Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2013

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS Pueblo, CO

July 14, 2013Huerfano County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this flash flood warning at Jul 14, 2013, 2:55 PM MDT for Huerfano 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
Jul 14, 2013, 2:55 PM MDT (20:55 UTC)
Expired
Jul 14, 2013, 6:00 PM MDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Huerfano County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 129 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:55 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

Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM (KABQ), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 307 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, Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM at 12:00Z on 2013-07-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 65 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, Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM at 12:00Z on 2013-07-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 30 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
65 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-300 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2177 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
30 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.

874 
WGUS55 KPUB 142055
FFWPUB
COC055-150000-
/O.NEW.KPUB.FF.W.0004.130714T2055Z-130715T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
255 PM MDT SUN JUL 14 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL HUERFANO COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST COLORADO...

* UNTIL 600 PM MDT

* AT 254 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE EAST PEAK
  BURN SCAR. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF AROUND AN INCH WILL BE POSSIBLE 
  ACROSS THE BURN SCAR.  THIS RAINFALL WILL DRAIN INTO THE STORY 
  CREEK...AND NORTH AND SOUTH SANTA CLARA CREEKS...WHICH FLOW TO THE 
  NORTHEAST OF THE BURN SCAR. 

* THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. RUNOFF FROM THIS
  EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO OCCUR.


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 3742 10495 3747 10494 3754 10474 3744 10472
      3740 10485 3739 10492 3739 10494

$$
2 follow-up statements
769 
WGUS75 KPUB 142134
FFSPUB

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
334 PM MDT SUN JUL 14 2013

COC055-150000-
/O.CON.KPUB.FF.W.0004.000000T0000Z-130715T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
HUERFANO CO-
334 PM MDT SUN JUL 14 2013

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL HUERFANO
COUNTY UNTIL 600 PM MDT...

AT 332 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PRODUCED VERY HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS THE EAST PEAK 
BURN SCAR. PUEBLO DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AROUND AN INCH OR A LITTLE 
MORE HAS FALLEN OVER THE EAST PEAK BURN SCAR SINCE 300 PM.

THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. RUNOFF FROM THIS
EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO OCCUR.

THIS RAIN WILL LIKELY DRAIN INTO THE STORY CREEK...AND THE NORTH AND 
SOUTH SANTA CLARA CREEKS. 

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 3742 10495 3747 10494 3754 10474 3744 10472
      3740 10485 3739 10492 3739 10494

$$
063 
WGUS75 KPUB 142224
FFSPUB

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
424 PM MDT SUN JUL 14 2013

COC055-150000-
/O.CON.KPUB.FF.W.0004.000000T0000Z-130715T0000Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
HUERFANO CO-
424 PM MDT SUN JUL 14 2013

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR SOUTH CENTRAL HUERFANO
COUNTY UNTIL 600 PM MDT...

AT 419 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAINFALL OCCURING IN THE WARNED AREA 
JUST EAST OF THE EAST PEAK BURN SCAR.

RUNOFF FROM THIS EXCESSIVE RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING TO 
CONTINUE ON DOWNSTREAM SIDE OF THE EAST PEAK BURN SCAR.

PUEBLO DOPPLER RADAR ESTIMATED RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF A LITTLE OVER AN 
INCH HAS FALLEN OVER THE EASTERN TWO THIRDS OF THE EAST PEAK BURN 
SCAR.  ALTHOUGH HEAVY RAIN HAS DECREASED ON THE BURN SCAR...MORE 
RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE THROUGH 6 PM WHICH MAY CAUSE FLOODING TO 
WORSEN.

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 3742 10495 3747 10494 3754 10474 3744 10472
      3740 10485 3739 10492 3739 10494

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 14, 12:22 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBMineral3 hr
Jul 14, 1:19 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBCuster, Pueblo3 hr
Jul 14, 2:41 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBHuerfano3 hr
Jul 14, 3:31 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBFremont3 hr
Jul 14, 4:46 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningPUBLas Animas3 hr
Jul 14, 5:05 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBChaffee3 hr
Jul 14, 5:05 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBHuerfano3 hr
Jul 14, 5:51 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningPUBHuerfano3 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.