Alert archive / Colorado / Flash Flood Warnings in 2021

Flash Flood Warning 54, NWS Pueblo, CO

July 14, 2021Costilla County, Huerfano County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this flash flood warning at Jul 14, 2021, 3:55 PM MDT for Costilla County, 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, 2021, 3:55 PM MDT (21:55 UTC)
Expired: Jul 14, 2021, 7:00 PM MDT
In force: 3 hr
Issued by: NWS Pueblo, CO
Area: Storm-based polygon
Damage threat: Considerable
Flood severity: None

Counties Costilla County, CO, Huerfano County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 129 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:55 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

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 304 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 2082 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 12 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -9 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: -20 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

265 
WGUS55 KPUB 142155
FFWPUB
COC023-055-150100-
/O.NEW.KPUB.FF.W.0054.210714T2155Z-210715T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Flash Flood Warning
National Weather Service Pueblo CO
355 PM MDT Wed Jul 14 2021

The National Weather Service in Pueblo has issued a

* Flash Flood Warning for...
  The Spring Burn Scar in...
  Northeastern Costilla County in south central Colorado...
  Southwestern Huerfano County in southeastern Colorado...

* Until 700 PM MDT.

* At 355 PM MDT, Doppler radar indicated thunderstorms producing 
  heavy rain over the Spring Burn Scar. Between 0.3 and 0.5 inches 
  of rain have fallen. The expected rainfall rate is 0.5 to 1 inch 
  in 1 hour. Additional rainfall amounts of 0.5 to 1 inch are 
  possible in the warned area. Flash flooding is ongoing or expected 
  to begin shortly.

Excessive rainfall over the warning area may cause mud slides near 
steep terrain. The mud slide can consist of rock, mud, vegetation 
and other loose materials.

  HAZARD...Life threatening flash flooding. Thunderstorms
           producing flash flooding in and around the Spring Burn
           Scar.

  SOURCE...Radar.

  IMPACT...Life threatening flash flooding of areas in and around
           the Spring Burn Scar.

* Some locations that may experience flash flooding include...
  Spring Burn Scar south of Highway 160 in Huerfano county, Spring 
  Burn Scar south of Highway 160 in Costilla county, Spring Burn 
  Scar north of Highway 160, Indian Creek on the southeastern Spring 
  Burn Scar and La Veta Pass.

This includes the following high risk locations...
Sulphur Springs on Indian Creek, County Road 421 near Indian Creek, 
South Abeyta Creek near County Road 443, South Abeyta Creek near 
County Road 442, South Abeyta Creek near County Road 441 and Pass 
Creek Road.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

This is a life threatening situation. Heavy rainfall will cause 
extensive and severe flash flooding of creeks...streams...and 
ditches in the Spring Burn Scar. Severe debris flows can also be 
anticipated across roads. Roads and driveways may be washed away in 
places. If you encounter flood waters...climb to safety.

Move away from recently burned areas. Life-threatening flooding of 
creeks, roads and normally dry arroyos is likely. The heavy rains 
will likely trigger rockslides, mudslides and debris flows in steep 
terrain, especially in and around these areas.

Turn around, don't drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood 
deaths occur in vehicles.

&&

LAT...LON 3771 10525 3768 10498 3761 10499 3754 10510
      3746 10502 3737 10504 3744 10532

FLASH FLOOD...RADAR INDICATED
FLASH FLOOD DAMAGE THREAT...CONSIDERABLE
EXPECTED RAINFALL...0.5-1 INCH IN 1 HOUR

$$

Cohen/Anderson

1 follow-up statement

233 
WGUS75 KPUB 150052
FFSPUB

Flash Flood Statement
National Weather Service Pueblo CO
652 PM MDT Wed Jul 14 2021

COC023-055-150102-
/O.EXP.KPUB.FF.W.0054.000000T0000Z-210715T0100Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
Costilla CO-Huerfano CO-
652 PM MDT Wed Jul 14 2021

...FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THE SPRING BURN SCAR WILL EXPIRE AT 7 PM 
MDT THIS EVENING FOR NORTHEASTERN COSTILLA AND SOUTHWESTERN HUERFANO 
COUNTIES...

Flood waters have receded. The heavy rain has ended. Flooding is no 
longer expected to pose a threat. Please continue to heed remaining 
road closures.

A Flash Flood Watch remains in effect until 1200 AM MDT for portions 
of central Colorado and southeast Colorado.

LAT...LON 3771 10525 3768 10498 3761 10499 3754 10510
      3746 10502 3737 10504 3744 10532

$$

Hodanish

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 13, 6:02 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	PUB	Huerfano, Las Animas	3 hr
Jul 13, 6:28 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	PUB	Otero	47 min
Jul 13, 6:32 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	PUB	Las Animas	28 min
Jul 13, 6:47 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	PUB	Kiowa	43 min
Jul 13, 6:57 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Kiowa, Prowers	48 min
Jul 13, 7:10 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	PUB	Las Animas	35 min
Jul 13, 7:50 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	PUB	Las Animas	40 min
Jul 13, 9:08 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	PUB	Kiowa	37 min
Jul 14, 3:14 AM MDT	Flash Flood Watch	PUB	Alamosa, Chaffee, Conejos, Costilla, Custer, Fremont and 6 more	18 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in Colorado, 2021 Every flash flood warning in 2021

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.