Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 21, NWS Grand Junction, CO

August 23, 2012Mesa County, Colorado

NWS Grand Junction, CO issued this flash flood warning at Aug 23, 2012, 8:13 PM MDT for Mesa County, Colorado. It was in force for 6 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 23, 2012, 8:13 PM MDT (02:13 UTC)
Expired
Aug 24, 2012, 2:00 AM MDT
In force
6 hr
Issued by
NWS Grand Junction, CO
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Mesa County, CO

The radar

The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 36 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:14 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, 2.2 hours before the alert went out and 32 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 2012-08-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 176 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 00:00Z on 2012-08-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 4 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
176 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-53 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1255 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
28 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.

019 
WGUS55 KGJT 240213
FFWGJT
COC077-240800-
/O.NEW.KGJT.FF.W.0021.120824T0213Z-120824T0800Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
813 PM MDT THU AUG 23 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND JUNCTION HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL MESA COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL COLORADO...

* UNTIL 200 AM MDT

* AT 807 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED    
  AREA. RADAR ESTIMATES RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF ONE TO TWO INCHES OF     
  RAIN HAS FALLEN ON THE NORTH SIDE OF UNAWEEP CANYON OR HIGHWAY 141.

* HIGH RESOLUTION MODELS AND OBSERVATIONAL TRENDS SUGGEST AN         
  EXTENDED PERIOD OF STEADY RAIN WILL FALL IN THE WARNED AREA.       
  FLASH FLOODING IS A STRONG POSSIBILITY IN THE REMOTE CANYONS THAT  
  FEED INTO THE GUNNISON RIVER.  EXPECT MUD DEBRIS FLOWS IN UNAWEEP  
  CANYON AND ON HIGHWAY 141.  

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. DO
NOT ENTER THE WATER. TURN AROUND AND MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO
ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN
WATER BEGINS RISING.

&&

LAT...LON 3883 10837 3877 10837 3876 10838 3876 10879
      3896 10893 3896 10848 3884 10837

$$

PF
2 follow-up statements
348 
WGUS75 KGJT 240412
FFSGJT

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
1012 PM MDT THU AUG 23 2012

COC077-240800-
/O.CON.KGJT.FF.W.0021.000000T0000Z-120824T0800Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MESA CO-
1012 PM MDT THU AUG 23 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL MESA COUNTY
UNTIL 200 AM MDT...

AT 1010 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
STEADY MODERATE HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. MODEL 
PROJECTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS INDICATE THAT SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE TO 
IMPACT THE WARNED AREA FOR THE NEXT 2-4 HOURS.  

FLOODING OF SMALL CREAKS AND DRY WASHES WITHIN DEEP CANYONS THAT 
DRAIN INTO THE GUNNISON RIVER IS EXPECTED.  MUD DEBRIS FLOWS ALONG 
UNAWEEP CANYON AND HIGHWAY 141 WILL OCCUR.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLOODING IS OBSERVED...ACT QUICKLY. DO NOT
ENTER THE WATER. TURN AROUND AND MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND. DO NOT
STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

&&

LAT...LON 3883 10837 3877 10837 3876 10838 3876 10879
      3896 10893 3896 10848 3884 10837

$$

PF
478 
WGUS75 KGJT 240753
FFSGJT

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND JUNCTION CO
153 AM MDT FRI AUG 24 2012

COC077-240808-
/O.EXP.KGJT.FF.W.0021.000000T0000Z-120824T0800Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MESA CO-
153 AM MDT FRI AUG 24 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL MESA COUNTY
WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE AT 200 AM 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 3883 10837 3877 10837 3876 10838 3876 10879
      3896 10893 3896 10848 3884 10837

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 23, 7:09 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryGJTEagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Mesa, Pitkin2 hr
Aug 23, 8:24 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningGJTEagle, Garfield, Gunnison, Mesa, Pitkin3 hr
Aug 24, 2:38 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGJTRio Blanco22 min
Aug 24, 5:25 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGJTGarfield, Mesa50 min
Aug 24, 5:32 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGJTGarfield, Mesa43 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Colorado, 2012Every flash flood warning in 2012

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.