Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 9, 2008Sedgwick County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at May 9, 2008, 4:39 PM MDT for Sedgwick County, Colorado. It was in force for 38 min. 1 report 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: May 9, 2008, 4:39 PM MDT (22:39 UTC)
Expired: May 9, 2008, 5:17 PM MDT
In force: 38 min
Issued by: NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Sedgwick County, CO

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 180 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:43 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
May 9, 5:14 PM MDT	HAIL 0.88	9 Se Julesburg, CO

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
May 9, 1:18 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 140 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1264 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 64 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 99 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 181 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 092239
TORBOU
COC115-092330-
/O.NEW.KBOU.TO.W.0003.080509T2239Z-080509T2330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
439 PM MDT FRI MAY 9 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SEDGWICK COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO

* UNTIL 530 PM MDT

* AT 439 PM MDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 5
  MILES SOUTH OF JULESBURG. THIS STORM WAS MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30
  MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO SEDGWICK...
  OVID...MARKS BUTTE AND JULESBURG.

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 SAFE SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN
THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR
HANDS.

LAT...LON 4099 10209 4079 10208 4082 10263 4099 10263
TIME...MOT...LOC 2239Z 311DEG 26KT 4089 10226

$$

DANKERS

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS55 KBOU 092317
SVSBOU

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
517 PM MDT FRI MAY 9 2008

COC115-092323-
/O.CAN.KBOU.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-080509T2330Z/
SEDGWICK CO-
517 PM MDT FRI MAY 9 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SEDGWICK COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS EXITED THE AREA.

AT 437 PM MDT...A SPOTTER 8 MILES SOUTH OF JULESBURG REPORTED A 
FUNNEL CLOUD AND BLOWING DUST TO HIS NORTHEAST.  AFTER A FEW MOMENTS 
THE FUNNEL CLOUD RECEDED INTO THE CLOUD.  THE THUNDERSTORM HAD ALSO 
PRODUCED QUARTER-SIZED TO GOLFBALL-SIZED HAIL AS IT MOVED OVER THE 
TOWN OVID.  

AT 514 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED 
THAT THE STORM HAD MOVED INTO NEBRASKA.  

LAT...LON 4099 10209 4079 10208 4082 10263 4099 10263
TIME...MOT...LOC 2313Z 291DEG 21KT 4084 10201

$$

DANKERS

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 9, 4:17 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Sedgwick	28 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes in 2008

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.