Alert archive / Colorado / Mesoscale Discussions in 2021

Mesoscale Discussion 1745

September 14, 202111 counties in Colorado

The Storm Prediction Center issued this mesoscale discussion at Sep 14, 2021, 1:08 PM MDT for 11 counties in Colorado. It was in force for 2 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Sep 14, 2021, 1:08 PM MDT (19:08 UTC)
Expired
Sep 14, 2021, 3:15 PM MDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Concerning
Severe potential...watch possible
Chance of a watch
40%

Counties Bent County, CO, Cheyenne County, CO, Crowley County, CO, El Paso County, CO, Elbert County, CO, Kiowa County, CO, Kit Carson County, CO, Lincoln County, CO, Otero County, CO, Prowers County, CO, Pueblo County, CO

The watches that followed

Watches SPC issued over any of the same counties within four hours of this discussion.

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 7.1 hours before the alert went out and 142 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 2021-09-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 17 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2021-09-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
17 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-309 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1437 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
39 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
265 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

347 
ACUS11 KWNS 141908
SWOMCD
SPC MCD 141908 
COZ000-142115-

Mesoscale Discussion 1745
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
0208 PM CDT Tue Sep 14 2021

Areas affected...eastern CO

Concerning...Severe potential...Watch possible 

Valid 141908Z - 142115Z

Probability of Watch Issuance...40 percent

SUMMARY...Isolated thunderstorms capable of large hail are possible
this afternoon. Convective trends are being monitored for possible
watch issuance in the next few hours.

DISCUSSION...Convection is increasing over higher terrain west of
I-25 this afternoon as instability increases amid strong heating.
Boundary-layer moisture remains poor, with surface dewpoints
generally in the mid 40s to mid 50s F. As a result, convection may
struggle to persist as storms move eastward off of higher terrain,
with additional storms possibly developing in weak low level
confluence/upslope flow near the Palmer Divide over the next few
hours. Despite poor low-level moisture, steep midlevel lapse rates
around 7.5-8 C/km will support 500-1000 J/kg MLCAPE. Low and
midlevel flow also is rather weak, but easterly winds below 700 mb
veering to northwesterly is contributing to around 30-40 kt
effective shear magnitudes. This should support at least isolated,
briefly organized cells this afternoon/evening. Long, straight
forecast hodographs indicate splitting cells capable of large hail
will be the main hazard this afternoon/early evening.

..Leitman/Thompson.. 09/14/2021

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

ATTN...WFO...GLD...PUB...BOU...

LAT...LON   37510322 37530398 37760453 38640501 39140494 39480456
            39700389 39650324 39470273 39080231 38920220 38380206
            37710236 37510322

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Sep 14, 1:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBaca, Bent, Cheyenne, Crowley, Elbert, El Paso and 10 more7 hr
Sep 14, 5:30 PM MDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBent90 min

Nearby

Mesoscale Discussions in Colorado, 2021Every mesoscale discussion 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.