Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Watches in 1998

Tornado Watch 435

May 26, 199820 counties in Colorado

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 26, 1998, 2:45 PM MDT for 20 counties in Colorado. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
May 26, 1998, 2:45 PM MDT (20:45 UTC)
Expired
May 26, 1998, 8:00 PM MDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Adams County, CO, Arapahoe County, CO, Baca County, CO, Bent County, CO, Cheyenne County, CO, Crowley County, CO, El Paso County, CO, Elbert County, CO, Kiowa County, CO, Kit Carson County, CO, Las Animas County, CO, Lincoln County, CO, Logan County, CO, Morgan County, CO, Otero County, CO, Prowers County, CO, Pueblo County, CO, Washington County, CO, Weld County, CO, Yuma County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 120 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:45 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.

Warnings issued inside it

6 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 26, 3:37 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso63 min
May 26, 4:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULarimer, Weld35 min
May 26, 4:58 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUArapahoe, Washington32 min
May 26, 5:03 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULarimer, Weld3 hr
May 26, 5:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld40 min
May 26, 5:58 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUMorgan, Weld57 min

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 47 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 1998-05-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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 12:00Z on 1998-05-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 38 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1671 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
37 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.

144 
WWUS9 KMKC 262012
SEL5  
MKC WW 262012
COZ000-270200-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 435
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
212 PM MDT TUE MAY 26 1998

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   EASTERN COLORADO                           

EFFECTIVE THIS TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING FROM 245 PM UNTIL 800
PM MDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 2 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 65 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 60 MILES NORTH NORTHWEST OF AKRON COLORADO TO 70
MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF LAMAR COLORADO.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. 
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...  CONTINUE...WW 430...WW 431...WW
432...WW 433...WW 434...

DISCUSSION...


AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 2 INCHES.  EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500. 
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 25025.


...HALES

405,1022 370,1020 370,1042 405,1045

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Colorado, 1998Every tornado watch in 1998

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.