Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 40, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

June 21, 1991Arapahoe County, Douglas County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Jun 21, 1991, 3:02 PM MDT for Arapahoe County, Douglas 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 21, 1991, 3:02 PM MDT (21:02 UTC)
Expired
Jun 21, 1991, 3:30 PM MDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

Counties Arapahoe County, CO, Douglas County, CO

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jun 21, 3:33 PM MDTHail 2Douglas, 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

Fort Carson/Butt, CO (KFCS), launched 12:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 90 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, Fort Carson/Butt, CO at 12:00Z on 1991-06-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 10 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Fort Carson/Butt, CO at 12:00Z on 1991-06-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 4 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 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
10 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-278 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2132 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
25 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 212103 RRA
TORDEN
COC001-005-013-031-035-059-212130-

TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER, CO
302 PM MDT FRI JUN 21 1991

A TORNADO WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OR PART OF THE DENVER METRO AREA.

TAKE COVER IFK YOU HEAR CIVIL DEFENSE SIRENS...OR IF THE WEATHER APPEARS
VERY THREATENING.

DETAILS WILL FOLLOW.

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 21, 10:25 AM MDT, 4 hours 37 minutes before
COZ011>017-210900-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1030 AM MDT FRI JUN 21 1991

...ACTIVE THUNDERSTORM DAY EXPECTED OVER EASTERN COLORADO TODAY...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER PORTIONS OF EASTERN COLORADO
AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON AND MAY LAST INTO LATE THIS EVENING.  THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS...HAIL...
AND ESPECIALLY HEAVY RAIN.  THE RAIN MAY BE HEAVY ENOUGH TO CAUSE
AREAS OF URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING.

PERSONS IN EASTERN COLORADO SHOULD BE ALERT TO THIS POSSIBILITY AND
CONTINUE TO STAY ABREAST OF THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.  CONTINUE
TO LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR TELEVISION FOR
BFURTHER STATEMENTS AND/OR WATCHES AND WARNINGS.

HEITKAMP
Special weather statement, Jun 21, 1:44 PM MDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
COZ011-012-014-212100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
140 PM MDT FRI JUN 21 1991

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN FRONT RANGE AND
PARTS OF NORTHEAST COLORADO UNTIL 800 PM MDT...

THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST CENTER IN KANSAS CITY HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR THE NORTHERN FRONT RANGE AND PARTS OF
NORTHEAST COLORADO UNTIL 800 PM MDT.  A WATCH MEANS THAT SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.  PEOPLE ALONG
THE NORTHERN FRONT RANGE AND PARTS OF NORTHEAST COLORADO SHOULD BE ON
THE LOOKOUT FOR THUNDERSTORMS THAT COULD PRODUCE VERY HEAVY RAIN...HAIL
3/4 INCH OR LARGER...AND WIND GUSTS OF 58 MPH OR GREATER.

AT 140 PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS
WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN RAPIDLY DEVLOPING ACROSS SOUTHERN BOULDER COUNTY
ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF BOULDER AND EAST CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTY
JUST TO THE EAST OF LAKEWOOD.   THESE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 10
TO 15 MPH.

VERY MOIST AIR IS IN PLACE OVER EASTERN COLORADO AND ESPECIALLY ALONG
THE FRONT RANGE.  EASTERLY SURFACE WINDS WILL PROVIDE UPSLOPE CONDITIONS
ALONG THE FRONT RANGE TO ENHANCE THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING.

PERSONS IN EASTERN COLORADO SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE
WEATHER AND CONTINUE TO STAY ABREAST OF THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION.
CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...COMMERCIAL RADIO...OR
TELEVISION FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS AND/OR WATCHES AND WARNINGS.
HOLMES

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 20, 8:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUYuma31 min
Jun 20, 10:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington31 min
Jun 20, 10:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUKit Carson, Washington, Yuma30 min
Jun 21, 1:51 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Arapahoe, Denver, Jefferson39 min
Jun 21, 2:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Boulder, Jefferson34 min
Jun 21, 2:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUArapahoe, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson45 min
Jun 21, 3:04 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUDenver, Jefferson41 min
Jun 21, 3:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUArapahoe, Douglas33 min
Jun 21, 3:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUJefferson30 min
Jun 21, 4:40 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULarimer35 min
Jun 21, 4:55 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld35 min
Jun 21, 5:29 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUArapahoe, Douglas46 min
Jun 21, 5:50 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUArapahoe, Denver, Jefferson25 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.