Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 23, 1996Elbert County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at May 23, 1996, 5:40 PM MDT for Elbert County, Colorado. It was in force for 60 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
May 23, 1996, 5:40 PM MDT (23:40 UTC)
Expired
May 23, 1996, 6:40 PM MDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

County Elbert County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:42 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

Fort Carson/Butt, CO (KFCS), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 83 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 1996-05-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 249 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 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 1996-05-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 95 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
249 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
877 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
68 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
258 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.2
Supercell composite
1.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDEN 232342
TORDEN
COC039-001-005-121-240030-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
540 PM MDT THU MAY 23 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 640 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES

IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
     SOUTHWESTERN WASHINGTON

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     JOLLY RANCH...LAST CHANCE...AND LINDON.

AT 535 PM MDT WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO 4 MILES EAST OF JOLLY RANCH...OR
ABOUT 27 MILES NORTH OF LIMON.

AMATEUR RADIO WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED 2 INCH DIAMETER HAIL WITH THIS
STORM. 

THE STORM WAS MOVING EAST-NORTHEAST AT 15 TO 20 MPH WITH NEW 
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOP OVER NORTHEAST ELBERT COUNTY.     

THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS THE POTENTIAL OF PRODUCING A TORNADO AS DOPPLER
RADAR CONTINUES TO INDICATE STRONG CIRCULATION IN ITS CORE.   

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.

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

BAKER
LAT...LON 3959 10334 3957 10369 3958 10398 39X85 10390
          4003 10342

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, May 23, 1:16 PM MDT, 4 hours 24 minutes before
COZ0041-045-232015-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
115 PM MDT THU MAY 23 1996

...A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPING RAPIDLY OVER EXTREME
NORTHWEST ELBERT COUNTY...

AT 110 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING THUNDERSTORM 17 MILES SOUTHWEST OF COUNTRY GARDENS
IN EXTREME NORTHWEST ELBERT COUNTY...OR ABOUT 29 MILES SOUTHEAST OF
DENVER.

THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND WAS EXPECTED TO CROSS
SOUTHEAST ARAPAHOE COUNTY BETWEEN 130 AND 2 PM.  PEOPLE DRIVING ALONG
INTERSTATE 70 AND THOSE LIVING IN THE TOWN OF DEER TRAIL SHOULD PREPARE
TO MOVE TO A PLACE COF SAFETY IF SEVERE WEATHER IS SPOTTED.

LARGE HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS AND HERAVY RAIN SHOULD BE EXPECTED WITH THIS
STORM.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH CENTRAL...
NORTHEASTERN AND EAST CENTRAL COLORADO UNTIL 900PM MDT.

BAKER
LAT...LON 3940 10419 3937 10462 3970 10462 3972 10409
Special weather statement, May 23, 3:33 PM MDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-240600-

SIGNIFICANT WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
330 PM MDT THU MAY 23 1996

THIS OUTLOOK PERTAINS TO THE FOLLOWING COLORADO COUNTIES

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

SYNOPSIS:  MUCH OF NORTHEAST COLORADO REMAINS UNDER A TORNADO WATCH THIS
AFTERNOON.  AS OF 330 PM...SEVERE WEATHER HAS YET TO DEVELOP.
THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN SLOW TO DEVELOP DUE TO CONSIDERABLE CLOUD COVER
RETARDING SURFACE HEATING.  HOWEVER...AMPLE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...EAST TO
NORTHEAST UPSLOPE WINDS AND PASSAGE OF AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURDANCE SHOULD
PRODUCE ANOTHER ROUND OF THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE FRONT RANGE AND OVER
THE MONUMENT RIDGE SOUTH OF DENVER LATER THIS AFTERNOON.

