Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1996
Tornado Warning 89, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Aug 4, 1996, 7:16 PM MDT for Washington County, Colorado. It was in force for 29 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
- Aug 4, 1996, 7:16 PM MDT (01:16 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 4, 1996, 7:45 PM MDT
- In force
- 29 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 01:15 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 7:20 PM MDT | Thunderstorm Wind 61 | Anton, 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, 1.3 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
- 1224 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -42 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2383 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 59 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 29 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 211 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 6.8
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KDEN 050117
TORDEN
COC121-050145-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
716 PM MDT SUN AUG 04 1996
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO
WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 745 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
COUNTIES
IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
ANTON...ARICKAREE SCHOOL...COPE AND ELBA
AT 716 PM MDT WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO 2 MILES NORTH OF ANTON ...
OR ABOUT 44 MILES NORTHEAST OF LIMON.
THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.
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.
TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT
A(GENCY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
FORECAST OFFICE IN DENVER.
LAT...LON 3966 10283 3963 10337 4003 10322 4019 10285
KLEYLAWhat 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, Aug 4, 6:01 PM MDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
COZ042>050-050030- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 602 MDT SUN AUG 4 1996 ...THUNDERSTORMS INCREASING ACROSS NORTHEAST PLAINS OF COLORADO... AT 555 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM EAST OF HUDSON TO NEAR WIGGINS. ANOTHER LINE OF STORNG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM WEST OF LAST CHANCE TO WEST OF AKRON. THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2" IN DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA SEEK SHELTER INDOORS UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PASSED. KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Aug 4, 6:25 PM MDT, 51 minutes before
COZ042>050-050100- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 625 MDT SUN AUG 4 1996 ...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHEAST PLAINS OF COLORADO... AT 620 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM NEAR KIOWA IN ELBERT COUNTY TO WIGGINS IN MORGAN COUNTY TO STONEHAM IN EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN WELD COUNTY. IN ADDITION A SECOND LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM NEAR LAST CHANCE TO AKRON TO NEAR FLEMING. THESE STORMS MAY PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2 INCH IN DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHrES YOUR AREA SEEK SHELTER INDOORS UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PASSED. KLEYLA
Special weather statement, Aug 4, 6:57 PM MDT, 19 minutes before
COZ042>050-050130- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 658 MDT SUN AUG 4 1996 ...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE ACROSS NORTHEAST PLAINS OF COLORADO... AT 655 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FROM EAST OF LAST CHANCE TO AKRON TO NEAR SEDGWICK. THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE HEAVY RAIN...HAIL TO 1/2" IN DIAMETER...GUSTY WINDS TO 50 MPH AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH. IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA SEEK SHELTER INDOORS UNTIL THE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PASSED. KLEYLA
The office that day
Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 4, 7:42 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Washington | 33 min |
| Aug 4, 8:42 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Washington | 33 min |
| Aug 4, 9:11 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Washington | 19 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.