Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 53, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

August 17, 2008Elbert County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Aug 17, 2008, 2:56 PM MDT for Elbert County, Colorado. It was in force for 37 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Aug 17, 2008, 2:56 PM MDT (20:56 UTC)
Expired: Aug 17, 2008, 3:33 PM MDT
In force: 37 min
Issued by: NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Elbert County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 66 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 102 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: 9 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -20 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 584 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 1 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 172056
TORBOU
COC039-172145-
/O.NEW.KBOU.TO.W.0053.080817T2056Z-080817T2145Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
256 PM MDT SUN AUG 17 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL ELBERT COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO

* UNTIL 345 PM MDT

* AT 256 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER CENTRAL
  ELBERT COUNTY...OR 20 MILES WEST OF LIMON. THIS STORM WAS MOVING   
  NORTH AT 5 MPH.  THERE WAS ALSO A FUNNEL CLOUD REPORT IN THIS      
  AREA. 

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE
  WARNED COUNTY.

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 3931 10426 3941 10409 3922 10396 3915 10413
TIME...MOT...LOC 2056Z 175DEG 5KT 3923 10407

$$

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS55 KBOU 172133
SVSBOU

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
333 PM MDT SUN AUG 17 2008

COC039-172140-
/O.CAN.KBOU.TO.W.0053.000000T0000Z-080817T2145Z/
ELBERT CO-
330 PM MDT SUN AUG 17 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL ELBERT COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED AND IS NO
LONGER EXPECTED TO PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER.

LAT...LON 3931 10426 3941 10409 3922 10396 3915 10413
TIME...MOT...LOC 2130Z 175DEG 5KT 3928 10408

$$
RTG

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.