Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Watches in 2008
Flash Flood Watch 1, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this flash flood watch at May 23, 2008, 4:14 AM MDT for Boulder County, Larimer County, Weld County, Colorado. It took effect at May 23, 2008, 12:00 PM MDT. It was in force for 7 hr.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 23, 2008, 4:14 AM MDT (10:14 UTC)
- In effect from
- May 23, 2008, 12:00 PM MDT
- Expired
- May 23, 2008, 7:21 PM MDT
- In force
- 7 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
- Flood severity
- None
Counties Boulder County, CO, Larimer County, CO, Weld County, CO
The radar
The Cheyenne radar (KCYS), 82 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 10:15 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
Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 169 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 52 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -60 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2278 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 3 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -97 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -79 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this flash flood watch went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood watch went out at May 23, 2:51 AM MDT, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 23, 2:51 AM MDT, 1 hour 23 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 251 AM MDT FRI MAY 23 2008 .SHORT TERM...ONCE AGAIN FCST FOR TODAY IS RATHER COMPLICATED. STG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE WRN US WITH RATHER STG SSW FLOW ALOFT. JUST LIKE YESTERDAY THE BIG QUESTION IS WHERE A STG SFC LOW WILL DVLP BY AFTN AND WHERE WILL WRM FNTL BNDRY AND DRYLINE INTERSECT BY AFTN. YESTERDAY AN INTENSE SUPERCELL DEVELOPED ALONG THE TRIPLE POINT OVER SWRN WELD COUNTY AND PRODUCED A STG TORNADO AS IT MOVED NW CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE. THE RUC AND GFS SHOW THE FNTL BNDRY BY EARLY AFTN ALONG THE WY-NE BORDER AREA WHILE BOTH THE 00Z AND 06Z RUNS OF THE NAM HAVE THIS BNDRY FURTHER SOUTH FROM JUST NORTH OF DENVER EXTENDING EASTWARDS TOWARDS AKRON MUCH LIKE OCCURRED YESTERDAY. LATEST 06Z RUN FM THE RUC IS STARTING TO TREND MORE TOWARDS NAM SOLUTION SO AM A BIT CONCERNED THAT NAM MAY END UP BEING THE RIGHT SOLUTION. MEANWHILE QQ FIELDS FM THE GFS AND NAM SHOW DECENT ASCENT OVER NRN CO THIS AFTN WITH FAVORABLE QG VERTICAL VELOCITIES ONCE AGAIN. IF RATHER STG ESE LOW LEVEL FLOW DOES DVLP INTO LARIMER COUNTY AS SHOW BY THE NAM THIS COULD LEAD TO SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL ON TOP OF ALREADY SATURATED GROUND IN AN NR THE FOOTHILLS WHICH COULD LEAD TO SOME FLASH FLOODING. THUS WILL ISSUE A FFA FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND LOWER ELEVATIONS OF LARIMER COUNTY INTO EXTREME WRN WELD COUNTY FOR THE AFTN HOURS. AS FAR AS SVR WEATHER THREAT IF FNTL BNDRY ENDS UP FURTHER SOUTH LIKE NAM SHOWS THE POTENTIAL FOR SVR WEATHER WILL BE QUITE HIGH ALONG AND NORTH OF BNDRY THRU THE AFTN HOURS. CAPES ARE FCST IN THE 1500-2000 J/KG RANGE ALONG BNDRY BY MID AFTN WITH HELICITIES AOA 200 M2S2. CURRENTLY THERE IS A MDT RISK FOR THE EXTREME NERN CORNER OF CO FOR THIS AFTN HOWEVER AM CONCERNED IF BNDRY ENDS UP FURTHER SOUTH THREAT FOR SIGNIFICANT SVR WX MAY EXIST FURTHER WESTWARD INTO MORGAN...WELD AND POSSIBLY ERN LARIMER COUNTIES. FOR THE REST OF THE AREA SOUTH OF THE FNTL BNDRY THE AIRMASS WILL DRY OUT CONSIDERABLY WITH ONLY SOME HIGH ISOLD HIGH BASED CONVECTION POSSIBLE. MEANWHILE STG SSE LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL REDEVELOP BY AFTN SOUTH OF THE BNDRY WITH SPEEDS IN THE 20 TO 35 MPH WITH A FEW GUSTS TO 50 MPH POSSIBLE. IN THE MTNS ONCE AGAIN THERE WILL BE QUITE A BIT OF MOISTURE COMBINED WITH