Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

June 15, 2004Arapahoe County, Elbert County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Jun 15, 2004, 2:54 PM MDT for Arapahoe County, Elbert County, Colorado. It was in force for 36 min. 8 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: Jun 15, 2004, 2:54 PM MDT (20:54 UTC)
Expired: Jun 15, 2004, 3:30 PM MDT
In force: 36 min
Issued by: NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Arapahoe County, CO, Elbert County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 21 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:57 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
Jun 15, 2:54 PM MDT	TORNADO 1	11 Nne Elizabeth, CO	ROOF DAMAGE TO 1 HOUSE WITH BARN DESTROYED. TWO OTHER BARNS DAMAGED ON TWO OTHER SEPARATE PROPERTIES. SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE IN VICINITY.
Jun 15, 2:54 PM MDT	TORNADO 1	11 Nne Elizabeth, CO	ROOF DAMAGE TO 1 HOUSE WITH BARN DESTROYED. TWO OTHER BARNS DAMAGED ON TWO OTHER SEPARATE PROPERTIES. SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE IN VICINITY.
Jun 15, 2:54 PM MDT	TORNADO 1	11 Nne Elizabeth, CO	ROOF DAMAGE TO 1 HOUSE WITH BARN DESTROYED. TWO OTHER BARNS DAMAGED ON TWO OTHER SEPARATE PROPERTIES. SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE IN VICINITY.
Jun 15, 2:54 PM MDT	TORNADO 1	11 Nne Elizabeth, CO	ROOF DAMAGE TO 1 HOUSE WITH BARN DESTROYED. TWO OTHER BARNS DAMAGED ON TWO OTHER SEPARATE PROPERTIES. SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE IN VICINITY.
Jun 15, 2:54 PM MDT	TORNADO 1	11 Nne Elizabeth, CO	ROOF DAMAGE TO 1 HOUSE WITH BARN DESTROYED. TWO OTHER BARNS DAMAGED ON TWO OTHER SEPARATE PROPERTIES. SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE IN VICINITY.
Jun 15, 2:54 PM MDT	TORNADO 1	11 Nne Elizabeth, CO	ROOF DAMAGE TO 1 HOUSE WITH BARN DESTROYED. TWO OTHER BARNS DAMAGED ON TWO OTHER SEPARATE PROPERTIES. SIGNIFICANT TREE DAMAGE IN VICINITY.
Jun 15, 2:54 PM MDT	TORNADO	8 N Elizabeth, CO	TWO FUNNELS WITH BRIEF TOUHDOWN
Jun 15, 2:54 PM MDT	TORNADO	8 N Elizabeth, CO	TWO FUNNELS WITH BRIEF TOUHDOWN

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Jun 15, 1:20 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	8 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 115 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2740 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 4 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 81 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.

397 
WFUS55 KBOU 152054
TORBOU
COC005-039-152130-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
247 PM MDT TUE JUN 15 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN ELBERT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO
  CENTRAL ARAPAHOE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO

* UNTIL 330 PM MDT

* AT 247 PM MDT...THE PUBLIC REPORTED A BRIEF TORNADO 19 MILES       
  SOUTHWEST OF COUNTRY GARDENS...OR ABOUT 28 MILES SOUTHEAST OF      
  DENVER. THE STORM THAT PRODUCED THE TORNADO WAS MOVING NORTH AT 15 
  MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO...COUNTRY
GARDENS AND STRASBURG.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

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 10466 3939 10467 3957 10431 3974 10428
          3974 10456

$$

GIMMESTAD

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jun 15, 2:23 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Elbert	52 min
Jun 15, 2:31 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BOU	Douglas	44 min
Jun 15, 2:32 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BOU	Douglas	43 min
Jun 15, 3:29 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BOU	Arapahoe, Elbert	46 min
Jun 15, 3:33 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BOU	Adams	42 min
Jun 15, 4:59 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BOU	Elbert, Lincoln	46 min
Jun 15, 5:42 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BOU	Lincoln	48 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 2004 Every tornado warning in 2004 Tornadoes in 2004

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.