RADAR ALL INDICATED 
RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN THE 1.5 TO 2.75 INCH RANGE ACROSS MOST OF THE 
BOULDER COUNTY FOOTHILLS.  SOME FLOODING WAS REPORTED BY THE BOULDER 
COUNTY OFFICIALS.  A FEW BASEMENTS HAD WATER IN THEM IN THE 
SUGARLOAF AREA.  MUD AND ROCKS WERE REPORTED ACROSS ROADWAYS IN 
LEFTHAND CANYON...FOURMILE CANYON...AND NEAR BOULDER FALLS. 

LAT...LON 3995 10546 3995 10541 3993 10539 3993 10530
          4002 10528 4013 10529 4026 10530 4026 10543

RJK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 15, 7:45 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOU	Elbert	3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Colorado, 2003 Every 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.