Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2007

Flash Flood Warning 19, NWS Pueblo, CO

July 21, 2007Chaffee County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this flash flood warning at Jul 21, 2007, 9:42 PM MDT for Chaffee County, Colorado. It took effect at Jul 21, 2007, 9:52 PM MDT. 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 counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 21, 2007, 9:42 PM MDT (03:42 UTC)
In effect from
Jul 21, 2007, 9:52 PM MDT
Expired
Jul 22, 2007, 12:45 AM MDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO
Area
Whole counties

County Chaffee County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 178 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:45 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 00:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 204 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 00:00Z on 2007-07-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 2007-07-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 48 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
4073 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
5 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
48 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
17 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 220352
FFWPUB
COC015-220645-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
942 PM MDT SAT JUL 21 2007

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY IN CENTRAL COLORADO...

* UNTIL 1245 AM MDT...

* AT 940 PM MDT...LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED SEVERE
  MUD SLIDES OVER PORTIONS OF COUNTY ROADS 162 AND 292...IN THE      
  VICINITY OF ALPINE AND SAINT ELMO...IN CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY.     
  THIS AREA IS LOCATED ALONG CHALK CREEK...IN THE MOUNTAINS WEST OF  
  NATHROP.

* THE STORM PRODUCING FLASH FLOODING WILL PRODUCE ANOTHER 3 TO 8     
  TENTHS OF AN INCH OF RAINFALL BY 11 PM MDT.

DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT RAIN TOTALS OF 1.0 TO 1.5 
INCHES OF RAINFALL OCCURRED OVER THE AREA BETWEEN 630 AND 930 PM 
MDT.  ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS BETWEEN 3 AND 8 TENTHS OF AN INCH 
ARE EXPECTED IN THAT AREA BY 11 PM MDT.  THIS AMOUNT OF RAIN WILL 
LIKELY LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING AND ADDITIONAL MUD SLIDES.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
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. 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. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN
IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODING. MAKE THE SMART
CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

JUST A SMALL AMOUNT OF RAINFALL IN STEEP...SATURATED TERRAIN CAN 
LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. WATER THAT IS NORMALLY ABSORBED BY THE 
SOIL...RUNS OFF ALMOST INSTANTLY. THIS CAUSES CREEKS AND DRAINAGE 
AREAS TO FLOOD AT A MUCH FASTER RATE THAN NORMAL. ADDITIONALLY...THE 
SOILS BECOME VERY UNSTABLE...RESULTING IN MUD FLOWS AND FALLING 
ROCK. ROADWAYS CAN BE WASHED OUT BY THE FORCE OF THE RUSHING WATER.

LAT...LON 3869 10642 3865 10619 3876 10619 3879 10641

$$
1 follow-up statement
000 
WGUS75 KPUB 220504
FFSPUB

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1100 PM MDT SAT JUL 21 2007

COC015-220645-
CHAFFEE CO-
1100 PM MDT SAT JUL 21 2007

...A FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1245 AM MDT FOR
CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY...

AT 11 PM MDT...RADAR INDICATED THAT RAINFALL HAD JUST ABOUT ENDED 
OVER CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY.  HOWEVER...FLOODING AND MUD SLIDES 
CONTINUED ALONG ROADS 162 AND 292...NEAR ALPINE AND SAINT ELMO...IN 
CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY.  THIS AREA IS LOCATED ALONG CHALK CREEK... 
SOUTHWEST OF MOUNT PRINCETON...IN THE MOUNTAINS WEST OF NATHROP.

LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS REPORTED SEVERE MUD SLIDES OVER 
PORTIONS OF COUNTY ROADS 162 AND 292...IN THE VICINITY OF ALPINE AND 
SAINT ELMO...IN CENTRAL CHAFFEE COUNTY...SHORTLY BEFORE 10 PM THIS 
EVENING.  REPORTS ESTIMATED MUD SLIDES 7 TO 8 FEET DEEP OVER 
PORTIONS OF ROADS 162 AND 292...SEVERE PROPERTY DAMAGE..AND VEHICLES 
MOVED.  NO KNOWN INJURIES OR DEATHS HAD OCCURRED.  OFFICIALS ORDERED 
THE AREA EVACUATED.

RAIN SHOWERS IN THE AREA WERE TAPERING OFF.  LITTLE TO NO ADDITIONAL 
RAINFALL IS EXPECTED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE NIGHT.

DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATES INDICATE THAT RAINFALL TOTALS OF 1.0 TO 1.5 
INCHES OCCURRED OVER THE AREA BETWEEN 630 AND 930 PM MDT SATURDAY 
EVENING.  ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS...BETWEEN 930 AND 1100 PM 
SATURDAY EVENING WERE LIGHT...GENERALLY LESS THAN A TENTH OF AN INCH.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING.
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. 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. BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN
IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE DANGERS OF FLOODING. MAKE THE SMART
CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

JUST A SMALL AMOUNT OF RAINFALL IN STEEP...SATURATED TERRAIN CAN 
LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING. WATER THAT IS NORMALLY ABSORBED BY THE 
SOIL...RUNS OFF ALMOST INSTANTLY. THIS CAUSES CREEKS AND DRAINAGE 
AREAS TO FLOOD AT A MUCH FASTER RATE THAN NORMAL. ADDITIONALLY...THE 
SOILS BECOME VERY UNSTABLE...RESULTING IN MUD FLOWS AND FALLING 
ROCK. ROADWAYS CAN BE WASHED OUT BY THE FORCE OF THE RUSHING WATER.

LAT...LON 3869 10642 3865 10619 3876 10619 3879 10641

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Pueblo, CO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 22, 5:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBAlamosa, Costilla65 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Colorado, 2007Every flash flood warning in 2007

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.