Lightning Strike in Colorado, June 13, 2001

NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER COLORADO
308 PM MDT WED JUN 13 2001

BIG UPPER LOW CURRENTLY CENTERED OVER WYO WITH A 110 KT JET ROUNDING
THE BOTTOM OF THE TROUGH AT THE COLO/NEW MEX BORDER.  WATER VAPOR
LOOP SHOWING CONTINUOUS LIFT OVER THE STATE AND IS IN LINE WITH ETA
DIV-Q FIELDS AND 315K ISENTROPIC SFC.  ISEN UPGLIDE IMPROVES TO
NEARLY PERPEDICULAR OVER CWA BETWEEN 00Z-06Z THU.  SFC CYCLOGENESIS
PROGGED TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTHEAST COLO AND CURRENTLY
STARTING TO SEE BETTER HEIGHT FALLS IN THE THAT AREA ALONG WITH
RADAR FILLING IN NICELY.  CURRENT SFC OBSERVATIONS IN THE REGION ARE
MOISTENING UP WITH RAINFALL AND ETA GIVES ABOUT A 6 HOURS PERIOD OF
UPSLOPE UP TO 700MB OCCURING DURING THE PERIOD OF BEST DYNAMIC LIFT
OF 00Z-06Z THU.  ITS MID JUNE...HOWEVER WILL NEED TO CONSIDER THE
SNOW LEVEL FOR TONIGHT.  VERY COLD AIR ALOFT BULLSEYES THE NORTH
HALF OF STATE AT 12Z THU WITH 700MB TEMPS IN THE -4 TO -1 DEGC
RANGE.  THIS TRANSLATES TO ABOUT A 38 TO 44 DEGF LOW TEMP AT DENVER
TONIGHT IF ATMS IS SATURATED.  WILL KEEP SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW
ADVISORY GOING TONIGHT WITH 3-6 INCHES AND WILL INCLUDE MENTION OF
SNOW IN THE FOOTHILLS AND PALMER.  WITH QUICK NATURE OF THIS LAST
PUNCH AND EXPECTING COLDEST AIR ALOFT TO ARRIVE AT A TIME WHEN
LOCATIONS EAST OF THE DIVIDE ARE DOWNSLOPING...WILL JUST MENTION
RAIN MIXED WITH SNOW NEAR THE FOOTHILLS OF THE URBAN CORRIDOR
TONIGHT.  MODEL PRECIP TARGETS LOOK GOOD BUT AMOUNTS WILL SHURLY
VARY.  ALL IN ALL...LOOKS LIKE A GOOD COOL SOAKER FOR THE VEGETAION
OF NE COLO TONIGHT WITH MTN SNOW FOR THE SUMMER FIRE DANGER.  UPPER
LOW EJECTS OUT OF THE STATE BY 00Z FRI WITH STRONG NW FLOW AT ALL
LVLS BEHIND IT.  CONSIDERING COLD AIR ALOFT AND THE TIME OF YEAR IT
IS WILL KEEP SCATTERED POPS THURS AND THURS EVE DESPITE THE
DOWNSLOPE.  CALMER WARMER AND DRY WEATHER RETURNS FOR FRIDAY UNDER
ZONAL FLOW WITH A WEAK RIDGE AXIS OVER COLO BY 00Z SUN.

IN XTNDD PRD...AGAIN EXTENDED APPEARS MOSTLY NON-EVENTFUL
SYNOPTICALLY COMPARED TO WED AND THURS.  RIDGE HOLDS OVER SOUTHWEST
USA WITH WARM SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT EXPECTED.  AIRMASS LOOKS DRY
THROUGH MONDAY WITH MRF HINTING AT A SCF SURGE TUESDAY BEHIND A
CLIPPER RIDING THE USA/CAN BORDER.    FREDIN

.DEN...SNW AND BLWG SNW ADV TNGT N CNTRL MTNS...
       ZNS 31..33..34.

COZ030>051-132100-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
210 PM MDT WED JUN 13 2001

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COLORADO COUNTIES

ADAMS     ARAPAHOE     BOULDER   CLEAR CREEK   DENVER       DOUGLAS
ELBERT    GILPIN       GRAND     JACKSON       JEFFERSON    LARIMER
LINCOLN   LOGAN        MORGAN    PARK          PHILLIPS     SEDGWICK
SUMMIT    WASHINGTON   WELD

SYNOPSIS:  THE ATMOSPHERE ALOFT OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO HAS BECOME
UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON...ALLOWING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO
DEVELOP OVER CENTRAL COLORADO AND TRAVEL NORTHEASTWARD ONTO THE
PLAINS.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WHICH DEVELOPED OVER DOUGLAS COUNTY
EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON PRODUCED FREQUENT LIGHTNING...SMALL HAIL AND
SEVERAL REPORTS OF FUNNEL CLOUDS.  ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS THAT
DEVELOP THROUGH THIS EVENING ARE LIKELY TO CONTINUE PRODUCING
FREQUENT LIGHTNING.  SEVERE WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED FROM
THUNDERSTORMS...BUT SMALL HAIL...BRIEF HEAVY RAINS AND WIND GUSTS UP
TO 40 MPH MAY DEVELOP.  WITH THE UNSEASONABLY COLD TEMPERATURES
ALOFT...SOME SHOWERS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF FUNNEL CLOUDS.  THE MAIN
SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL EXTEND FROM DOUGLAS COUNTY UP TO BOULDER
COUNTY...THEN EASTWARD ACROSS WELD...MORGAN...ADAMS AND ARAPAHOE
COUNTIES.

A SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE MOUNTAINS
THROUGH TONIGHT.  ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6 INCHES WILLBE POSSIBLE AT
LOCATIONS ABOVE TEN THOUSAND FEET.  SNOW LEVELS MAY DROP AS LOW AS
7000 FEET OVERNIGHT.  MOTORISTS HEADING INTO THE MOUNTAINS SHOULD
EXPECT TO ENCOUNTER WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS.  BRIDGES AND AND
OVERPASSES MAY BECOME ICY OVERNIGHT.

DANKERS