Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1996

Tornado Warning 74, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

July 30, 1996Weld County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Jul 30, 1996, 9:12 PM MDT for Weld County, Colorado. It was in force for 48 min. 8 reports 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 30, 1996, 9:12 PM MDT (03:12 UTC)
Expired
Jul 30, 1996, 10:00 PM MDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties

County Weld County, CO

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 30, 9:17 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 61Keota, CO
Jul 30, 9:27 PM MDTHail 1Stoneham, CO
Jul 30, 9:30 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 61New Raymer, CO
Jul 30, 9:30 PM MDTHail 1New Raymer, CO
Jul 30, 9:43 PM MDTThunderstorm Wind 61New Raymer, CO
Jul 30, 9:45 PM MDTHail 1.75New Raymer, CO
Jul 30, 9:47 PM MDTHail 1.5New Raymer, CO
Jul 30, 9:55 PM MDTHail 1New Raymer, 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 125 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 1996-07-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 794 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 1996-07-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 1 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
794 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-33 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2039 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
134 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDEN 310316
TORDEN
COC123-310400-
 
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
912 PM MDT TUE JUL 30 1996
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1000 PM MDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
 
   ...NORTHEASTERN WELD COUNTY
 
AT 910 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
POSSIBLE TORNADO 10 MILES NORTH OF NEW RAYMER...OR ABOUT 30 MILES
NORTH OF FORT MORGAN.  ANOTHER POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS LOCATED 12 MILES
EAST OF BRIGGSDALE...OR ABOUT 25 MILES NORTHWEST OF FORT MORGAN.
 
THESE POSSIBLE TORNADOES WERE MOVING SOUTH AT 35 MILES PER HOUR
AND WILL BE MOVING ACROSS HIGHWAY 14 BY 930 PM.
 
 
THESE STORMS HAD ALSO PRODUCED 1 INCH DIAMETER HAIL 18 MILES NORTH
OF STONEHAM.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN TH==E PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
 
&
 
BARJENBRUCH

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, Jul 30, 6:01 PM MDT, 3 hours 11 minutes before
COZ042-048-310100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
600 PM MDT TUE JUL 30 1996

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EASTERN COLORADO UNTIL
9 PM MDT...

THE TORNADO WATCH INCLUDES AREAS EAST OF A LINE FROM CHEYENNE TO
JUST EAST OF DENVER TO ABOUT 15 MILES EAST OF COLORADO SPRINGS.

AT 6 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST WELD AND WESTERN LOGAN
COUNTIES.  THESE STORMS WERE MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH AND LIKELY
CONTAINED MARBLE SIZED HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.

ANOTHER STRONG STORM WAS QUICKLY DEVELOPING ALONG THE ELBERT/EL PASO
COUNTY LINE.

A TORNADO WATCH MEANS THAT CONDITIONS ARE FAVOxRABLE FOR TORNADOES IN
AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.  IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES...
MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY.

BARJENBRUCH
Special weather statement, Jul 30, 7:10 PM MDT, 2 hours 2 minutes before
COZ042>050-310300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
708 PM MDT TUE JUL 30 1996

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EASTERN COLORADO UNTIL
9 PM MDT...

THE TORNADO WATCH INCLUDES AREAS EAST OF A LINE FROM CHEYENNE TO
JUST EAST OF DENVER TO ABOUT 15 MILES EAST OF COLORADO SPRINGS.

AT 7 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
WEAKENING THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEASTERN COLORADO.  HOWEVER...AN
INTENSE THUNDERSTORM OVER SOUTHEAST WYOMING WAS MOVING QUICKLY SOUTHWARD
AND SHOULD BE APPROACHING NORTHEAST WELD AND NORTHWEST LOGAN COUNTIES BY
8 PM.  THIS STORM HAS ALREADY PRODUCED 65 MPH WINDS AND 1/2 DIAMETER
HAIL.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE STILL POSSIBLE IN NORTHEAST COLORADO THIS
EVENING.  IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...MOVE INDOORS
IMMEDIATELY.

BARJENBRUCH
Special weather statement, Jul 30, 8:10 PM MDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
COZ042>050-310300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
808 PM MDT TUE JUL 30 1996

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR MUCH OF EASTERN COLORADO UNTIL
9 PM MDT...

THE TORNADO WATCH INCLUDES AREAS EAST OF A LINE FROM CHEYENNE TO
JUST EAST OF DENVER TO ABOUT 15 MILES EAST OF COLORADO SPRINGS.

AT 8 PM MDT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WERE APPROACHING THE COLORADO BORDER.
THE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO NORTHEASTERN WELD AND NORTHWESTERN LOGAN
COUNTIES BY 820 PM.  EXPECT STRONG GUSTY WINDS UP TO 60 MPH AND 1 INCH
DIAMETER HAIL WITH THE STORMS.

TORNADOES ARE STILL POSSIBLE IN NORTHEAST COLORADO THIS EVENING.  IF A
TORNADO IS SPOTTED OR A WARNING IS ISSUED...MOVE IMMEDIATELY TO THE
LOWEST FLOOR OF YOUR HOME.  STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

BARJENBRUCH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 30, 8:16 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Weld44 min
Jul 30, 8:58 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld47 min
Jul 30, 9:41 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUMorgan49 min
Jul 30, 10:15 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUMorgan45 min
Jul 30, 10:35 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld55 min
Jul 30, 10:50 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington40 min
Jul 30, 10:59 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Washington31 min
Jul 30, 11:05 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan55 min
Jul 30, 11:28 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington47 min
Jul 30, 11:59 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington31 min
Jul 31, 12:40 AM MDTFlash Flood WarningBOUWashington110 min
Jul 31, 12:55 AM MDTFlash Flood WarningBOUAdams50 min
Jul 31, 12:55 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams50 min
Jul 31, 1:09 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln36 min
Jul 31, 2:58 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln32 min
Jul 31, 3:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln44 min
Jul 31, 4:07 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln38 min
Jul 31, 4:47 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln43 min
Jul 31, 5:28 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld47 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.