Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 19, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

August 13, 1994Arapahoe County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Aug 13, 1994, 3:46 PM MDT for Arapahoe County, Colorado. It was in force for 29 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 13, 1994, 3:46 PM MDT (21:46 UTC)
Expired
Aug 13, 1994, 4:15 PM MDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

County Arapahoe County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:33 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 98 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 12:00Z on 1994-08-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 31 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 12:00Z on 1994-08-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 47 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
31 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-210 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1551 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
47 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
88 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 132146
TORDEN
COC005-132215-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
346 PM MDT SAT AUG 13 1994

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 415 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES

IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
     EASTERN ARAPAHOE

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     DEER TRAIL

AT 346 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
A POSSIBLE TORNADO 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF DEER TRAIL ...OR ABOUT
32 MILES NORTHWEST OF LIMON.

THE STORM WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTH AT 15 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.

MCQUEEN
LAT...LON 3958 10383 3958 10410 3969 J10410 3971 10393

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, Aug 13, 2:45 PM MDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
COZ038-040-042>045-049-132130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
247 PM MDT SAT AUG 13 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ERUPTING ACROSS PARTS OF THE FRONT RANGE AND
   NORTHEAST PLAINS...

AT 241 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS SHOWING A LARGE
AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN AND WESTERN WELD COUNTY...
SOUTHWEST MORGAN...EASTERN LARIMER...AND EASTERN ADAMS COUNTIES.
STRONGEST STORMS WERE NEAR SHAMROCK IN EXTREME NORTHEAST ADAMS COUNTY
AND ALONG THE LARIMER AND WELD COUNTY BORDER NORTHEAST OF FORT COLLINS.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTH AT 15 MPH AND WERE CAPABLE OF
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WITH UP TO 2 INCHES POlSSIBLE IN LESS THAN AN HOUR...
HAIL...AND STRONG WIND GUSTS.

MOVE INDOORS IF WEATHER THREATENS AND REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER TO
YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

MCQUEEN
LAT...LON 3969 10342 3968 10472 4082 10506 4021 10375
Special weather statement, Aug 13, 2:47 PM MDT, 59 minutes before
COZ038-040-042>045-049-132130-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTION...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
247 PM MDT SAT AUG 13 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ERUPTING ACROSS PARTS OF THE FRONT RANGE AND
   NORTHEAST PLAINS...

AT 241 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS SHOWING A LARGE
AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN AND WESTERN WELD COUNTY...
SOUTHWEST MORGAN...EASTERN LARIMER...AND EASTERN ADAMS COUNTIES.
STRONGEST STORMS WERE NEAR SHAMROCK IN EXTREME NORTHEAST ADAMS COUNTY
AND ALONG THE LARIMER AND WELD COUNTY BORDER NORTHEAST OF FORT COLLINS.

THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTH AT 15 MPH AND WERE CAPABLE OF
VERY HEAVY RAINFALL WITH UP TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE IN LESS THAN AN HOUR...
HAIL...AND STRONG WIND GUSTS.

MOVE INDOORS IF WEATHER THREATENS AND REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER TO
YOUR LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY.

MCQUEEN
LAT...LON 3969 10342 3968 10472 4082 10506 4021 10375
Special weather statement, Aug 13, 2:58 PM MDT, 48 minutes before
COZ038-042>043-132215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
300 PM MDT SAT AUG 13 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN SOUTHEAST OF FORT COLLINS...

AT 253 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WINDS OVER TIMNATH...OR
ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FORT COLLINS.  THIS STORM HAS PRODUCED STREET
FLOODING IN EASTERN FORT COLLINS.

THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AROUND 10 MPH.  IT SHOULD MOVE
NORTHEAST OF LOVELAND BUT WILL REACH GREELEY AROUND 330 PM.

HEAVY RAINS MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES...UNDERPASSES AND
CITY STREETS.  AVOID THESE AREAS AND DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS AS THEY
MAY BE WASHED OUT.  WATER LEVELS OF SMALL STREAMS AND RIVERS MAY ALSO
RISE...THEREFORE SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF THREATENED BY FLOOD WATERS.

LAT...LON 4034 10476 4042 10504 4066 10510 4077 10474

WOLF
Special weather statement, Aug 13, 3:00 PM MDT, 46 minutes before
COZ038-042>043-132215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
300 PM MDT SAT AUG 13 1994

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN SOUTHEAST OF FORT COLLINS...

AT 253 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND STRONG WINDS OVER TIMNATH...OR
ABOUT 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FORT COLLINS.  THIS STORM HAS PRODUCED STREET
FLOODING IN EASTERN FORT COLLINS.

THE THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AROUND 10 MPH.  IT SHOULD MOVE
NORTHEAST OF LOVELAND BUT WILL REACH GREELEY AROUND 330 PM.

HEAVY RAINS MAY FLOOD LOW LYING AREAS SUCH AS DITCHES...UNDERPASSES AND
CITY STREETS.  AVOID THESE AREAS AND DO NOT CROSS FLOODED ROADS AS THEY
MAY BE WASHED OUT.  WATER LEVELS OF SMALL STREAMS AND RIVERS MAY ALSO
RISE...THEREFORE SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF THREATENED BY FLOOD WATERS.

LAT...LON 4034 10476 4042 10504 4066 10510 4077 10474

WOLF
Special weather statement, Aug 13, 3:11 PM MDT, 35 minutes before
COC001-121-132145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
313 PM MDT SAT AUG 13 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NOT CONTINUED OVER EASTERN ADAMS AND
   EXTREME WEST CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTIES...

THE STORM IN THIS AREA HAS WEAKENED AND THE WARNING WILL NOT BE
EXTENDED.  STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE...HOWEVER...THROUGH
EASTERN ADAMS AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON COUNTIES UNTIL 430 OR SO.

STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTH AT 15 MPH.

MCQUEEN
LAT...LON 3978 10360 3978 10389 3995 10386 3997 10365
Special weather statement, Aug 13, 3:13 PM MDT, 33 minutes before
COC001-121-132145-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
313 PM MDT SAT AUG 13 1994

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NOT CONTINUED OVER EASTERN ADAMS AND
   EXTREME WEST CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTIES...

THE STORM IN THIS AREA HAS WEAKENED AND THE WARNING WILL NOT BE
EXTENDED.  STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE...HOWEVER...THROUGH
EASTERN ADAMS AND SOUTHWEST WASHINGTON COUNTIES UNTIL 430 OR SO.

STORMS WERE MOVING TO THE SOUTH AT 15 MPH.

MCQUEEN
LAT...LON 3978 10360 3978 10389 3995 10386 3997 10365

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 12, 6:15 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington30 min
Aug 12, 6:41 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington19 min
Aug 12, 7:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington48 min
Aug 13, 1:49 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan, Weld41 min
Aug 13, 2:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Washington29 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.