Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 21, NWS Pueblo, CO

August 16, 20084 counties in Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this tornado warning at Aug 16, 2008, 3:26 PM MDT for 4 counties in Colorado. It was in force for 33 min. 2 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
Aug 16, 2008, 3:26 PM MDT (21:26 UTC)
Expired
Aug 16, 2008, 3:59 PM MDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Pueblo, CO
Area
Storm-based polygon

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

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 154 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:28 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
Aug 16, 3:26 PM MDTTORNADO12 E Mosca, CO
Aug 16, 3:26 PM MDTTORNADO8 E Mosca, COREVISED LOCATION. TORNADO WAS ON THE GROUND FOR ONLY A FEW MINUTES ACCORDING TO EYE WITNESSES.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM (KABQ), launched 12:00Z, 9.4 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, Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM at 12:00Z on 2008-08-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 245 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, Albuquerq/Krtlnd, NM at 12:00Z on 2008-08-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 224 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
245 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-129 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1377 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
224 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
329 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WFUS55 KPUB 162126
TORPUB
COC003-023-055-109-162230-
/O.NEW.KPUB.TO.W.0021.080816T2126Z-080816T2230Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
326 PM MDT SAT AUG 16 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN SAGUACHE COUNTY IN CENTRAL COLORADO...
  EASTERN ALAMOSA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO...
  NORTHWESTERN COSTILLA COUNTY IN SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO...
  EXTREME WEST CENTRAL HUERFANO COUNTY IN SOUTHEAST COLORADO...

* UNTIL 430 PM MDT...

* AT 324 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE STORM WHICH WAS RAPIDLY ROTATING AND CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO NEAR SAN LUIS LAKE...OR ABOUT 15 MILES NORTHEAST OF
  ALAMOSA...AND WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 27 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  GREAT SAND DUNES.

DAMAGING WINDS AND VERY LARGE HAIL ARE LIKELY IN THE WARNED AREA.

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 3776 10541 3739 10560 3756 10582 3773 10574
TIME...MOT...LOC 2126Z 290DEG 24KT 3761 10566

$$
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS55 KPUB 162134
SVSPUB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
334 PM MDT SAT AUG 16 2008

COC003-023-055-109-162230-
/O.CON.KPUB.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-080816T2230Z/
HUERFANO CO-COSTILLA CO-ALAMOSA CO-SAGUACHE CO-
333 PM MDT SAT AUG 16 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 430 PM MDT FOR EXTREME
SOUTHEASTERN SAGUACHE...EASTERN ALAMOSA...NORTHWESTERN COSTILLA AND
EXTREME WEST CENTRAL HUERFANO COUNTIES...

AT 328 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR AND STORM
SPOTTERS WERE TRACKING A TORNADO.  THIS SEVERE STORM WAS CENTERED
NEAR SAN LUIS LAKE...OR 16 MILES NORTHEAST OF ALAMOSA...AND WAS
MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 23 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  GREAT SAND DUNES.

AT 324 PM MDT LOCAL OFFICIALS SAW A TORNADO 12 MILES EAST OF MOSCA. 

THERE HAS BEEN A HISTORY OF VERY LARGE DAMAGING HAIL.

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 3776 10541 3739 10560 3756 10582 3773 10574
TIME...MOT...LOC 2133Z 285DEG 20KT 3761 10562

$$
000 
WWUS55 KPUB 162159
SVSPUB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
359 PM MDT SAT AUG 16 2008

COC003-023-055-109-162210-
/O.CAN.KPUB.TO.W.0021.000000T0000Z-080816T2230Z/
HUERFANO CO-COSTILLA CO-ALAMOSA CO-SAGUACHE CO-
400 PM MDT SAT AUG 16 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN
SAGUACHE...EASTERN ALAMOSA...NORTHWESTERN COSTILLA AND EXTREME WEST
CENTRAL HUERFANO COUNTIES...

HAZARDOUS LIGHTNING MAY STILL BE IN THE AREA.

LAT...LON 3776 10541 3739 10560 3756 10582 3773 10574
TIME...MOT...LOC 2200Z 285DEG 20KT 3757 10544

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 15, 9:56 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryPUBBent, Otero109 min
Aug 16, 3:25 AM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBFremont65 min
Aug 16, 7:14 AM MDTRiver Flood WarningPUBOtero18 hr
Aug 16, 7:14 AM MDTRiver Flood WarningPUBBent6 hr
Aug 16, 1:23 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBRio Grande, Saguache67 min
Aug 16, 1:47 PM MDTTornado WarningPUBAlamosa, Rio Grande, Saguache58 min
Aug 16, 2:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBAlamosa, Rio Grande, Saguache60 min
Aug 16, 3:42 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningPUBCostilla, Huerfano, Las Animas63 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.