Tornado Watch 334

Issued

May 22, 2008, 11:25 AM MDT (17:25 UTC)

Expired

May 22, 2008, 8:03 PM MDT

In force

9 hr

Issued by

the Storm Prediction Center

Largest hail expected

3 in

Strongest gust expected

70 kt

Counties Adams County, CO, Arapahoe County, CO, Boulder County, CO, Broomfield County, CO, Cheyenne County, CO, Denver County, CO, Douglas County, CO, Elbert County, CO, Jefferson County, CO, Kiowa County, CO, Kit Carson County, CO, Larimer County, CO, Lincoln County, CO, Logan County, CO, Morgan County, CO, Phillips County, CO, Sedgwick County, CO, Washington County, CO, Weld County, CO, Yuma County, CO

The Denver radar (KFTG), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:27 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.

Two or more tornadoes

90%

One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes

50%

Ten or more severe wind reports

30%

One or more gusts of 65 knots or more

50%

Ten or more severe hail reports

60%

One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more

80%

Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports

95%

• Mesoscale Discussion 969May 22, 11:06 AM MDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 971May 22, 12:34 PM MDT
• Mesoscale Discussion 975May 22, 4:50 PM MDT

000
WWUS20 KWNS 221729
SEL4  
SPC WW 221729
COZ000-NEZ000-WYZ000-230200-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 334
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1125 AM MDT THU MAY 22 2008

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

       NORTHEASTERN COLORADO
       EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN NEBRASKA
       EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN WYOMING

EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY MORNING AND EVENING FROM 1125 AM UNTIL
800 PM MDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND
GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE
AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS APPROXIMATELY ALONG AND 70 STATUTE
MILES NORTH AND SOUTH OF A LINE FROM 20 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF
FORT COLLINS COLORADO TO 30 MILES NORTH NORTHEAST OF BURLINGTON
COLORADO.  FOR A COMPLETE DEPICTION OF THE WATCH SEE THE
ASSOCIATED WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE (WOUS64 KWNS WOU4).

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH
AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR
THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS
AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS.

DISCUSSION...NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ACROSS
NORTHEASTERN CO THIS AFTERNOON...AS STRONG SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES
NEWD INTO THE AREA. DEEP LAYER SHEAR AT 60 KT AND MODERATE
INSTABILITY INDICATES NUMEROUS SUPERCELLS ARE LIKELY. STRONG
INSTABILITY WILL SUPPORT HAIL IN EXCESS OF 2 INCHES. THE PRESENCE OF
A WARM FRONT AND STRONG LOW LEVEL SHEAR SUGGEST TORNADOES ARE ALSO
LIKELY. INITIAL STORMS NEAR THE FRONT RANGE WILL GRADUALLY SPREAD
EWD INTO THE EASTERN PLAINS THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE
WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO
500. MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 17035.


...IMY

Tornado Watches in Colorado, 2008Every tornado watch in 2008

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.