Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 13, NWS Pueblo, CO

August 8, 2008Alamosa County, Costilla County, Huerfano County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this tornado warning at Aug 8, 2008, 4:15 PM MDT for Alamosa County, Costilla County, Huerfano County, Colorado. It was in force for 60 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 8, 2008, 4:15 PM MDT (22:15 UTC)
Expired
Aug 8, 2008, 5:15 PM MDT
In force
60 min
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Alamosa County, CO, Costilla County, CO, Huerfano County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 153 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:16 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

Grand Junction, CO (KGJT), launched 12:00Z, 10.3 hours before the alert went out and 302 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, Grand Junction, CO at 12:00Z on 2008-08-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 24 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Grand Junction, CO at 12:00Z on 2008-08-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 64 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
24 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-68 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
977 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
15 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
64 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
121 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 KPUB 082215
TORPUB
COC003-023-055-082315-
/O.NEW.KPUB.TO.W.0013.080808T2215Z-080808T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
415 PM MDT FRI AUG 8 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN ALAMOSA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO...
  NORTH CENTRAL COSTILLA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO...
  EXTREME WEST CENTRAL HUERFANO COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST COLORADO...

* UNTIL 515 PM MDT...

* AT 411 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED   
  A SEVERE STORM WHICH WAS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR SAN   
  LUIS LAKE...OR ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF ALAMOSA...AND WAS       
  MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AT 6 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  SAN LUIS LAKE.
  BLANCA PEAK.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IN A HOUSE IS IN A BASEMENT...UNDER STURDY
FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...GO TO THE LOWEST FLOOR...IN
AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM...SUCH AS A CLOSET OR
BATHROOM. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER AND PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM
FLYING DEBRIS. ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...OR IN A MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...GO TO A
NEARBY STURDY STRUCTURE AND GET IN A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF THERE IS NO STURDY
STRUCTURE AVAILABLE...AS A LAST RESORT...GO TO A CULVERT...DITCH...OR
OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3773 10541 3748 10545 3758 10584 3774 10585
TIME...MOT...LOC 2214Z 302DEG 5KT 3766 10572

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS55 KPUB 082236
SVSPUB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
436 PM MDT FRI AUG 8 2008

COC003-023-055-082315-
/O.CON.KPUB.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-080808T2315Z/
HUERFANO CO-COSTILLA CO-ALAMOSA CO-
435 PM MDT FRI AUG 8 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM MDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN ALAMOSA...NORTH CENTRAL COSTILLA AND EXTREME WEST
CENTRAL HUERFANO COUNTIES...

AT 434 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS 
SEVERE STORM WAS CENTERED 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SAN LUIS LAKE...OR 15 
MILES NORTHEAST OF ALAMOSA...AND WAS MOVING TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST AT 
8 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  BLANCA PEAK.

AT 358 PM MDT THE PUBLIC SAW A TORNADO APPROXIMATELY 16 MILES TO THE 
NORTHEAST OF ALAMOSA.  

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE IN A HOUSE IS IN A BASEMENT...UNDER STURDY
FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...GO TO THE LOWEST FLOOR...IN
AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR SMALL INTERIOR ROOM...SUCH AS A CLOSET OR
BATHROOM. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER AND PROTECT YOUR BODY FROM
FLYING DEBRIS. ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF YOU ARE OUTDOORS...OR IN A MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...GO TO A
NEARBY STURDY STRUCTURE AND GET IN A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE
LOWEST FLOOR POSSIBLE AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF THERE IS NO STURDY
STRUCTURE AVAILABLE...AS A LAST RESORT...GO TO A CULVERT...DITCH...OR
OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

LAT...LON 3773 10541 3748 10545 3758 10584 3774 10585
TIME...MOT...LOC 2235Z 312DEG 7KT 3761 10565

$$
000 
WWUS55 KPUB 082309
SVSPUB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
509 PM MDT FRI AUG 8 2008

COC003-023-055-082319-
/O.EXP.KPUB.TO.W.0013.000000T0000Z-080808T2315Z/
HUERFANO CO-COSTILLA CO-ALAMOSA CO-
509 PM MDT FRI AUG 8 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHEASTERN ALAMOSA...NORTH CENTRAL
COSTILLA AND EXTREME WEST CENTRAL HUERFANO COUNTIES EXPIRES AT 515 PM
MDT...

LAT...LON 3773 10541 3748 10545 3758 10584 3774 10585
TIME...MOT...LOC 2309Z 312DEG 7KT 3757 10559

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Pueblo, CO issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 8, 10:13 AM MDTFlash Flood WatchPUBAlamosa, Chaffee, Conejos, Costilla, Custer, El Paso and 9 more11 hr
Aug 8, 3:06 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBHuerfano34 min
Aug 8, 4:30 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBEl Paso50 min
Aug 8, 4:40 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningPUBLas Animas3 hr
Aug 8, 5:06 PM MDTFlash Flood WarningPUBEl Paso, Fremont, Teller3 hr

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