Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 64, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Jul 25, 1996, 7:30 PM MDT for Washington County, Colorado. It was in force for 30 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
- Jul 25, 1996, 7:30 PM MDT (01:30 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 25, 1996, 8:00 PM MDT
- In force
- 30 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 01:31 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 8:00 PM MDT | Tornado F0 | Otis, 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, 1.5 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 353 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -45 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2818 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 5 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 53 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- -0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KDEN 260130
TORDEN
COC121-260200-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
730 PM MDT THU JUL 25 1996
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 800 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES
IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
NORTHEAST AND EASTCENTRAL WASHINGTON
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
AKRON...BURDETT...LONE STAR...OTIS AND PLATNER
THIS TORNADO WARNING REPLACES THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING THAT
HAD BEEN IN EFFECT FOR THIS SAME AREA.
AT 720 PM MDT THE WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED A TORNADO
BRIEFLY TOUCHED DOWN 5 MILES NORTH OF AKRON. ALTHOUGH THERE WAS
NO LONGER A TORNADO AT 725PM...FUNNEL CLOUDS WERE STILL BEING
REPORTED.
AT 725PM NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF AKRON...OR
ABOUT 29 MILES SOUTH OF STERLING.
THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 20 MILES PER 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 LOWH SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUES UNTIL 9PM THIS EVENING.
HOLZINGER
LAT...LON 3982 10284 4002 10328 4038 10336 4040 10283What 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, Jul 25, 3:44 PM MDT, 3 hours 46 minutes before
COZ036-252230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 343 PM MDT THU JUL 25 1996 ...THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEAST PARK AND SOUTHERN JEFFERSON COUNTIES... AT 340 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS 3 MILES EAST OF PINE...OR ABOUT 27 MILES SOUTHWEST OF DENVER. THE STORMS WERE MOVING EAST SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES PER HOUR. THE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAIN AS WELL AS SMALL HAIL. RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF UP TO 1/2 INCH IN AN HOUR'S TIME ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. LOCALIZED FLOODING IS A POSSIBILITY WITH THESE STORMS. THE AREAS MOST VULNERABLE TO FLOODING IS THE BURNED OUT AREAS AROUND BUFFALO CREEK. PERSONS IN OR NEAR BUFFALO CREEK...BAILEY AND PINE SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THESE STORMS AND MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF FLOODING OCCURS. NEVER DRIVE...OR WALK...THROUGN FLOODED AREAS. LESZCYNSKI
Special weather statement, Jul 25, 3:55 PM MDT, 3 hours 35 minutes before
COZ041-046-252230- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 355 PM MDT THU JUL 25 1996 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORM IN NORTHERN ELBERT COUNTY... AT 352 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHCENTRAL ELBERT COUNTY...OR ABOUT 26 MILES WEST OF LIMON. THE STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MILES PER HOUR. BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER AND MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY IF BAD WEAT&HER APPROACHES. DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...HAIL...HEAVY RAIN...AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL OCCUR WITH THIS STORM. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF EASTERN COLORADO UNTIL 9PM THIS EVENING. HOLZINGER
Special weather statement, Jul 25, 7:05 PM MDT, 25 minutes before
COC035-038-039-043-260126- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 706 PM MDT THU JUL 25 1996 ...THUNDERSTORMS IN BOULDER...WELD AND LARIMER COUNTIES... AT 649 PM MDT WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AM AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST BOULDER...SOUTHWEST WELD AND SOUTHEAST LARIMER COUNTIES. THE STRONGEST STORM WAS 6 MILES NORTHWEST OF BERTHOUD...OR ABOUT 17 MILES SOUTH OF FORT COLLINS. THE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. THESE STORMS ARE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. LOCALIZED FLOODING IS A POSSIBILITY WITH THESE STORMS. PEOPLE IN NORTHEAST BOULDER...SOUTHWEST WELD AND SOUTHEAST LARIMER COUNTIES...INCLUDING THE LOCATIONS OF LONGMONT...BERTHOUD...DACONO... FIRESTONE...FREDERICK...LYONS AND MEAD SHOULD BE ALERT OF THESE STORMS...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE INDOORS WHEN THE STORMS APPROACH. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM MDT TONIGHT. LESZCYNSKI
Special weather statement, Jul 25, 7:20 PM MDT, 10 minutes before
COZ044-260145- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 720 PM MDT THU JUL 25 1996 ...STRONG WINDS IN MORGAN COUNTY... AT 715PM STRONG WINDS WERE MOVING THROUGH MORGAN COUNTY. THERE WERE NO THUNDERSTORMS IN THE AREA. THESE WINDS WERE CAUSED BY THUNDERSTORMS THAT WERE IN LOGAN COUNTY EARLIER AND HAVE MOVED INTO NORTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY. AT 7PM A BRIEF WIND GUST TO 58 MPH WAS REPORTED BY AN AUTOMATED SENSOR NEAR FOR T MORGAN...BUT 5 MINUTES LATER THE WIND SPEED HAD DECREASED. A TORNADO WATCH CONTINUED UNTIL 9PM FOR MUCH OF EASTERN COLORADO. HOLZINGER
The office that day
Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 6:23 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick | 37 min |
| Jul 25, 6:23 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Washington | 37 min |
| Jul 25, 7:00 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Washington | 45 min |
| Jul 25, 8:02 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Washington | 28 min |
| Jul 25, 8:30 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Washington | 30 min |
| Jul 25, 9:53 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Lincoln | 22 min |
| Jul 26, 4:04 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Weld | 41 min |
| Jul 26, 4:17 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Elbert, Lincoln | 43 min |
| Jul 26, 5:10 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Elbert, Lincoln | 35 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.