Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 14, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 29, 1991Washington County, Yuma County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at May 29, 1991, 7:43 PM MDT for Washington County, Yuma County, Colorado. It was in force for 32 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 29, 1991, 7:43 PM MDT (01:43 UTC)
Expired
May 29, 1991, 8:15 PM MDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

Counties Washington County, CO, Yuma County, CO

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 00:00Z, 1.7 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 1991-05-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 159 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 00:00Z on 1991-05-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 127 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
159 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-89 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2802 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
127 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
237 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDEN 300145
TORDEN
COC121-125-300215-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
743 PM MDT WED MAY 29 1991

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 815 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES

IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
     EAST CENTRAL WASHINGTON AND WEST CENTRAL YUMA

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING TOWNS/CITIES
     OTIS AND YUMA

AT 743 PM MDT RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 3 MILES WEST OF OTIS
...OR ABOUT 38 MILES SOUTH OF STERLING.  AT 739 PM MDT... THE WASHINGTON
COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED A TORNADO 6 MILES SOUTH OF PLATNER...OR ABOUT 8
EAST OF AKRON.  THE STORM ALSO PRODUCED GOLFBALL SIZE HAIL.

THE STORM PRODUCING THE TORNADO WAS MOVING EAST AT ABOUT 15 TO 20 MILES
AN HOUR.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT.  GET
UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.  IF NO
BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE
BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET.  USE
BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY FROM
WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.  IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN
THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH
YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST COLORADO UNTIL 900 PM
MDT THIS EVENING.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE IN DENVER.

DELGADO

LAT...LON 3986 10263 3998 10317 4023 10316 4025 10261

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, May 29, 2:56 PM MDT, 4 hours 47 minutes before
COZ011-012-292115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
255 PM MDT WED MAY 29 1991

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT RANGE...

AT 250 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AT LIMON INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT RANGE.  THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED OVER BOULDER...OR 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF
DOWNTOWN DENVER.  THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING TO THE NORTH-NORTHEAST AT
15 TO 25 MPH AND WILL BE AFFECTING THE TOWNS OF NIWOT...LOUISVILLE AND
OTHER AREAS AROUND BOULDER BY 315 PM MDT.

PERSONS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE...ESPECIALLY IN BOULDER COUNTY...SHOULD
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THESE THUNDERSTORMS AS THEY ARE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...STRONG WINDS...AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING.  IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...SEEK SHELTER IN A
REINFORCED STRUCTURE AND WAIT FOR THE STORM TO PASS.

PERSONS SHOULD ALSO CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TELEVISION
OR COMMERCIAL RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND/OR POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

HEITKAMP
Special weather statement, May 29, 3:52 PM MDT, 3 hours 51 minutes before
COZ011-012-292230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
352 PM MDT WED MAY 29 1991

    ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG FRONT RANGE...

AT 340 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING ALONG THE FRONT RANGE NORTH OF DENVER.  THE
STRONGEST STORM WAS LOCATED IN EASTERN WELD COUNTY 10 WEST OF GOODRICH.
THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 20 TO 25 MILES AN HOUR.  A SECOND STORM WAS
LOCATED IN FAR SOUTHWESTERN WELD COUNTY ABOUT 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
PLATTEVILLE.  THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT ABOUT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL...STRONG WINDS...
HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.  PERSONS IN GOODRICH...WELDONA...LOG
LANE VILLAGE...FORT MORGAN...PLATTEVILLE...GILCREST...PECKHAM AND LA
SALLE CAN EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO APPROACH BY AT LEAST 430 PM MDT.

RESIDENTS OF WELD AND WESTERN MORGAN COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SAFETY SHOULD
THREATENING WEATHER APPROACH.

PERSONS SHOULD ALSO CONTINUE TO MONITOR NOAA WEATHER RADIO...TELEVISION
OR LOCAL RADIO FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

DEL3GADO

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 29, 6:10 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUMorgan, Washington35 min
May 29, 6:41 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington34 min
May 29, 7:20 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington25 min
May 29, 8:13 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUYuma47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.