DUE TO THE RELATIVELY FAST MOVEMENT OF STORMS...RAINFALL AMOUNTS SHOULD
BE ON THE LIGHT SIDE...RANGING FROM A TENTH TO A QUARTER INCH.
HOWEVER...ONE OR TWO THUNDERSTORMS OVER AND NEAR THE FOOTHILLS SOUTH AND
WEST OF DENVER WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FROM 1 TO 1 1/2 INCHES OF
RAIN IN A VERY SHORT PERIOD.  CURRENT INDICATIONS SUGGEST THE BEST
CHANCE FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT ALONG THE FRONT RANGE BETWEEN 4 AND
8 PM.

THUNDERSTORMS WEST OF A STERLING TO LIMON LINE WILL BE CAPABLE OF
PRODUCING LARGE DAMAGING HAIL...WIND GUSTS OVER 50 MPH...LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.

STORM SPOTTERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR RAPID THUNDERSTORM DEVELOP...
ESPECIALLY IN THE ELBERT AND DOUGLAS COUNTY AREA...DURING THE NEXT 1 TO
1 1/2 HOURS.

BAKER
Special weather statement, May 23, 4:25 PM MDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
COZ030-032>050-067-071-072-240300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
425 PM MDT THU MAY 23 1996

...TORNADO WATCH NO LONGER IN EFFECT FOR TELLER AND EL PASO COUNTIES
IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO...

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF NORTHEAST COLORADO UNTIL
9 PM MDT.  THE WATCH INCLUDES ELBERT...LINCOLN..EASTERN LARIMER..ADAMS..
ARAPAHOE..BOULDER..DENVER..WESTERN WASHINGTON AND WELD COUNTIES...
INCLUDING THE DENVER METRO AREA.  LARGE DAMAGING HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS
OF GREATER THAN 60 MPH AND TORNADOES WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS
UNTIL 9 PM.

NO LONGER UNDER THE TORNADO WATCH...IS THE EAST CENTRAL COLORADO
COUNTIES OF TELLER AN~D EL PASO...INCLUDING COLORADO SPRINGS.  THE
ATMOSPHERE HAS DRIER OUT SIGNIFICANTLY WITHIN THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS
SOUTH OF THE MONUMENT RIDGE AND THEREFORE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
DEVELOPMENT IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

BAKER
Special weather statement, May 23, 4:55 PM MDT, 45 minutes before
COZ041-045>046-232345-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
455 PM MDT THU MAY 23 1996

...THUNDERSTORMS FORMING RAPIDLY OVER NORTH CENTRAL ELBERT COUNTY...

AT 455 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
A THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DEER TRAIL...OR ABOUT 29 MILES
NORTHWEST OF LIMON.

DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED POSSIBLE ROTATION AND HAIL WITH THIS STORM.
THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH AND IS EXPECTED TO MOVE
NORTHEAST ACROSS EASTERN ARAPAHOE COUNTY BETWEEN 5 AND 5:45 PM.
PEOPLE IN BYERS AND DEER TRAIL SHOULD PREPARE TO MOVE QUICKLY TO A PLACE
OF SAFETY IF SEVERE WEATHER IS SPOTTED.

THIS STORM MAY PRODUCE LARGE HAIL DAMAGING HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN AND A
POSSIBLE TORNADO.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR NORTH CENTRAL...NORTHEASTERN AND
EAST CENTRAL COLORADO UNTIL 900 PM MDT.

BAKER
LAT...LON 3939 10401 3939 10429 3964 10431 3998 10380
          3968 10372 3950 10391

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 22, 6:04 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUPhillips56 min
May 22, 6:29 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUPhillips31 min
May 22, 6:57 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUPhillips33 min
May 22, 11:06 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUJefferson39 min
May 22, 11:23 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Denver52 min
May 22, 11:47 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Denver, Weld43 min
May 23, 12:41 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Morgan, Weld49 min
May 23, 1:44 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan, Washington31 min
May 23, 5:00 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUArapahoe, Elbert45 min
May 23, 5:00 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUAdams45 min
May 23, 5:40 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUAdams, Arapahoe, Washington60 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 1996Every tornado warning in 1996Tornadoes 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.