Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1992

Tornado Warning 19, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

July 17, 1992Yuma County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Jul 17, 1992, 8:00 PM MDT for Yuma County, Colorado. It was in force for 30 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 17, 1992, 8:00 PM MDT (02:00 UTC)
Expired
Jul 17, 1992, 8:30 PM MDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

County Yuma County, CO

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 00:00Z, 2.0 hours before the alert went out and 70 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 1992-07-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 712 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 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 1992-07-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 35 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
712 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-58 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1735 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
110 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDEN 180202
TORDEN
COC125-180230-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
800 PM MDT FRI JUL 17 1992

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 830 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES

IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
     SOUTHERN YUMA

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     BONNY RESERVOIR AND IDALIA

AT 758PM A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS REPORTED 1 MILE NORTHEAST OF IDALIA.
...OR ABOUT 34 MILES NORTH OF BURLINGTON.

THE STORM WAS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTH SOUTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

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 AWAY
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.

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

HOLZINGER

LAT...LON 3960 10210 3960 10244 3988 10241 3992 10213

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, Jul 17, 3:29 PM MDT, 4 hours 31 minutes before
COZ004-011-172200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
230 PM MDT FRI JUL 17 1992

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING DEVELOPING IN CLEAR CREEK...
PARK...AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES...

AT 220 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WITH FREQUENT INTENSE LIGHTNING...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AND
POSSIBLE HAIL DEVELOPING IN EASTERN CLEAR CREEK...NORTHEAST PARK AND
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES.  THESE STORMS ARE MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

SOME TOWNS AFFECTED BY THESE STORMS DURING THE NEXT HOUR INCLUDE
CONIFER...KITTREDGE...EVERGREEN...WAH KEENEY PARK...FOXTON...TINY TOWN
...MORRISON...PINE...BUFFALO CREEK AND INDIrAN HILLS.

IN YOU ARE OUTDOORS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE STORMS...SEEK SHELTER FROM
THE LIGHTNING IMMEDIATELY.

WOLF
Special weather statement, Jul 17, 4:06 PM MDT, 3 hours 54 minutes before
COZ011-172245-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
405 PM MDT FRI JUL 17 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH HAIL ALONG THE JEFFERSON-DOUGLAS COUNTY
LINE...

AT 257 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL ALONG THE JEFFERSON-DOUGLAS
COUNTY LINE NEAR THE TOWN OF KASSLER AND CHATFIELD RESEVOIR...OR ABOUT
20 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DENVER.  A SECOND AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
WAS LOCATED IN EXTREME SOUTHERN JEFFERSON AND SOUTHWEST DOUGLAS
COUNTIES NEAR THE TOWNS OF DECKERS...WESTCREEK AND CHEESMAN LAKE.

ALL THESE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AROUND 10 MILES AN HOUR.

AT 354 PM A SPOTTER AT CHEESEMAN DAM REPORTED PEA TO MARBLE SIZE HAIL
COVERING THE GROUND.  A REPORT FROM STRONTIA SPRINGS INDICATED THAT 1/2
INCH OF RAIN FELL WITH PEA HAIL IN 20 MINUTES.

THE THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL...BRIEF HEAVY
RAIN AND FREQUENT INTENSE LIGHTNING.  IF YOU ARE IN THE VICINTY OF THESE
STORMS...BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

WOLF
Special weather statement, Jul 17, 7:24 PM MDT, 36 minutes before
COZ012-013-180200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
725 PM MDT FRI JUL 17 1992

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS...

AT 720 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED TWO STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WITH HEAVY RAIN AND POSSIBLE HAIL IN YUMA COUNTY.  ONE
STORM WAS 5 MILES NORTH-NORTHEAST OF WRAY AND THE OTHER 5 MILES SOUTH OF
WRAY.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE EAST-SOUTHEAST AT ABOUT 20 MPH.

ANOTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED IN NORTHERN WELD COUNTY
APPROXIMATELY 25 MILES EAST-NORTHEAST OF THE TOWN OF NUNN.  HEAVY RAIN
AND HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM WHICH WAS MOVING TO THE
SOUTHEAST ABOUT 20 MPH.

IF YOU ARE IN THE VICINT0Y OF THESE STORMS...BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO A
PLACE OF SHELTER.

SZOKE/MCQUEEN

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 17, 8:56 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan, Weld34 min
Jul 17, 9:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan, Weld25 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 1992Every tornado warning in 1992Tornadoes in 1992

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.