Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 11, NWS Pueblo, CO

July 30, 2012El Paso County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this flash flood warning at Jul 30, 2012, 9:04 PM MDT for El Paso County, Colorado. It was in force for 3 hr. 3 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: Jul 30, 2012, 9:04 PM MDT (03:04 UTC)
Expired: Jul 30, 2012, 11:43 PM MDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Pueblo, CO
Area: Storm-based polygon
Flood severity: None

County El Paso County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 67 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:08 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

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Jul 30, 10:56 PM MDT	HEAVY RAIN 0	1 Sw Colorado Springs, CO	STORM TOTAL AT 8TH STREET AND ABBOTT
Jul 30, 10:56 PM MDT	HEAVY RAIN 0.94	5 E Colorado Springs, CO	STORM TOTAL. POWERS AND GALLEY
Jul 30, 10:56 PM MDT	HEAVY RAIN 1.58	6 E Colorado Springs, CO	STORM TOTAL. 24 HIGHWAY AND PETERSON

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

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 3.1 hours before the alert went out and 176 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 144 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -163 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1672 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 63 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: -0.0
Supercell composite: -0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

741 
WGUS55 KPUB 310304
FFWPUB
COC041-310600-
/O.NEW.KPUB.FF.W.0011.120731T0304Z-120731T0600Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
904 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL EL PASO COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO...

* UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT

* AT 902 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE   
  WARNED AREA. AN ADDITIONAL ONE HALF TO ONE INCH OF RAIN IS 
  POSSIBLE IN THE WARNED AREA. 

* THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. RUNOFF FROM THIS
  EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO OCCUR. SOME
  LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...COLORADO
  SPRINGS...MANITOU SPRINGS...PETERSON AFB AND SECURITY.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS AREAS THAT RECEIVED HEAVY RAIN 
EARLIER THIS EVENING. RAINFALL RATES OF ONE HALF TO ONE INCH PER 
HOUR ARE POSSIBLE...RESULTING IN POOR VISIBILITY ON I-25 AND RAPID 
RUNOFF IN URBAN AREAS.

CAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...URBAN AREAS...HIGHWAYS...STREETS AND UNDERPASSES
AS WELL AS OTHER DRAINAGE AREAS AND LOW LYING SPOTS.

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. DO NOT DRIVE INTO WATER COVERING THE ROADWAY.

&&

LAT...LON 3888 10471 3884 10467 3873 10466 3874 10486
      3886 10492 3886 10488 3893 10484

$$


STARK

3 follow-up statements

909 
WGUS75 KPUB 310345
FFSPUB

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
945 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012

COC041-310600-
/O.CON.KPUB.FF.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120731T0600Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
EL PASO CO-
945 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL EL PASO
COUNTY UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT...

AT 942 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. THE 
HEAVIEST RAINFALL WILL CONTINUE FROM PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE TO 
SECURITY. ADDITIONAL AMOUNTS OF ONE HALF TO ONE INCH IS POSSIBLE.

THIS IS A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE 
RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO OCCUR. SOME LOCATIONS THAT 
WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...COLORADO SPRINGS...PETERSON AFB 
AND SECURITY.

THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR LOCATIONS THAT 
RECEIVED HEAVY RAINFALL EARLIER THIS EVENING AND NOW HAVE SATURATED 
GROUND. RUNOFF IN THESE AREAS COULD LEAD TO FLASH FLOODING OF LOW 
LYING STREETS AND CREEK BEDS.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE
ROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSS
SAFELY.

&&

LAT...LON 3888 10471 3884 10467 3873 10466 3874 10486
      3886 10492 3886 10488 3893 10484

$$


STARK

240 
WGUS75 KPUB 310453
FFSPUB

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1053 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012

COC041-310600-
/O.CON.KPUB.FF.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120731T0600Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
EL PASO CO-
1053 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL EL PASO
COUNTY UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT...

AT 1051 PM MDT...HEAVY RAIN THAT MOVED THROUGH THE AREA EARLIER IN 
THE EVENING WHICH RESULTED IN STREET FLOODING AND FLOODING OF LOW 
LYING AREAS. 

SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...COLORADO 
SPRINGS...PETERSON AFB AND SECURITY.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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 3888 10471 3884 10467 3873 10466 3874 10486
      3886 10492 3886 10488 3893 10484

$$


STARK

979 
WGUS75 KPUB 310543
FFSPUB

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
1143 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012

COC041-310557-
/O.CAN.KPUB.FF.W.0011.000000T0000Z-120731T0600Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
EL PASO CO-
1143 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING THAT WAS IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL EL
PASO COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

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.

THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE WALDO CANYON BURN SCAR REMAINS IN 
EFFECT THROUGH MIDNIGHT. THE THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING HAS DIMINISHED 
IN COLORADO SPRINGS...SECURITY...AND PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE.

LAT...LON 3888 10471 3884 10467 3873 10466 3874 10486
      3886 10492 3886 10488 3893 10484

$$


STARK

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 30, 6:20 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	PUB	El Paso	2 hr
Jul 30, 7:05 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	El Paso	38 min
Jul 30, 7:12 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	El Paso	25 min
Jul 30, 7:32 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	El Paso	58 min
Jul 30, 8:01 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Huerfano, Pueblo	59 min
Jul 30, 8:06 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	PUB	El Paso	114 min
Jul 30, 10:02 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	PUB	El Paso	118 min
Jul 30, 11:55 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	PUB	El Paso	2 hr
Jul 31, 1:54 AM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	PUB	El Paso	3 hr
Jul 31, 12:38 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PUB	Las Animas	2 hr
Jul 31, 2:09 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Las Animas	32 min
Jul 31, 2:28 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	PUB	Las Animas	112 min
Jul 31, 2:59 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	El Paso, Fremont, Teller	18 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Colorado, 2012 Every 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.