Alert archive / Colorado / Mesoscale Discussions in 2017

Mesoscale Discussion 660

May 7, 20175 counties in Colorado; Chase County, Deuel County, Dundy County, Nebraska

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at May 7, 2017, 4:55 PM MDT for 5 counties in Colorado; Chase County, Deuel County, Dundy County, Nebraska. It was in force for 95 min.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 7, 2017, 4:55 PM MDT (22:55 UTC)
Expired
May 7, 2017, 6:30 PM MDT
In force
95 min
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Chance of a watch
5%

Counties Logan County, CO, Phillips County, CO, Sedgwick County, CO, Washington County, CO, Yuma County, CO, Chase County, NE, Deuel County, NE, Dundy County, NE

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 131 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:57 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, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 50 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 2017-05-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2017-05-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -12 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
2902 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-12 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.

904 
ACUS11 KWNS 072255
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 072255 
NEZ000-KSZ000-COZ000-080030-

Mesoscale Discussion 0660
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0555 PM CDT Sun May 07 2017

Areas affected...Northeast CO...Northwest KS...Southwest NE

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch unlikely 

Valid 072255Z - 080030Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...5 percent

SUMMARY...Isolated severe wind gusts, and marginally severe hail,
are possible across the northeast CO plains into southwest NE.  WW
is not warranted for this activity.

DISCUSSION...Strong heating across the higher terrain of the central
Rockies appears to be primarily responsible for convective
generation this afternoon.  Over the last hour or so, some of this
activity has spread off the Front Range of CO and has loosely
organized over the high-plains from Weld to Lincoln to Crowley
Counties.  While buoyancy is weak, steep lapse rates and an
expanding cold pool suggest an arcing band of convection will spread
across northeast CO toward southwest NE.  Gusty winds appear likely
along the leading edge of this convection but hail should remain
marginal in severity.  Given the expected increase in the LLJ across
western KS this evening there may be some longevity with this
convection as it spreads northeast.  Even so, organized severe
threat appears too low to warrant a severe thunderstorm watch.

..Darrow/Edwards.. 05/07/2017

...Please see www.spc.noaa.gov for graphic product...

ATTN...WFO...LBF...GLD...BOU...CYS...

LAT...LON   40170392 41270258 40680135 39790183 38990323 40170392

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Colorado, 2017Mesoscale Discussions in Nebraska, 2017Every mesoscale discussion in 2017

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.