Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 23, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

July 18, 1988Washington County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Jul 18, 1988, 6:21 PM MDT for Washington County, Colorado. It was in force for 39 min. 1 report 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: Jul 18, 1988, 6:21 PM MDT (00:21 UTC)
Expired: Jul 18, 1988, 7:00 PM MDT
In force: 39 min
Issued by: NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area: Whole counties

County Washington 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
Jul 18, 6:53 PM MDT	Thunderstorm Wind 52	Washington, 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 00:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 11 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: 15 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -233 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2390 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 40 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 15 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KDEN 190023
TORDEN
COC121-190100-
 
BULLETIN...EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
621 PM MDT MON JUL 18 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 PM  MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST COLORADO:
 
     SOUTHERN WASHINGTON
 
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING TOWNS/CITIES:
 
     LAST CHANCE..LINDON..AND WOODROW
 
THE STORM WAS LOCATED 4 MILES NORTH OF LAST CHANCE..WHICH IS 36
MILES NORTH OF LIMON.
 
AT 620 PM DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH ROTATION
INDICATING A TORNADO WAS LIKELY NEAR LAST CHANCE.
 
IN HOMES GO TO THE BASEMENT OR INTO A CLOSET OR BATHROOM.
IN SCHOOLS..HIGH RISES AND HOSPITALS GO TO AN INTERIOR
HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES..
EVACUATE THEM AND GO TO A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.  IF NO SHELTER
IS AVAILABLE..LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT.
IN ALL CASES..STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS..DOORS AND OUTSIDE WALLS.
 
INTENSE LIGHTNING IS REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.  IF OUTDOORS..
STAY AWAY FROM HIGH OBJECTS.  MOVE INDOORS IF POSSIBLE.  WHEN
INDOORS..STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID USING
TELEPHONES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT.
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT.
 
TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE
IN DENVER..OR CALL YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICME
AT 361-0663.  DO NOT CALL THIS NUMBER FOR INFORMATION.
 
DUNN
 
LAT..LON  4000 10371 3998 10322 3958 10323 3960 10368

The office that day

Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 18, 6:54 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Logan, Morgan, Washington, Weld	61 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 1988 Every tornado warning in 1988 Tornadoes in 1988

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.