Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 1997

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

June 8, 1997Arapahoe County, Denver County, Jefferson County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Jun 8, 1997, 12:34 PM MDT for Arapahoe County, Denver County, Jefferson County, Colorado. It was in force for 26 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties.

The facts

Issued
Jun 8, 1997, 12:34 PM MDT (18:34 UTC)
Expired
Jun 8, 1997, 1:00 PM MDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

Counties Arapahoe County, CO, Denver County, CO, Jefferson County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 51 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:37 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

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 6.6 hours before the alert went out and 161 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 12:00Z on 1997-06-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 1997-06-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-220 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1245 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
21 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
46 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 081836 RRA
TORDEN
COC059-031-005-081900-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
1234 PM MDT SUN JUN 8 1997

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 100 PM MDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES

IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
     EAST CENTRAL JEFFERSON...SOUTHWEST DENVER...EXTREME WESTERN 
ARAPAHOE...

INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS
     CHATFIELD RESERVOIR

AT 1231 PM MDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR CHATFIELD RESERVOIR...OR 
ABOUT 11 MILES SOUTH OF DENVER.

AT 1231 PM MDT THE PUBLIC REPORTED A TORNADO 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF
CHATFIELD RESERVOIR...OR ABOUT 11 MILES SOUTH OF DENVER.

THE STORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 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.

LAT...LON 3957 10501 3951 10510 3957 10518 3966 10507

ENTREKIN

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 1997Every tornado warning in 1997Tornadoes in 1997

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.