Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1993

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

June 2, 1993Arapahoe County, Denver County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Jun 2, 1993, 12:47 PM MDT for Arapahoe County, Denver County, Colorado. It was in force for 33 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 2, 1993, 12:47 PM MDT (18:47 UTC)
Expired
Jun 2, 1993, 1:20 PM MDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

Counties Arapahoe County, CO, Denver County, CO

The nearest sounding before it

Fort Carson/Butt, CO (KFCS), launched 12:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 114 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 1993-06-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 14 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 1993-06-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 7 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
14 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-171 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1880 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
7 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
123 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 021848
TORDEN
COC005-031-021920-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1247 PM MDT WED JUN 02 1993

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 120 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES

IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
     WESTERN ARAPAHOE AND SOUTH CENTRAL DENVER

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     AURORA...DENVER...ENGLEWOOD...LITTLETON AND CHERRY CREEK RESEVOIR

AT 1244 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER SOUTHEAST DENVER.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST AT 10 TO 15 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 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 ENFORC:EMENT
AGENCY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE IN DENVER.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN COLORADO UNTIL
600 PM. 

WOLF

LAT...LON 3959 10479 3963 10499 3973 10495 3973 10474

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 2, 11:25 AM MDT, 1 hour 22 minutes before
COZ002-004-011-012-013-030600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1125 AM MDT WED JUN 02 1993

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COLORADO COUNTIES

ADAMS          DENVER     JACKSON      LOGAN       SEDGWICK     YUMA
ARAPAHOE       DOUGLAS    JEFFERSON    MORGAN      SUMMIT
BOULDER        GILPIN     LARIMER      PARK        WASHINGTON
CLEAR CREEK    GRAND      LAKE         PHILLIPS    WELD

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALREADY DEVELOPING IN THE MOUNTAINS AND
URBAN CORRIDOR LATE THIS MORNING.  DESPITE THE DRYNESS EXPERIENCED
YESTERDAY...MOISTURE HAS SURGED BACKED INTO THE URBAN CORRIDOR.  THE
ATMOSPHERE IS RATHER UNSTABLE AND WILL REMAIN SO AS AN UPPER LEVEL
SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE AREA TODAY.

THE WIND FIELD THIS MORNING IS ALSO GIVING INDICATIONS OF DEVELOPING IN
SUCH A WAY AS TO SUPPORT SEVERE WEATHER.  THE THREAT WILL INITIALLY BE
OVER THE MOUNTAINS...FOOTHILLS AND URBAN CORRIDOR.  BY EARLY TO MID
AFTERNOON THE THREAT WILL SPREAD EASTWARD INTO THE PLAINS REACHING THE
BORDER COUNTIES EAST OF AKRON DURING THE EVENING HOURS.

TORNADOES...HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN
THREATS.  SPOTTERS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED ALONG THE URBAN CORRIDOR AND WILL
LIKELY BE ACTIVATED FURTHER EAST AS THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT INCREASES
THERE.

WOLF
Special weather statement, Jun 2, 11:26 AM MDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before
COZ002-004-011-012-013-030600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1125 AM MDT WED JUN 02 1993

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COLORADO COUNTIES

ADAMS          DENVER     JACKSON      LOGAN       SEDGWICK     YUMA
ARAPAHOE       DOUGLAS    JEFFERSON    MORGAN      SUMMIT
BOULDER        GILPIN     LARIMER      PARK        WASHINGTON
CLEAR CREEK    GRAND      LAKE         PHILLIPS    WELD

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALREADY DEVELOPING IN THE MOUNTAINS AND
URBAN CORRIDOR LATE THIS MORNING.  DESPITE THE DRYNESS EXPERIENCED
YESTERDAY...MOISTURE HAS SURGED BACKED INTO THE URBAN CORRIDOR.  THE
ATMOSPHERE IS RATHER UNSTABLE AND WILL REMAIN SO AS AN UPPER LEVEL
SYSTEM MOVES ACROSS THE AREA TODAY.

THE WIND FIELD THIS MORNING IS ALSO GIVING INDICATIONS OF DEVELOPING IN
SUCH A WAY AS TO SUPPORT SEVERE WEATHER.  THE THREAT WILL INITIALLY BE
OVER THE MOUNTAINS...FOOTHILLS AND URBAN CORRIDOR.  BY EARLY TO MID
AFTERNOON THE THREAT WILL SPREAD EASTWARD INTO THE PLAINS REACHING THE
BORDER COUNTIES EAST OF AKRON DURING THE EVENING HOURS.

TORNADOES...HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND LIGHTNING WILL BE THE MAIN
THREATS.  SPOTTERS HAVE BEEN ACTIVATED ALONG THE URBAN CORRIDOR AND WILL
LIKELY BE ACTIVATED FURTHER EAST AS THE SEVERE WEATHER THREAT INCREASES
THERE.

WOLF

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 2, 12:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUJefferson21 min
Jun 2, 12:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUArapahoe, Denver31 min
Jun 2, 12:31 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUArapahoe, Denver29 min
Jun 2, 12:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Arapahoe29 min
Jun 2, 1:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUArapahoe28 min
Jun 2, 1:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams18 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 1993Every tornado warning in 1993Tornadoes in 1993

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.