Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2013

Flash Flood Warning 23, NWS Pueblo, CO

August 22, 2013El Paso County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this flash flood warning at Aug 22, 2013, 5:50 PM MDT for El Paso County, Colorado. 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 outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Aug 22, 2013, 5:50 PM MDT (23:50 UTC)
Expired
Aug 22, 2013, 9:00 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), 86 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:53 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 (KDEN), launched 12:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 177 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, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2013-08-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 994 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, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2013-08-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 6 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
994 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-200 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
831 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-4 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.

513 
WGUS55 KPUB 222350
FFWPUB
COC041-230300-
/O.NEW.KPUB.FF.W.0023.130822T2350Z-130823T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
550 PM MDT THU AUG 22 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 900 PM MDT

* AT 548 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE NORTHERN    
  HALF OF THE WALDO BURN SCAR.

* 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.

IF THIS STORM BUILDS TO THE SOUTH...THEN FLASH FLOODING WILL BE 
POSSIBLE OVER THE ENTIRE WALDO BURN SCAR.

JUST A SMALL AMOUNT OF RAINFALL ON A BURN SCAR CAN LEAD TO FLASH
FLOODING. WATER THAT IS NORMALLY ABSORBED BY THE SOILS AND
VEGETATION...RUNS OFF ALMOST INSTANTLY. THIS CAUSES CREEKS AND
DRAINAGE AREAS TO FLOOD AT A MUCH FASTER RATE THAN NORMAL. IN
ADDITION...THE SOILS IN A BURN SCAR BECOME UNSTABLE WHEN IT RAINS...
SOMETIMES RESULTING IN DEBRIS AND FALLING ROCK. ROADS CAN BE WASHED
OUT BY THE FORCE OF THE RUSHING WATER AND DEBRIS.

LAT...LON 3899 10488 3893 10486 3893 10501 3899 10500

$$
1 follow-up statement
504 
WGUS75 KPUB 230002
FFSPUB

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
602 PM MDT THU AUG 22 2013

COC041-230300-
/O.CON.KPUB.FF.W.0023.000000T0000Z-130823T0300Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
EL PASO CO-
602 PM MDT THU AUG 22 2013

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL EL PASO
COUNTY UNTIL 900 PM MDT...

AT 600 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE NORTHWEST 
PART OF THE WALDO CANYON BURN SCAR. THE DRAINAGES BEING AFFECT ARE 
WEST MONUMENT CREEK...SAND GULCH AND WELLINGTON GULCH.

THE STORM PRODUCING THIS RAIN WAS MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

IF THIS STORM BUILDS TO THE SOUTH...THEN FLASH FLOODING WILL BE 
POSSIBLE OVER THE ENTIRE BURN SCAR.

NEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP OVER THE EASTERN PART OF THE BURN 
SCAR. 

THIS IS A 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.

JUST A SMALL AMOUNT OF RAINFALL ON A BURN SCAR CAN LEAD TO FLASH
FLOODING. WATER THAT IS NORMALLY ABSORBED BY THE SOILS AND
VEGETATION...RUNS OFF ALMOST INSTANTLY. THIS CAUSES CREEKS AND
DRAINAGE AREAS TO FLOOD AT A MUCH FASTER RATE THAN NORMAL. IN
ADDITION...THE SOILS IN A BURN SCAR BECOME UNSTABLE WHEN IT RAINS...
SOMETIMES RESULTING IN DEBRIS AND FALLING ROCK. ROADS CAN BE WASHED
OUT BY THE FORCE OF THE RUSHING WATER AND DEBRIS.

LAT...LON 3899 10488 3893 10486 3893 10501 3899 10500

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 22, 11:20 AM MDTFlash Flood WatchPUBEl Paso, Fremont, Teller12 hr
Aug 22, 4:50 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBConejos, Costilla3 hr
Aug 22, 4:50 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso40 min
Aug 22, 4:57 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBEl Paso3 hr
Aug 22, 5:25 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBEl Paso, Teller3 hr
Aug 22, 5:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso, Teller48 min
Aug 22, 5:43 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBEl Paso3 hr
Aug 22, 5:54 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningPUBEl Paso, Teller3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Colorado, 2013Every flash flood warning in 2013

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.