Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Pueblo, CO

May 11, 1991Baca County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this tornado warning at May 11, 1991, 8:46 PM MDT for Baca County, Colorado. It was in force for 29 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: May 11, 1991, 8:46 PM MDT (02:46 UTC)
Expired: May 11, 1991, 9:15 PM MDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Pueblo, CO
Area: Whole counties

County Baca County, CO

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
May 11, 9:10 PM MDT	Tornado F0	Baca, 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

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 00:00Z, 2.8 hours before the alert went out and 240 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: 2142 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -85 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1217 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 32 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 75 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 KPUB 120246
TORPUB
COC009-120315-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED/EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED 
TORNADO WARNING 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
846 PM MDT SAT MAY 11 1991

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING 
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 915 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY

   IN THE SOUTHEAST PART OF COLORADO
      EASTERN BACA

THIS WARNING INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING TOWNS AND CITIES...
STONINGTON AND BARTLETT.

AT 840 PM MDT A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS ABOUT 75 MILES WEST
SOUTHWEST OF GARDEN CITY KANSAS...OR JUST SOUTH OF BARTLETT
COLORADO IN BACA COUNTY. THERE HAVE BEEN REPORTS OF TORNADOES
ALONG THE PATH OF THIS STORM THROUGH SOUTHERN BACA COUNTY.

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IS IN
A BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...FIND SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES...
TAKE COVER IN A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

 TESAR

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 11, 4:06 PM MDT, 4 hours 40 minutes before

COZ016-017-112300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
405 PM MDT SAT MAY 11 1991

...TORNADO WATCH FOR PART OF EASTERN COLORADO UNTIL 9 PM MDT...

AT 4 PM STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH POSSIBLE HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN WERE
5 MILES WEST AND 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF THE TOWN OF EADS IN KIOWA
COUNTY...MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH.

PEOPLE NEAR THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE ALERT TO THE THREAT OF
SEVERE WEATHER IN THEIR AREA. IF THE WEATHER BECOMES THREATENING...
HEAD INDOORS TO STURDY SHELTER...AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

OTHER THUNDERTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ALONG THE EASTERN BORDER
COUNTIES OF COLORADO...SO STAY TUNED TO LOCAL MEDIA OR NOAA WEATHER
RADIO FOR UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGPS.

TESAR

Special weather statement, May 11, 5:25 PM MDT, 3 hours 21 minutes before

COZ016-017-120130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
515 PM MDT SAT MAY 11 1991

...TORNADO WATCH FOR PART OF EASTERN COLORADO UNTIL 9 PM MDT...

AT 515 PM MDT STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE HAIL
HAD DEVELOPED OVER SOUTHEAST BENT AND SOUTHWEST PROWERS COUNTIES OF
SOUTHEAST COLORADO. THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS ABOUT 20 MILES SOUTHWEST
OF LAMAR...AND WAS MOVING NORTH 35 MPH.

THIS STORM SHOULD STRIKE A PATH BETWEEN TOWNS IN EASTERN BENT COUNTY
...SUCH AS CADDOA...HASTY AND MCCLAVE AND WESTERN PROWERS COUNTY
SUCH AS LAMAR AND WILEY BEFORE 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING. PEOPLE NEAR
THE STORM...AS WELL AS PEOPLE IN EASTERN BENT AND WESTERN PROWERS
COUNTIES SHOULD REMAIN ALERT TO THIS STORM. BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO
SAFE SHELTER...INDOORS AND AWAY FROM WINDOWS IF THE WEATHER BECOMES
THREATENING.

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILL WATCH THIS STORM CLOSELY AS IT
DEVELOPS AND MOVES NORTH THROUGH BENT AND PROWERS COUNTIES. STAY
TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO OR TV...OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER
UPDATES AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.
GRAY

The office that day

Everything else NWS Pueblo, CO issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 11, 6:00 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Kiowa	20 min
May 11, 6:47 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Baca	58 min
May 11, 7:48 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Baca	57 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.