Thunderstorm Wind — Crowley, Colorado

2019-07-20 · near Sugar City, Crowley, Colorado

Event narrative

Extensive tree damage throughout Sugar City. Branches upwards of 8 inches in diameter were downed.

Wider weather episode

A very active severe weather day with flash flooding occurred much of the Front Range and eastern Colorado plains counties.

At 235 PM MDT the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK issued Severe Thunderstorm Watch #533 for Baca, Bent, Crowley, El Paso, Kiowa, Las Animas, Otero, Prowers, and Pueblo Counties valid until 11 PM MDT.

By 430 PM MDT Flash Flood and Severe Thunderstorm Warnings were issued for parts of El Paso County, mainly the Colorado Springs vicinity. The stronger activity began to spread to the east and south throughout the late afternoon and evening hours. Several reports of funnel clouds just east of downtown Colorado Springs were reported along with large damaging hail, damaging wind gusts, wind damage, and flash flooding.

One particular storm that developed just north of Colorado Springs tracked southeast over the course of 2 hours producing flash flooding in Manitou Springs, large hail in downtown Colorado Springs, funnel clouds near Black Forest, and wind damage near Schreiver AFB.

Farther south in Pueblo County, a severe thunderstorm developed in the foothills of the Wet Mountains and then moved towards Pueblo West and Pueblo. Along the track of the storm numerous intersections in Pueblo were closed due to high water from flash flooding. A few reports of large hail occurred on the west side of the city and a 62 MPH was recorded at the Pueblo County Memorial Airport.

This storm continued to move towards the east producing a few spotty reports of wind damage and severe wind gusts in Crowley, Otero, and Prowers Counties.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (38.2300, -103.6600)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 847566. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.