Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2004

Tornado Warning 53, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

October 4, 2004Weld County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Oct 4, 2004, 4:43 PM MDT for Weld County, Colorado. It was in force for 47 min. 14 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
Oct 4, 2004, 4:43 PM MDT (22:43 UTC)
Expired
Oct 4, 2004, 5:30 PM MDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Weld County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 72 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:44 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
Oct 4, 4:44 PM MDTTORNADOJohnstown, COFERTILIZER TANKS TURNED ON SIDE AT FERTILIZER PLANT...3 STORAGE SHEDS DESTROYED
Oct 4, 4:44 PM MDTTORNADOJohnstown, COFERTILIZER TANKS TURNED ON SIDE AT FERTILIZER PLANT...POSSIBLE DAMAGE TO HOMES
Oct 4, 4:44 PM MDTTORNADOJohnstown, COHOMES DAMAGED
Oct 4, 4:44 PM MDTTORNADOJohnstown, COHOMES DAMAGED
Oct 4, 4:44 PM MDTTORNADOJohnstown, COHOMES DAMAGED...FERTILIZER TANKS TURNED ON SIDE AT FERTILIZER PLANT.
Oct 4, 4:44 PM MDTTORNADOMilliken, COHOMES DAMAGED
Oct 4, 4:44 PM MDTTORNADOMilliken, COHOMES DAMAGED
Oct 4, 4:44 PM MDTTORNADOMilliken, COHOMES DAMAGED
Oct 4, 4:44 PM MDTTORNADOMilliken, COPOSSIBLE DAMAGE TO HOMES
Oct 4, 4:44 PM MDTTORNADOMilliken, COPOSSIBLE DAMAGE TO HOMES
Oct 4, 4:48 PM MDTTORNADO4 W Platteville, COTRACTOR TRAILER DAMAGED...3 INCH LIMBS DOWN COUNTY ROAD 17 AND 34
Oct 4, 4:48 PM MDTTORNADO4 W Platteville, COTRACTOR TRAILER DAMAGED...3 INCH LIMBS DOWN COUNTY ROAD 17 AND 34
Oct 4, 4:48 PM MDTTORNADO4 W Platteville, COTRACTOR TRAILER DAMAGED...3 INCH LIMBS DOWN COUNTY ROAD 17 AND 34
Oct 4, 4:48 PM MDTTORNADO4 W Platteville, 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 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 147 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 2004-10-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2004-10-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -42 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1535 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
56 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 
WFUS55 KBOU 042243
TORBOU
COC123-042330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
440 PM MDT MON OCT 4 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN WELD COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF GREELEY

* UNTIL 530 PM MDT

MULTIPLE TORNADOES HAVE BEEN REPORTED ASSOCIATED WITH A LINE OF 
THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM WEST OF GREELEY TO NORTHEAST OF 
PLATTEVILLE.  THE STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE NORTH AT 5 MPH.

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 4065 10494 4022 10494 4003 10478 4022 10448
      4065 10477

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 4, 4:16 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUAdams44 min
Oct 4, 4:28 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWeld47 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.