STEEP LAPSE RATES SO EXPECT SCT SHOWERS/TSTMS WITH THE SNOW LEVEL AROUND 10000 FEET. HIGH TEMPS THIS AFTN WILL VARY WIDELY AND BE DEPENDANT ON WHERE THE FNTL BNDRY IS. SOUTH OF THE BNDRY HIGHS WILL RISE WELL INTO THE 70S WHILE NORTH OF BNDRY HIGHS WILL ONLY BE IN THE 60S. FOR TONIGHT THE QG ASCENT WILL AND QG VERTICAL VELOCITIES ARE FCST TO DIMINISH BY EARLY EVENING AS THE FNTLY BNDRY IS FCST TO LIFT BACK TO ALONG THE WY-CO-NE BORDER AREA BY 03Z. THUS PCPN SHOULD END BY EARLY EVENING ACROSS ALONG AND NORTH OF THE BNDRY. IN THE MTNS SHOULD SEE PCPN GRADUALLY DIMINISH AS WELL. .LONG TERM...THE UPPER PATTERN OVER THE WESTERN U.S. WILL UNDERGO CHANGE OVER THE COURSE OF THE WEEKEND AS THE LARGE UPPER LOW CONTINUES ITS RETROGRESSION AND THEN BEGINS FILLING ON SUNDAY. AS THE UPPER LOW FILLS...RISING HEIGHTS OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN DESERTS WILL PRODUCE A DRIER SOUTHWESTERLY MID LEVEL FLOW OVER COLORADO. AS THE SURFACE PRESSURE PATTERN RELAXES THROUGH THE WEEKEND...IT WILL BE LESS ABLE TO CONTINUE DRAWING GULF MOISTURE INTO THE REGION. THE RESULT OF THESE CHANGES WILL BE A RETURN TO THE MORE DIURNAL PATTERN OF SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THAN WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE LAST COUPLE DAYS. QPF FIELDS FROM THE LATEST GFS NOW SHOW DRY CONDITIONS ACROSS THE COUNTY WARNING AREA FROM SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON...TEMPTING ME TO REMOVE ALL POPS FROM THE FORECAST...BUT DO NOT HAVE THE CONFIDENCE THAT THE GFS SOLUTION WILL VERIFY ALL THE WAY THROUGH 96 HOURS...SO WILL HANG ON TO THE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS THAT ARE ALREADY IN THE FORECAST PACKAGE. COME MONDAY EVENING THROUGH NEXT WEEK...THE GFS AND ECMWF INDICATE A CANADIAN HIGH DROPPING OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS WHICH COULD SET EASTERN COLORADO UP FOR SOME DAY 2/GULF MOISTURE RETURN FLOW THAT CAN SUPPORT AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE. THIS WILL BE A MUCH MORE COMMON SUMMER WEATHER PATTERN THAN WHAT WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE PAST COUPLE DAYS. TEMPERATURES THROUGH THE PERIOD SHOULD BE GENERALLY AROUND SEASONAL VALUES GIVEN THAT WE WILL NOT BE UNDER ANY WARM RIDING OR COLD TROUGHINESS. CHANGES TO THE GRIDS WERE PRIMARILY TO BACK OFF ON CLOUD COVER THROUGH MOST PERIODS...AND TO SCALE BACK POPS DURING THE OVERNIGHT PERIODS TO REFLECT THE CHANGE TO THE MORE DIURNALLY DRIVEN SHOWER PATTERN. && .AVIATION...STG SURFACE LOW WILL REDEVELOP BY MIDDAY WITH LIGHT WINDS THIS MORNING INCREASING SIGNIFICANTLY BY MIDDAY. SSE WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE THRU THE AFTN HOURS. WINDS MAY EVENTUALLY SHIFT TO MORE SWLY BY 23Z WITH SPEEDS STILL IN THE 20-30 MPH RANGE BEFORE DECREASING BY 02Z. BEST CHC OF TSTMS THIS AFTN SHOULD STAY NORTH OF THE AIRPORT MUCH LIKE YESTERDAY HOWEVER IF AN ISOLD HIGH BASED STORM DOES DEVELOP COULD SEE WIND GUSTS BRIEFLY REACH 50 MPH OR SO. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FROM 18Z-03Z FOR THE FOOTHILLS AND LOWER ELEVATIONS OF LARIMER COUNTY AND EXTREME WESTERN WELD COUNTY...ZONES 35 AND 38. && RPK/KDRBY
Hazardous weather outlook, May 22, 10:59 AM MDT, 17 hours 15 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1059 AM MDT THU MAY 22 2008 COZ030>051-231200- JACKSON COUNTY BELOW 9000 FEET-WEST JACKSON AND WEST GRAND COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-GRAND AND SUMMIT COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-SOUTH AND EAST JACKSON/LARIMER/NORTH AND NORTHEAST GRAND/ NORTHWEST BOULDER COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST GRAND/WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST BOULDER/GILPIN/CLEAR CREEK/ SUMMIT/NORTH AND WEST PARK COUNTIES ABOVE 9000 FEET-LARIMER AND BOULDER COUNTIES BETWEEN 6000 AND 9000 FEET-JEFFERSON AND