Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2002

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

August 25, 2002Washington County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Aug 25, 2002, 2:00 AM MDT for Washington County, Colorado. It was in force for 60 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Aug 25, 2002, 2:00 AM MDT (08:00 UTC)
Expired
Aug 25, 2002, 3:00 AM MDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Washington County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 123 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 08:00 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Aug 25, 2:04 AM MDTThunderstorm Wind 54 MAkron Arpt, CO
Aug 25, 2:09 AM MDTHail 0.75Akron, CO
Aug 25, 2:10 AM MDTHail 1.5Akron, 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, 8.0 hours before the alert went out and 28 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 2002-08-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 740 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 2002-08-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 31 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
740 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-10 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2494 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
31 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
78 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

385 
WFUS55 KBOU 250800
TORDEN
COC121-250900-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
158 AM MDT SUN AUG 25 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF AKRON

* UNTIL 300 AM MDT

* AT 158 AM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO 5 MILES NORTH OF PLATNER...   
  OR ABOUT 10 MILES NORTHEAST OF AKRON.  ANOTHER THUNDERSTORM WITH A 
  POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS 5 MILES NORTHWEST OF AKRON.  THE STORMS WERE  
  MOVING SOUTH AT 15 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...AKRON...
OTIS AND PLATNER.

VERY LARGE HAIL UP TO BASEBALL SIZE AND DAMAGING WINDS ARE ALSO 
LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS.

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A
TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO STRUCTURE
IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

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.

THIS WARNING REPLACES THE EARLIER WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN 
WASHINGTON COUNTY.

LAT...LON 4023 10337 3995 10339 3990 10280 4027 10294

GIMMESTAD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 24, 6:17 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington43 min
Aug 24, 6:32 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUPhillips43 min
Aug 24, 6:59 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington46 min
Aug 24, 7:48 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington27 min
Aug 24, 10:22 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington53 min
Aug 24, 10:32 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington43 min
Aug 24, 11:14 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington16 min
Aug 25, 1:28 AM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington62 min
Aug 25, 2:33 AM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington57 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 2002Every tornado warning in 2002Tornadoes in 2002

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.