Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1986
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 1986, 4:45 PM MDT for Washington County, Yuma County, Colorado. It was in force for 60 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- May 15, 1986, 4:45 PM MDT (22:45 UTC)
- Expired
- May 15, 1986, 5:45 PM MDT
- In force
- 60 min
- Issued by
- NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Washington County, CO, Yuma County, CO
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 4:45 PM MDT | Hail 1 | Washington, CO | |
| May 15, 5:20 PM MDT | Hail 1.75 | Yuma, CO |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.
The nearest sounding before it
Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 38 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 11 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -87 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 892 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 44 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -18 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 91 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, May 15, 1:06 PM MDT, 3 hours 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 110 PM MDT THU MAY 15 1986 ...THUNDERSTORMS DEVLOPING OVER THE DENVER METROPOLITAN AREA... THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING OVER THE DENVER METROPOLITAN AREA. RADAR INDICATES THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL ARAPAHOE...NORTHERN DOUGLAS AND WESTERN ELBERT COUNTIES TO THE SOUTH AND EAST OF DENVER. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON OVER ALL OF EASTERN COLORADO. STRONG WINDS...INTENSE LIGHTNING...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL CAN ACCOMPANY THE THUNDERSTORMS. IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED MOVE TO A PLACE A SAFETY IMMEDIATELY. NOTIFY YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFOCEMENT AGENCY WITH YOUR REPORT FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN DENVER COLORADO. BALINT
Special weather statement, May 15, 2:22 PM MDT, 2 hours 23 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 220 PM MDT THU MAY 15 1986 ...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER THE DENVER METROPOLITAN AREA... THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE DEVELOPING OVER THE DENVER METROPOLITAN AREA AND EASTERN PLAINS. RADAR INDICATES THE STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN EASTERN ARAPAHOE COUNTY ABOUT 50 MILES EAST OF DENVER. ONE INCH OF RAIN FELL FROM A THUNDERSTORM IN ABOUT AN HOUR IN AURORA NEAR THE BUCKLEY AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE. MOVEMENT OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON OVER ALL OF EASTERN COLORADO. STRONG WINDS...INTENSE LIGHTNING...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL CAN ACC OMPANY THE THUNDERSTORMS. IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED MOVE TO A PLACE A SAFETY IMMEDIATELY. NOTIFY YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFOCEMENT AGENCY WITH YOUR REPORT FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN DENVER COLORADO. BALINT
Special weather statement, May 15, 3:08 PM MDT, 1 hour 37 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 305 PM MDT THU MAY 15 1986 ...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON COUNTY... A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 35 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF LIMON IN NORTHEAST COLORADO NEAR LAST CHANCE. THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AROUND 20 MPH. PERSONS IN ANTON AND LINDON IN SOUTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT FOR STRONG THUNDERSTRMS UNTIL 415 PM MDT THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON OVER ALL OF EASTERN COLORADO. STRONG WINDS...INTENSE LIGHTNING...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL CAN ACCOMPANY THE THUNDERSTORMS. IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED MOVE TO A PLACE A\ SAFETY IMMEDIATELY. NOTIFY YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFOCEMENT AGENCY WITH YOUR REPORT FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN DENVER COLORADO. BALINT
Special weather statement, May 15, 3:42 PM MDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 340 PM MDT THU MAY 15 1986 ...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON COUNTY... A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 45 MILES NORTHWEST OF BURLINGTON IN NORTHEAST COLORADO JUST WEST OF COPE. THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AROUND 15 MPH. PERSONS IN COPE IN SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON COUNTY AND IN JOES AND IDALIA IN SOUTHERN YUMA COUNTY SHOULD BE ALERT FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS UNTIL 445 PM MDT THIS AFTERNOON. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP DURING THE AFTERNOON OVER ALL OF EASTERN COLORADO. STRONG WINDS...INTENSE LIGHTNING...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL CAN ACCOMPANY THE THUNDERSTORMS. IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IMMEDIATELY. NOTIFY YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFOCEMENT AGENCY WITH YOUR REPORT FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN DENVER COLORADO. BALINT
Special weather statement, May 15, 4:36 PM MDT, 9 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 435PM MDT THURSDAY MAY 15 1986 ...VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHEAST WASHINGTON COUNTY... A VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORM CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY. THIS THUNDERSTORM IS NOW APPROACHING COPE COLORADO WHICH IS 50 MILES NORTHEAST OF LIMON. THE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE MOVING INTO THE SOUTHWEST PORTION OF YUMA COUNTY BY 5PM MDT. THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS PRODUCED HEAVY RAIN...HAIL GUSTY WINDS AND VERY FREQUENT LIGHTNING STROKES. THE AIRMASS OVER EASTERN COLORADO IS QUITE MOIST AND UNSTABLE. AS A RESULT OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE DEVELOPING OVER ALL OF EASTERN COLORADO THROUGH THE EVENING...A FEW MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND VERY STRONG GUSTY WINDS. IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IMMEDIATELY. NOTIFY YOUR NEAREST LAW ENFOCEMENT AGENCY WITH YOUR REPORT FOR RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN DENVER COLORADO.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 14, 8:05 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Washington, Yuma | 35 min |
| May 15, 5:48 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Yuma | 57 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Colorado, 1986Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1986
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.