Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003

Flash Flood Warning 16, NWS Pueblo, CO

August 25, 2003Rio Grande County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this flash flood warning at Aug 25, 2003, 3:11 PM MDT for Rio Grande 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
Aug 25, 2003, 3:11 PM MDT (21:11 UTC)
Expired
Aug 25, 2003, 6:15 PM MDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Rio Grande County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 215 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:15 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

Grand Junction, CO (KGJT), launched 12:00Z, 9.2 hours before the alert went out and 246 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, Grand Junction, CO at 12:00Z on 2003-08-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 23 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, Grand Junction, CO at 12:00Z on 2003-08-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -26 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
23 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-209 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2028 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-26 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-1 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 KPUB 252115
FFWPUB
COC105-260015-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
311 PM MDT MON AUG 25 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  RIO GRANDE COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO

* UNTIL 615 PM MDT

* AT 305 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS WITH 
HEAVY RAIN IN THE SOUTH FORK AREA. THESES STORMS WERE SLOW MOVING 
STORMS THAT WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN ALONG WITH LIGHTNING 
AND SMALL HAIL. AT 300 PM AUTOMATED RAIN GAUGES ON THE MILLION BURN 
SCAR REPORTED NEARLY ONE HALF INCH OF RAIN IN 20 MINUTES.

* HEAVY RAIN IN THE BURN SCAR AREA CAN QUICKLY LEAD TO FLASH 
FLOODING IN AND NEAR THE BURN SCAR. HOUSING AREAS SUCH AS MILL 
CREEK...ALAMO AND WILLOW CREEK ARE PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE TO FLASH 
FLOODING FROM THE RAIN ON THE BURN SCAR. FLASH FLOODING COULD LEAD 
TO ROAD CLOSURES THAT COULD BLOCK ESCAPE FOR AREA RESIDENTS. 

IF YOU ARE IN OR CLOSE TO THE WARNED AREA GO TO HIGHER GROUND
IMMEDIATELY. PEOPLE ALONG CREEKS AND DRAINAGE AREAS SHOULD TAKE
IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO
CROSS SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER OR STILL WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH ON FOOT 
OR BY VEHICLE. 

LAT...LON 3774 10618 3742 10618 3741 10667 3780 10666
          3772 10659

$$
3 follow-up statements
000 
WGUS75 KPUB 252210
FFSPUB
COC105-260015-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
400 PM MDT MON AUG 25 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615PM MDT MONDAY 
EVENING FOR RIO GRANDE COUNTY...

HEAVY RAIN FROM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE RAPID 
RUNOFF IN AND AROUND THE MILLION BURN SCAR. AT 355 PM NATIONAL 
WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE HIGHER 
TERRAIN IN WESTERN RIO GRANDE COUNTY...INCLUDING THE MILLION BURN 
SCAR AREA AND SOUTH FORK. ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT 
CONTINUED WEST OF THE BURN AREA WITH THUNDERSTORMS MOVE EAST AND 
SOUTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MPH. SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE 
PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN THAT WILL LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING.

AT 400 PM AUTOMATED RAIN GAUGES REPORTED OVER THREE QUARTERS OF AN 
INCH OF RAIN IN THE BURN SCAR AREA AND RIO GRANDE COUNTY SHERIFF HAS 
BEGAN THE PROCESS OF CLOSING SOME ROADS IN THE AREA. PEOPLE LIVING 
IN AND NEAR THE BURN SCAR AREA SHOULD PREPARE FOR ADDITIONAL HEAVY 
RAIN AND FLASH FLOODING. BEAVER CREEK ROAD...ESCADIDA ROAD AND SKY 
LINE ROAD HAVE BEEN CLOSED DUE TO WASH OUTS FROM THE RUNOFF. 

PEOPLE IN AND NEAR THE BURN SCAR AREA SHOULD QUICKLY PREPARE FOR 
HEAVY RAIN AND RAPID RUNOFF. WATCH FOR DEBRIS ON ROADWAYS AS WELL AS 
ROCKSLIDES AND MUDSLIDES IN STEEP TERRAIN. 

LAT...LON 3772 10618 3743 10618 3743 10668 3781 10667
          3780 10660 3771 10659

$$
000 
WGUS75 KPUB 252259
FFSPUB
COC105-260015-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
449 PM MDT MON AUG 25 2003

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 615 PM MDT MONDAY 
EVENING FOR THE MILLION BURN SCAR IN RIO GRANDE COUNTY...

LATEST RADAR AND SATELLITE DATA SHOW THAT THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED 
EAST OF THE WARNING AREA...WITH MAINLY LIGHT RAIN ACROSS THE BURN 
SCAR. THUNDERSTORMS WERE CONTINUING TO FORM OVER THE EASTERN SAN 
JUAN MOUNTAINS AT 445 PM...AND A FEW OF THESE MAY MOVE BACK OVER THE 
AREA AFTER 530 PM. 

AT 445 PM AUTOMATED RAIN GAUGES REPORTED NEARLY AN INCH OF RAIN IN 
THE BURN SCAR AREA...WITH THE RIO GRANDE COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTING 
THAT PORTIONS OF BEAVER CREEK ROAD...ESCADIDA ROAD AND SKY LINE ROAD 
CONTINUED TO BE CLOSED DUE TO WASH OUTS FROM THE RUNOFF. 

BE ALERT FOR FAST RISING WATER AND BE READY TO TAKE QUICK ACTION IF
NECESSARY. DO NOT DRIVE OR WALK INTO WATER OF UNKNOWN DEPTH. AS
LITTLE AS 6 INCHES OF WATER MAY CAUSE YOU TO LOSE CONTROL OF YOUR
VEHICLE...AND 2 FEET OF RUSHING WATER CAN CARRY AWAY MOST VEHICLES...
INCLUDING SUVS AND PICKUPS. NEARLY HALF OF ALL FLOOD FATALITIES ARE
VEHICLE RELATED. KEEP CHILDREN AND OTHERS AWAY FROM FAST FLOWING 
WATER. 

WATCH FOR ROCKSLIDES...MUDSLIDES AND ASH FLOWS IN AND NEAR THE BURN 
SCAR. WHEN DRIVING...SLOW DOWN TO AVOID HITTING ROCKS AND MUD ON THE 
ROADWAY.

LAT...LON 3760 10665 3757 10646 3766 10636 3768 10662

$$
000 
WGUS75 KPUB 252349
FFSPUB
COC105-260015-

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
545 PM MDT MON AUG 25 2003

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WHICH WAS IN EFFECT FOR THE MILLION BURN 
SCAR IN RIO GRANDE COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELED...

LATEST RADAR AND SATELLITE DATA SUGGESTS THE THREAT OF HEAVY 
RAINFALL OVER THE MILLION BURN SCAR HAS ENDED. 

THE RIO GRANDE COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE REPORTS THAT WATER HAS 
RECEDED IN MOST AREAS...WITH ROADS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY CLOSED DUE 
TO WASH OUTS AND ASH FLOWS NOW REOPENED. 

LAT...LON 3761 10669 3749 10652 3766 10640 3767 10664

$$

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.