Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Goodland, KS

May 22, 1991Elbert County, Colorado

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at May 22, 1991, 6:46 PM MDT for Elbert County, Colorado. It was in force for 29 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 22, 1991, 6:46 PM MDT (00:46 UTC)
Expired: May 22, 1991, 7:15 PM MDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Goodland, KS
Area: Whole counties

County Elbert County, CO

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 22, 6:54 PM MDT	Tornado F0	Elbert, CO
May 22, 7:21 PM MDT	Tornado F0	Elbert, 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, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 101 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: 194 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 2233 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 32 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 117 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KCOS 230046
TORCOS
COC041-039-230115-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE COLORADO SPRINGS CO
646 PM MDT WED MAY 22 1991

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 715 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING 
COUNTIES

   IN THE EAST CENTRAL PART OF COLORADO
      NORTHEAST EL PASO...SOUTHERN ELBERT

INCLUDING THE TOWNS OF CALHAN...SIMLA AND MATHESON.

RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE TORNADO 7 MILES WEST OF THE TOWN OF
SIMLA...ELBERT COUNTY...MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST.  1/2 TO 1
INCH HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN ALSO REPORTED WITH THIS STORM.

IN HOMES GO TO THE BASEMENT OR INTO A CLOSET OR BATHROOM.  IN SCHOOL=S
...HIGH RISES AND HOSPITALS GO TO AN INTERIOR HALLWAY ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR.  IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE TO SAFE SHELTER.

 CROWLEY

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 22, 4:03 PM MDT, 2 hours 43 minutes before

KSZ001-002-004-221100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
402 AM MDT (502 AM CDT) WED MAY 22 1991

AT 455PM CDT RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING OVER NORTHWEST
AND WESTCENTRAL KANSAS. THE STRONGEST STORMS WAS FROM 10 MILES EAST OF
GOODLAND TO 25 MILES NORTHEAST OR JUST TO THE NORTHWEST OF COLBY.
ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS 35 MILES SOUTHEAST OF GOODLAND..5
MILES WEST OF RUSSELL SPRINGS. MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

BRIEF HEAVY RAINS..GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH
THESE STORMS.

FREIBURGER

Special weather statement, May 22, 5:22 PM MDT, 1 hour 24 minutes before

KSZ001-002-004-221230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
521 AM MDT (621 AM CDT) WED MAY 22 1991

AT 520PM MDT RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHWEST AND
WESTCENTRAL KANSAS.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WAS FROM 25 MILES NORTH OF GOODLAND TO 45 MILES
NORTHEAST OF GOODLAND NEAR ATWOOD.  ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS 35 MILES
SOUTH OF GOODLAND JUST TO THE SOUTH OF SHARON SPRINGS.

HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO OVE0R NORTHEAST COLORADO 40 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF GOODLAND BETWEEN BURLINGTON AND CHEYENNE WELLS.

MOVEMENT WAS NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

HEAVY RAINS..GUSTY WINDS AND SOME SMALL HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE
STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS.

FREIBURGER

Special weather statement, May 22, 6:42 PM MDT, 4 minutes before

KSZ001-002-004-230145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
642 PM MDT (742 PM CDT) WED MAY 22 1991

SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR RAWLINGS COUNTY IS NO LONGER IN
EFFECT.

AT 640PM MDT RADAR INDICATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM 15 MILES EAST
OF GOODLAND TO 55 MILES SOUTHWEST OF GOODLAND JUST TO THE SOUTHEAST OF
CHEYENNE WELLS COLORADO.  MOVEMENT NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

HEAVY RAINS..GUSTY WINDS AND SOME HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS.

FREIBURGER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Goodland, KS issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 22, 6:22 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GLD	El Paso	68 min
May 22, 6:22 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GLD	Elbert	68 min
May 22, 6:46 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	GLD	El Paso	29 min
May 22, 7:11 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	GLD	El Paso	64 min
May 22, 7:11 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	GLD	Elbert	64 min
May 23, 1:25 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GLD	Elbert	35 min
May 23, 2:01 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GLD	Elbert	29 min
May 23, 3:34 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GLD	El Paso	56 min
May 23, 5:17 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	GLD	Cheyenne, Lincoln	58 min

Nearby

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