Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 45, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

August 9, 2004Washington County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Aug 9, 2004, 7:09 PM MDT for Washington County, Colorado. It was in force for 36 min. 15 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 9, 2004, 7:09 PM MDT (01:09 UTC)
Expired
Aug 9, 2004, 7:45 PM MDT
In force
36 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), 103 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:10 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 9, 7:23 PM MDTHAIL 0.751 Ssw Elba, CO
Aug 9, 7:23 PM MDTHAIL 0.751 Ssw Elba, CO
Aug 9, 7:23 PM MDTHAIL 0.751 Ssw Elba, CO
Aug 9, 7:23 PM MDTHAIL 0.751 Ssw Elba, CO
Aug 9, 7:23 PM MDTHAIL 0.751 Ssw Elba, CO
Aug 9, 7:23 PM MDTHAIL 0.751 Ssw Elba, CO
Aug 9, 7:30 PM MDTHAIL 113 E Elba, CO
Aug 9, 7:30 PM MDTHAIL 113 E Elba, CO
Aug 9, 7:30 PM MDTHAIL 113 E Elba, CO
Aug 9, 7:30 PM MDTHAIL 113 E Elba, CO
Aug 9, 7:30 PM MDTHAIL 113 E Elba, CO
Aug 9, 7:45 PM MDTHAIL 1.7515 S Otis, CO
Aug 9, 7:45 PM MDTHAIL 1.7515 S Otis, CO
Aug 9, 7:45 PM MDTHAIL 1.7515 S Otis, CO
Aug 9, 7:45 PM MDTHAIL 1.7515 S Otis, CO

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

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 1.2 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2004-08-10Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2151 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 2004-08-10The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 21 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2151 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-57 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1371 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
245 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
10.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS55 KBOU 100109
TORBOU
COC121-100145-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
707 PM MDT MON AUG 9 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN WASHINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO

* UNTIL 745 PM MDT

* AT 707 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  THUNDERSTORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF ELBA...OR
  ABOUT 21 MILES SOUTH OF AKRON...MOVING EAST AT 30 MPH.

LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE...BUT ARE NOT LIMITED 
TO...ANTON...ARICKAREE SCHOOL...ELBA...LAST CHANCE...LINDON AND 
WOODLIN SCHOOL.

A SECOND STORM WITH A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS LOCATED IN SOUTHERWEST 
WASHINGTON COUNTY 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LAST CHANCE.  THAT STORM WAS 
MOVING SOUTH AT 10 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.

LAT...LON 4007 10343 3972 10369 3960 10370 3959 10337
      3964 10293 4004 10287

$$
RTG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 9, 6:00 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington45 min
Aug 9, 6:13 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUElbert47 min
Aug 9, 6:31 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUArapahoe59 min
Aug 9, 6:46 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULincoln, Washington44 min
Aug 9, 6:52 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUElbert38 min
Aug 9, 7:26 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUElbert, Lincoln64 min
Aug 9, 8:31 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln29 min
Aug 9, 8:50 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln40 min
Aug 9, 9:00 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULincoln45 min
Aug 10, 2:48 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULarimer, Weld57 min
Aug 10, 3:04 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULarimer, Weld41 min
Aug 10, 3:44 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWeld46 min
Aug 10, 4:31 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULarimer, Weld49 min
Aug 10, 4:49 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUBoulder41 min
Aug 10, 5:06 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Broomfield, Denver39 min
Aug 10, 5:16 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Broomfield, Denver44 min
Aug 10, 5:32 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUAdams, Broomfield, Denver43 min
Aug 10, 5:39 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUBoulder36 min
Aug 10, 5:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld45 min

Nearby

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