Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 11, NWS Pueblo, CO

August 3, 2011Las Animas County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this flash flood warning at Aug 3, 2011, 3:35 PM MDT for Las Animas County, Colorado. It was in force for 3 hr. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 3, 2011, 3:35 PM MDT (21:35 UTC)
Expired
Aug 3, 2011, 6:30 PM MDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Las Animas County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 144 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:37 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 3, 5:30 PM MDTFLASH FLOOD5 N Kim, CO12 INCHES OF WATER FLOWING ACROSS HIGHWAY 109. FENCES WASHED OUT ON WEST SIDE OF THE ROAD.
Aug 3, 5:47 PM MDTHEAVY RAIN 1.45Kim, COFELL SINCE 130 PM.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Amarillo Airport, TX (KAMA), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 278 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2011-08-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 363 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, Amarillo Airport, TX at 12:00Z on 2011-08-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 113 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
363 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-258 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1375 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
113 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
120 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

601 
WGUS55 KPUB 032135
FFWPUB
COC071-040030-
/O.NEW.KPUB.FF.W.0011.110803T2135Z-110804T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
335 PM MDT WED AUG 3 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  EAST CENTRAL LAS ANIMAS COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST COLORADO...

* UNTIL 630 PM MDT

* AT 331 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE   
  WARNED AREA. AS OF 330 PM...PUEBLO DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED UP TO 3 
  INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN AN AREA EXTENDING FROM 6 MILES WEST 
  OF KIM...TO 2 MILES NORTH OF KIM...TO 5 MILES EAST NORTHEAST OF 
  KIM.  THIS AREA ALSO RECEIVED HEAVY RAINFALL YESTERDAY AND 
  SATURATED SOILS WILL LEAD TO RAPID RUNOFF AND FLASH FLOODING. 

* RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
  OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...KIM.

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STREAMS AND DRAINAGES...SMITH 
CANYON...MUSTANG CREEK...TWO BUTTE CREEK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...COUNTRY ROADS...AS WELL AS FARMLAND ALONG THE
BANKS OF CREEKS AND STREAMS.

IN HILLY TERRAIN THERE ARE MANY LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHICH ARE 
POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN HEAVY RAIN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL ACROSS 
FLOODED ROADS. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES. IT ONLY TAKES A FEW INCHES OF 
SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER TO CARRY VEHICLES AWAY.

&&

LAT...LON 3749 10308 3722 10308 3720 10366 3745 10361

$$
2 follow-up statements
627 
WGUS75 KPUB 032239
FFSPUB

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
439 PM MDT WED AUG 3 2011

COC071-040030-
/O.CON.KPUB.FF.W.0011.000000T0000Z-110804T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
LAS ANIMAS CO-
439 PM MDT WED AUG 3 2011

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL LAS ANIMAS
COUNTY UNTIL 630 PM MDT...

AT 438 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL HAS FALLEN ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. PUEBLO 
DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED UP TO 4 INCHES OF RAIN HAS FALLEN IN AN AREA 
IN AND NEAR KIM.  

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO
OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...KIM.

THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING STREAMS AND DRAINAGES...SMITH 
CANYON...MUSTANG CREEK...TWO BUTTE CREEK.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN HILLY TERRAIN...THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHICH
ARE POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN HEAVY RAIN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL
ACROSS FLOODED ROADS. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES. IT ONLY TAKES A FEW
INCHES OF SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER TO CARRY VEHICLES AWAY.

&&

LAT...LON 3749 10308 3722 10308 3720 10366 3745 10361

$$
142 
WGUS75 KPUB 040023
FFSPUB

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
623 PM MDT WED AUG 3 2011

COC071-040038-
/O.EXP.KPUB.FF.W.0011.000000T0000Z-110804T0030Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
LAS ANIMAS CO-
623 PM MDT WED AUG 3 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR EAST CENTRAL LAS
ANIMAS COUNTY WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 630 PM MDT...

EXCESS RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAIN HAS ENDED OVER THE WARNED AREA. STREAMS
AND CREEKS IN THE WARNED AREA HAVE RECEDED OR WERE BEGINNING TO
RECEDE...ENDING THE FLOOD THREAT. IF FLOODING HAS BEEN OBSERVED...
PLEASE REPORT IT TO YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

LAT...LON 3749 10308 3722 10308 3720 10366 3745 10361

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 2, 6:04 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBCrowley, Otero, Pueblo56 min
Aug 2, 6:10 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningPUBBaca, Las Animas, Otero3 hr
Aug 2, 7:56 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningPUBEl Paso3 hr
Aug 2, 8:04 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBBent, Prowers3 hr
Aug 2, 8:06 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBCrowley, Kiowa, Otero3 hr
Aug 2, 9:27 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBKiowa2 hr
Aug 2, 9:34 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBEl Paso, Pueblo5 hr
Aug 3, 5:20 AM MDTRiver Flood WarningPUBPueblo78 min
Aug 3, 5:26 AM MDTFlash Flood WatchPUBCuster, El Paso, Fremont, Huerfano, Pueblo, Teller16 hr
Aug 3, 1:35 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBLas Animas3 hr
Aug 3, 2:40 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBLas Animas62 min
Aug 3, 3:50 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBFremont2 hr
Aug 3, 4:19 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBCuster, Fremont41 min
Aug 3, 4:47 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningPUBTeller2 hr
Aug 3, 4:52 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningPUBCuster, Fremont, Pueblo, Saguache3 hr
Aug 3, 5:17 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningPUBEl Paso, Teller2 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Colorado, 2011Every flash flood warning in 2011

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.