Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2008
Tornado Warning 4, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at May 22, 2008, 11:18 AM MDT for Weld County, Colorado. It was in force for 42 min. 6 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
- May 22, 2008, 11:18 AM MDT (17:18 UTC)
- Expired
- May 22, 2008, 12:00 PM MDT
- In force
- 42 min
- Issued by
- NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
County Weld County, CO
The radar
The Denver radar (KFTG), 54 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:18 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 22, 11:19 AM MDT | HAIL 1 | 3 Nne Platteville, CO | GROUND COVERED WITH HAIL QUARTER SIZE AND SMALLER |
| May 22, 11:26 AM MDT | TORNADO | 2 Nw Milton Reservoir, CO | TREE UPROOTED TORNADO MOVING ACROSS PASTURE |
| May 22, 11:26 AM MDT | TORNADO | 2 Sw Milton Reservoir, CO | TREE UPROOTED TORNADO MOVING ACROSS PASTURE |
| May 22, 11:27 AM MDT | TORNADO | Platteville, CO | TORNADO 1/2 MILE WIDE |
| May 22, 11:32 AM MDT | TORNADO | Gilcrest, CO | TORNADO IN TOWN |
| May 22, 11:40 AM MDT | TORNADO | 3 E Milliken, CO | EXTREMELY LARGE TORNADO |
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, 5.3 hours before the alert went out and 143 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 392 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -129 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1287 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 73 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -103 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 102 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- -0.1
- Supercell composite
- -1.2
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WFUS55 KBOU 221718 TORBOU COC123-221800- /O.NEW.KBOU.TO.W.0004.080522T1718Z-080522T1800Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1118 AM MDT THU MAY 22 2008 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... SOUTHWESTERN WELD COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO * UNTIL NOON MDT * AT 1117 AM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 5 MILES EAST OF FORT LUPTON...OR 23 MILES SOUTH OF GREELEY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHWEST AT 25 MPH. * LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO PLATTEVILLE...MILTON RESERVOIR...MILLIKEN...MEAD...GILCREST... FREDERICK...FORT LUPTON AND FIRESTONE. 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 4033 10505 4034 10461 4002 10465 4003 10492 TIME...MOT...LOC 1717Z 156DEG 15KT 4011 10473 $$
1 follow-up statement
000 WWUS55 KBOU 221730 SVSBOU SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1130 AM MDT THU MAY 22 2008 COC123-221800- /O.CON.KBOU.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-080522T1800Z/ WELD CO- 1130 AM MDT THU MAY 22 2008 ...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON MDT FOR SOUTHWESTERN WELD COUNTY... AT 1129 AM MDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO LOCATED 3 MILES NORTHEAST OF PLATTEVILLE...OR 13 MILES SOUTH OF GREELEY. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHWEST AT 25 MPH. LOCATIONS REMAINING IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO PLATTEVILLE...MILTON RESERVOIR...MILLIKEN...MEAD... AND GILCREST. THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS. A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM MDT THURSDAY EVENING FOR NORTHEASTERN COLORADO. LAT...LON 4033 10505 4034 10461 4002 10465 4003 10492 TIME...MOT...LOC 1729Z 147DEG 16KT 4024 10478 $$
The office that day
Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 6:21 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Washington | 24 min |
| May 21, 7:08 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington | 52 min |
| May 21, 8:04 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Logan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington | 56 min |
| May 21, 9:44 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Arapahoe, Elbert | 46 min |
| May 22, 1:48 AM MDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BOU | Larimer | 87 min |
| May 22, 11:09 AM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Larimer, Weld | 51 min |
| May 22, 11:35 AM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Larimer, Weld | 25 min |
| May 22, 11:53 AM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Larimer, Weld | 22 min |
| May 22, 12:13 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Larimer | 32 min |
| May 22, 12:24 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Boulder, Weld | 36 min |
| May 22, 12:46 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Larimer | 44 min |
| May 22, 12:49 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Larimer | 30 min |
| May 22, 1:00 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Washington | 30 min |
| May 22, 1:14 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Logan, Morgan, Washington, Weld | 31 min |
| May 22, 1:22 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Larimer | 38 min |
| May 22, 2:34 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Logan, Sedgwick | 26 min |
| May 22, 3:05 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Weld | 55 min |
| May 22, 3:06 PM MDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BOU | Larimer | 3 hr |
| May 22, 3:20 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Weld | 40 min |
| May 22, 3:29 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Weld | 46 min |
| May 22, 5:44 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Logan, Phillips, Sedgwick | 28 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 2008Every tornado warning in 2008Tornadoes 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.