Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 22, 2008Washington County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at May 22, 2008, 1:00 PM MDT for Washington County, Colorado. It was in force for 30 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 22, 2008, 1:00 PM MDT (19:00 UTC)
Expired
May 22, 2008, 1:30 PM MDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Washington County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 120 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:02 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
May 22, 1:19 PM MDTHAIL 0.7517 E Brush, 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 22, 11:25 AM MDTTornado WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 7.0 hours before the alert went out and 51 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 2008-05-22Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 392 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Denver, CO at 12:00Z on 2008-05-22The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -103 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS55 KBOU 221900
TORBOU
COC121-221930-
/O.NEW.KBOU.TO.W.0009.080522T1900Z-080522T1930Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
100 PM MDT THU MAY 22 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO

* UNTIL 130 PM MDT

* AT 101 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 5 MILES
  NORTHWEST OF AKRON. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHWEST AT 52 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO MIDWAY AND
  AKRON.

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 4043 10345 4042 10315 4016 10312 4016 10345
TIME...MOT...LOC 1901Z 152DEG 45KT 4026 10333

$$

RJK
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS55 KBOU 221921
SVSBOU

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
121 PM MDT THU MAY 22 2008

COC121-221931-
/O.EXP.KBOU.TO.W.0009.000000T0000Z-080522T1930Z/
WASHINGTON CO-
121 PM MDT THU MAY 22 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY WILL
EXPIRE AT 130 PM MDT...

THE THUNDERSTORM THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED SOME AND 
MOVED NORTHWARD OUT OF WASHINGTON COUNTY.  

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 800 PM MDT THURSDAY EVENING
FOR NORTHEASTERN COLORADO.

LAT...LON 4043 10345 4042 10315 4016 10312 4016 10345
TIME...MOT...LOC 1921Z 152DEG 45KT 4048 10349

$$

RJK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 21, 6:21 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWashington24 min
May 21, 7:08 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington52 min
May 21, 8:04 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Morgan, Phillips, Sedgwick, Washington56 min
May 21, 9:44 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUArapahoe, Elbert46 min
May 22, 1:48 AM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBOULarimer87 min
May 22, 11:09 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULarimer, Weld51 min
May 22, 11:18 AM MDTTornado WarningBOUWeld42 min
May 22, 11:35 AM MDTTornado WarningBOULarimer, Weld25 min
May 22, 11:53 AM MDTTornado WarningBOULarimer, Weld22 min
May 22, 12:13 PM MDTTornado WarningBOULarimer32 min
May 22, 12:24 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUBoulder, Weld36 min
May 22, 12:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULarimer44 min
May 22, 12:49 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULarimer30 min
May 22, 1:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Morgan, Washington, Weld31 min
May 22, 1:22 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULarimer38 min
May 22, 2:34 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Sedgwick26 min
May 22, 3:05 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld55 min
May 22, 3:06 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBOULarimer3 hr
May 22, 3:20 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWeld40 min
May 22, 3:29 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWeld46 min
May 22, 5:44 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Phillips, Sedgwick28 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.