WEST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET/GILPIN/CLEAR CREEK/NORTHEAST PARK COUNTIES BELOW 9000 FEET-CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PARK COUNTY-LARIMER COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTHWEST WELD COUNTY-BOULDER AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES BELOW 6000 FEET/WEST BROOMFIELD COUNTY-NORTH DOUGLAS COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/DENVER/WEST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES/ EAST BROOMFIELD COUNTY-ELBERT/CENTRAL AND EAST DOUGLAS COUNTIES ABOVE 6000 FEET-NORTHEAST WELD COUNTY-CENTRAL AND SOUTH WELD COUNTY-MORGAN COUNTY-CENTRAL AND EAST ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE COUNTIES- NORTH AND NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/NORTH LINCOLN COUNTY-SOUTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY BELOW 6000 FEET/SOUTH LINCOLN COUNTY-LOGAN COUNTY-WASHINGTON COUNTY-SEDGWICK COUNTY-PHILLIPS COUNTY- 1059 AM MDT THU MAY 22 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS...URBAN CORRIDOR AND NORTHEAST PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON. A FEW OF THE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE ESPECIALLY EAST OF A FORT MORGAN TO BYERS TO LIMON LINE AND MAY PRODUCE VERY LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND A FEW TORNADOES. ELSEWHERE ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE REST OF NORTHEAST COLORADO AND MAY PRODUCE HAIL TO ONE INCH IN DIAMETER ALONG WITH DAMAGING WINDS. ALSO SOME VERY HEAVY RAIN MAY OCCUR WITH THE STORMS. IN ADDITION SOUTHEAST WINDS OF 20 TO 35 MPH WITH SOME GUSTS TO 45 MPH WILL OCCUR OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. IN THE MOUNTAINS EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL. THE SNOW LEVEL WILL BE AROUND 10000 FEET WITH A FEW INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHER PASSES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ON THE NORTHEAST PLAINS MAY BECOME SEVERE. ALTHOUGH IT IS DIFFICULT TO TELL HOW WIDESPREAD THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL BE ON ANY PARTICULAR DAY...AREAS TO THE NORTH AND EAST OF A GREELEY TO LIMON LINE WILL HAVE THE BETTER CHANCES OF SEEING THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ON FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. EARLY NEXT WEEK...THE SURFACE PRESSURE PATTERNS WILL CHANGE AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY MAY BECOME MORE CONCENTRATED ALONG THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND URBAN CORRIDOR. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED AFTER 1 PM OVER PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST COLORADO. COOPER/MEIER
In the hours before
Local storm report, May 22, 10:23 PM MDT, 5 hours 51 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, May 22, 10:25 PM MDT, 5 hours 49 minutes before
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</html>Local storm report, May 22, 10:54 PM MDT, 5 hours 20 minutes before
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</html>The office that day
Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 3:35 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Weld | 25 min |
| May 23, 3:49 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Morgan | 41 min |
| May 23, 3:54 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Weld | 21 min |
| May 23, 4:01 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Larimer | 42 min |
| May 23, 4:22 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Weld | 38 min |
| May 23, 4:31 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Morgan | 44 min |
| May 23, 5:47 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Weld | 16 min |
Nearby
Flash Flood Watches in Colorado, 2008Every flash flood watch in 2008
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.