Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

June 8, 1989Adams County, Arapahoe County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Jun 8, 1989, 3:52 PM MDT for Adams County, Arapahoe County, Colorado. It was in force for 28 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
Jun 8, 1989, 3:52 PM MDT (21:52 UTC)
Expired
Jun 8, 1989, 4:20 PM MDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

Counties Adams County, CO, Arapahoe 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 8, 4:15 PM MDTTornado F1Arapahoe, 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, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 95 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 1989-06-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 1989-06-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -41 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1855 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-41 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
73 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDEN 082155
TORDEN
COC001-005-082220-
 
BULLETIN...EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
352 PM MDT THU JUN 08 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 420 PM  MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST COLORADO:
 
     SOUTHWESTERN ADAMS
     NORTHWESTERN ARAPAHOE
 
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING TOWNS/CITIES:
 
     AURORA
 
THE STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR THE MISSION VIEJO OF AURORA.
 
AT 350 PM A TORNADO CLOUD WAS REPORTED BY AURORA RESIDENTS
 
THE TORNADO IS MOVING NORTH NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.
 
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.

JML
 
L5AT..LON  3965 10496 3979 10481 3978 10463 3961 10480

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Jun 8, 12:54 PM MDT, 2 hours 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER COLORADO
100 PM MDT TUE JUN 6 1989

...STRONG..SLOW-MOVING THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED OVER LARIMER
   COUNTY...

PERSONS IN LARIMER COUNTY..ESPECIALLY IN THE VICINITY OF ROCKY
MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK..SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR SLOW-MOVING
STORMS THAT MAY PRODUCE HEAVY DOWNPOURS AND HAIL THIS AFTERNOON.
STREAMS COULD RISE QUICKLY..AND PEOPLE SHOULD STAY TUNED TO
NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR POSSIBLE UPDATES.

DURING THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS..STRONG THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED
OVER WESTERN LARIMER COUNTY...AND WERE MOVING NORTHEAST ABOUT 10 MPH.

AT 1245 PM MDT..THE STRONGEST STORM WAS ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHWEST
OF ESTES PARK.  MORE ACTIVITY WAS MOVING INTO THE AREA FROM THE WEST.

AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES..THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP
ALONG THE REMAINDER OF THE FRONT RANGE.  STORMS SHOULD ALSO SPRING
UP OVER THE PLAINS BY EVENING..WHERE SEVERE WEATHER IS A POSSIBILITY.

DULONG
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 2:27 PM MDT, 1 hour 25 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER COLORADO
220 PM MDT TUE JUN 6 1989

...LOCALLY MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN..SOME SNOW..IN LARIMER COUNTY...

DURING THE PAST HOUR OR TWO..ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK HAS
RECEIVED AREAS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL.  LUCKILY..NO SIGNIFICANT
RISES IN STREAM LEVELS HAVE BEEN REPORTED.

SNOW HAS BEEN FALLING OVER THE HIGHER PARTS OF TRAIL RIDGE ROAD..
PROMPTING A CLOSURE ABOVE HIDDEN VALLEY.

DOPPLER RADAR SHOWS THIS ACTIVITY TO BE WEAKENING..BUT AREA STREAMS
COULD STILL RISE BRIEFLY DUE TO RUNOFF.  HIKERS AND DRIVERS IN THE
AREA SHOULD TAKE CARE.

AN OUFLOW OF RAIN COOLED AIR IS HEADING SOUTHEASTWARD OF OF LARIMER
COUNTY..ANxD SHOULD BE A TRIGGER OF THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER
EASTERN LARIMER..WESTERN WELD AND BOULDER COUNTIES DURING THE NEXT
FEW HOURS.

DULONG
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 2:35 PM MDT, 1 hour 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT ..CORRECTION TO TEXT..
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER COLORADO
220 PM MDT TUE JUN 6 1989

...LOCALLY MODERATE TO HEAVY RAIN..SOME SNOW..IN LARIMER COUNTY...

DURING THE PAST HOUR OR TWO..ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK HAS
RECEIVED AREAS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL.  LUCKILY..NO SIGNIFICANT
RISES IN STREAM LEVELS HAVE BEEN REPORTED.

SNOW HAS BEEN FALLING OVER THE HIGHER PARTS OF TRAIL RIDGE ROAD..
PROMPTING A CLOSURE ABOVE HIDDEN VALLEY.

DOPPLER RADAR SHOWS THIS ACTIVITY TO BE WEAKENING..BUT AREA STREAMS
COULD STILL RISE BRIEFLY DUE TO RUNOFF.  HIKERS AND DRIVERS IN THE
AREA SHOULD TAKE CARE.

AN OUTFLOW OF RAIN COOLED AIR IS HEADING SOUTHEASTWARD OF LARIMER
COUNTY..AND SHOULD BE A TRIGGER OF THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER
EASTERN LARIMER..WESTERN WELD AND BOULDER COUNTIES DURING THE NEXT
FEW HOURS.

DULONG
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 3:03 PM MDT, 49 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER COLORADO
3PM MDT   THURSDAY   JUNE 8 1989

...LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM WELD COUNTY TO DOUGLAS COUNTY...

A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WAS DEVELOPING RAPIDLY BETWEEN 230PM MDT
AND 3PM MDT.  THIS LINE STRETCHED SOUTH ALONG THE BORDER OF WELD AND
LARIMER COUNTIES THROUGH WESTERN ADAMS COUNTY OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
ARSENAL THEN SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE DENVER METRO AREA AND INTO JEFFERSON
COUNTY NEAR THE TOWN OF MORRISON.  WHILE THIS LINE IS STILL IN THE
PROCESS OF DEVELOPMENT...THE THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THIS LINE COULD
PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS BETWEEN 3 AND 4PM MDT IN THIS
AREA BEFORE MOVING FURTHER EAST.

MOTORISTS SHOULD USE CAUTION IF RAIN IS ENCOUNTERED SINCE THE HEAVY
RAIN MAY CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS AND LEAD TO SOME FLOODING
IN LOW LYING AREAS AND DEPRESSIONS.  WATER LEVELS IN SMALL CREEKS AND
STREAMS MAY RISE QUITE RAPIDLY.  IF THREATENING WEATHER IS SIGHTED...
MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY INDOORS.

STAY TUNED TO LOCAL NEWS MEDIA AND NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FUTURE WEATHER
BULLETINS AND FORECASTS.

END...GCF...WSFO DENVER
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 3:35 PM MDT, 17 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER COLORADO
330 PM MDT THU JUN 8 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO LITTLETON...

A COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ACROSS LITTLETON COLORADO...
SOUTHWEST ARAPAHOE COUNTY BETWEEN 330 PM AND 4 PM.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAIN VERY HEAVY RAIN...DANGEROUS CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS.

RESIDENTS SHOULD MOVE INDOORS....OBSERVE ALL LIGHTNING SAFETY RULES.
MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE THROUGH FLOODED OR POORLY DRAINED
STREETS.

IF THESE STORMS MAINTAIN THEIR INTENSITY...SOUTHWEST DENVER AS WELL
AS ENGLEWOOD WILL BE AFFECTED BETWEEN 400 AND 430 PM.

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989

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.