Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1995

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 12, 1995Arapahoe County, Douglas County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at May 12, 1995, 6:43 PM MDT for Arapahoe County, Douglas County, Colorado. It was in force for 32 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 12, 1995, 6:43 PM MDT (00:43 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 1995, 7:15 PM MDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

Counties Arapahoe County, CO, Douglas County, CO

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 12, 6:50 PM MDTTornado F0Parker 2 S, COA short lived debris cloud was spotted in an open field.

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 (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 0.7 hours before the alert went out and 127 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 1995-05-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 299 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 1995-05-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -21 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
299 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1979 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
93 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDEN 130045
TORDEN
COC005-035-130115-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
643 PM MDT FRI MAY 12 1995

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

IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
     SOUTHWESTERN ARAPAHOE AND NORTHEASTERN DOUGLAS

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     GRANDVIEW ESTATES...PARKER...STONEGATE AND THE PINERY

AT 643 PM MDT WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO OVER PARKER ...OR ABOUT 16
MILES SOUTHEAST OF DENVER.

THE PUBLIC REPORTED SEVERAL FUNNEL CLOUDS IN THE AREA.  

THE STORM WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 TO 25 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.

GARD...WSFO DENVER
LAT...LON 3942 10466 3942 10483 3962 10481J 3963 10463

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 12, 6:12 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld48 min
May 12, 6:19 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Weld41 min
May 12, 7:00 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Morgan, Washington45 min
May 12, 7:47 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington43 min
May 12, 8:12 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington18 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 1995Every tornado warning in 1995Tornadoes in 1995

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.