Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 30, 1996Washington County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 30, 1996, 9:12 PM MDT for Washington County, Colorado. It was in force for 48 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 30, 1996, 9:12 PM MDT (03:12 UTC)
Expired
May 30, 1996, 10:00 PM MDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

County Washington County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 117 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:15 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 30, 9:28 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 51Lindon, 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 3.2 hours before the alert went out and 11 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 1996-05-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 930 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 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 1996-05-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 65 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
930 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-153 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2007 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
38 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
65 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
179 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDEN 310316
SVRDEN
COC121-310400-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
912 PM MDT THU MAY 30 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN
THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES

IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
     SOUTHERN WASHINGTON

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     ANTON...ARICKAREE SCHOOL AND LINDON

AT 912 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 4 MILES SOUTH OF LINDON ...OR ABOUT 32
MILES NORTHEAST OF LIMON.

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
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
100AM MDT FRIDAY.  SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING.  PREPARE TO MOVE TO A PLACE OF
SAFETY IN A STURDY STRUCTURE SUCH AS A BASEMENT OR SMALL
INTERIOR ROOM IF A TORNADO IS SPOTTED.

LESZCYNSKI

LAT...LON 3961 10289 3960 10348 3977 10349 3982 10291

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 30, 3:21 PM MDT, 5 hours 51 minutes before
COZ038>050-302200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
320 PM MDT THU MAY 30 1996

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF NORTHEAST COLORADO UNTIL
900 PM MDT...

AT 315 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORMS FROM SOUTHWEST OF STERLING TO EAST OF FORT
MORGAN.  ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF AKRON.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...HAIL...GUSTY WINDtS AND
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.  THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH.

KLEYLA
Local storm report, May 30, 4:37 PM MDT, 4 hours 35 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
428 PM MDT THU MAY 30 1996

          ...PRELIMINARY STORM REPORTS FOR MAY 30...

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...

         ....COUNTY LOCATION....

425 PM     1N ELBA                CO       1/2 MILE WIDE TORNADO
05/30/96   WASHINGTON

BARJENBRUCH
Special weather statement, May 30, 8:17 PM MDT, 55 minutes before
COZ038>050-300300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
815 PM MDT THU MAY 30 1996

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR NORTHEAST PLAINS OF COLORADO UNTIL
900 PM MDT...
...TORNADO WATCH NO LONGER IN EFFECT WEST OF A LINE FROM BRIGGSDALE TO
STRASBURG TO KIOWA...

AT 810 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...SOME SEVERE FROM SOUTH OF AKRON EXTENDING
SOUTHWEST TO EASTERN ELBERT COUNTY NEAR AGATE.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

THE THREAT OF SEVERE WEATHER OVER THE URBAN CORRIDOR HAS ENDED THUS THE
TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  HOWEVER OVER THE NORTHEAST PLAINS THE
TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES UNTIL 900 PM MDT.

KLEYLA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 30, 6:15 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington30 min
May 30, 6:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln64 min
May 30, 6:45 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington45 min
May 30, 7:15 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULincoln30 min
May 30, 7:31 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington29 min
May 30, 7:46 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULincoln29 min
May 30, 7:52 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington38 min
May 30, 7:52 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUElbert38 min
May 30, 8:15 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULincoln30 min
May 30, 8:37 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUElbert, Lincoln68 min
May 30, 8:50 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULincoln40 min
May 30, 9:24 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington36 min
May 30, 9:49 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln41 min
May 31, 2:17 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln43 min
May 31, 5:39 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan, Washington66 min
May 31, 5:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan, Weld60 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Colorado, 1996Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1996

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.