Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 69, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

July 28, 1996Adams County, Denver County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Jul 28, 1996, 6:56 PM MDT for Adams County, Denver County, Colorado. It was in force for 34 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 28, 1996, 6:56 PM MDT (00:56 UTC)
Expired
Jul 28, 1996, 7:30 PM MDT
In force
34 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

Counties Adams County, CO, Denver County, CO

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 28, 7:00 PM MDTThunderstorm WindDenver, 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, 0.9 hours before the alert went out and 118 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 1996-07-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 83 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 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 1996-07-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -121 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
83 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-149 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2683 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-121 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-101 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 290102
TORDEN
COC001-031-290130-

BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
656 PM MDT SUN JUL 28 1996

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 730 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES

IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
     DENVER AND WESTERN ADAMS

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     NORTHWESTERN AURORA...EASTERN BROOMFIELD...COMMERCE CITY...
DENVER...NORTHGLENN...THORNTON...EASTERN WESTMINSTER AND FEDERAL 
HEIGHTS

AT 652 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM NORTHWEST DENVER TO NEAR BRIGHTON.  RADAR 
AND SPOTTER REPORTS INDICATE FUNNEL CLOUDS NEAR THE ADAMS COUNTY 
FAIRGROUND AND NEAR 80TH AND SHERIDAN BOULEVARD.  TORNADOES ARE 
POSSIBLE IN THE WARNING AREA AT ANY TIME.  TAKE COVER NOW!

DAMAGING WINDS TO 60 MPH ARE REPORTED WITH THIS STORM...AND LARGE 
HAIL IS ALSO POSSIBLE.

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 LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

GIMMESTAD

LAT...LON 3966 10493 3983 10512 3999 10495 3998 10483
          3979 10479
&

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 28, 6:08 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUAdams, Denver, Weld37 min
Jul 28, 6:35 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUAdams, Weld25 min
Jul 28, 6:37 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUBoulder53 min
Jul 28, 6:43 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Phillips, Sedgwick47 min
Jul 28, 7:03 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUAdams, Arapahoe27 min
Jul 28, 7:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Phillips45 min
Jul 28, 8:32 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUElbert, Lincoln43 min
Jul 28, 8:58 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln47 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.