Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 32, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

July 12, 2011Elbert County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Jul 12, 2011, 8:17 PM MDT for Elbert County, Colorado. It was in force for 43 min. 3 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: Jul 12, 2011, 8:17 PM MDT (02:17 UTC)
Expired: Jul 12, 2011, 9:00 PM MDT
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Elbert County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 58 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:17 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

Time	Report	Where
Jul 12, 8:42 PM MDT	HAIL 1.75	Elbert, CO
Jul 12, 9:05 PM MDT	TSTM WND GST 50	4 Ese Elbert, CO
Jul 12, 9:05 PM MDT	HAIL 1	4 Ese Elbert, CO

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

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 00:00Z, 2.3 hours before the alert went out and 127 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: 596 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -61 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1449 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 256 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 2.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

096 
WFUS55 KBOU 130217
TORBOU
COC039-130300-
/O.NEW.KBOU.TO.W.0032.110713T0217Z-110713T0300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
817 PM MDT TUE JUL 12 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 900 PM MDT

* AT 811 PM MDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR 
  FONDIS...OR ABOUT 3 MILES EAST OF ELBERT.  THATS ALSO 31 MILES
  NORTHEAST OF COLORADO SPRINGS. THIS STORM WAS MOVING NORTHWEST
  AT 5 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO KIOWA AND
  ELBERT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3913 10466 3916 10466 3934 10455 3950 10440
      3947 10409 3913 10439
TIME...MOT...LOC 0216Z 151DEG 3KT 3922 10447

$$
BARJENBRUCH

1 follow-up statement

092 
WWUS55 KBOU 130245
SVSBOU

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
845 PM MDT TUE JUL 12 2011

COC039-130300-
/O.CON.KBOU.TO.W.0032.000000T0000Z-110713T0300Z/
ELBERT CO-
845 PM MDT TUE JUL 12 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 PM MDT FOR WEST
CENTRAL ELBERT COUNTY...

AT 844 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS STORM WAS
LOCATED 4 MILES SOUTH OF FONDIS...OR 28 MILES NORTHEAST OF COLORADO
SPRINGS. THIS STORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY.

GOLFBALL SIZED HAIL WAS OBSERVED IN ELBERT AT 842 PM.

LOCATIONS REMAINING IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
KIOWA AND ELBERT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF IN A MOBILE HOME...A VEHICLE OR
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3913 10466 3916 10466 3934 10455 3950 10440
      3947 10409 3913 10439
TIME...MOT...LOC 0244Z 204DEG 2KT 3917 10444

$$
BARJENBRUCH

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 12, 6:34 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOU	Arapahoe, Elbert	2 hr
Jul 12, 6:39 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Arapahoe, Elbert	51 min
Jul 12, 7:03 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BOU	Elbert	42 min
Jul 12, 7:19 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOU	Arapahoe, Elbert	91 min
Jul 12, 7:23 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Weld	52 min
Jul 12, 7:27 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BOU	Elbert	48 min
Jul 12, 7:34 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BOU	Weld	41 min
Jul 12, 7:45 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BOU	Elbert	45 min
Jul 12, 7:48 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOU	Weld	87 min
Jul 12, 8:05 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Weld	40 min
Jul 12, 8:21 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Weld	54 min
Jul 12, 8:33 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOU	Arapahoe, Elbert	3 hr
Jul 12, 8:44 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOU	Weld	2 hr
Jul 12, 9:00 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Elbert	60 min
Jul 12, 9:04 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Weld	56 min
Jul 12, 9:10 PM MDT	Tornado Warning	BOU	Weld	34 min
Jul 12, 9:15 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOU	Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Jefferson	90 min
Jul 12, 9:30 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Adams, Arapahoe, Denver	44 min
Jul 12, 9:40 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOU	Boulder	95 min
Jul 12, 9:59 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Weld	61 min
Jul 12, 10:35 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOU	Larimer, Weld	115 min
Jul 12, 10:48 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOU	Weld	3 hr
Jul 12, 10:54 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOU	Larimer	2 hr
Jul 12, 11:19 PM MDT	Areal Flood Warning	BOU	Arapahoe, Elbert	6 hr
Jul 13, 12:04 AM MDT	River Flood Advisory	BOU	Adams	10 hr
Jul 13, 12:16 AM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	BOU	Weld	3 hr
Jul 13, 12:32 AM MDT	River Flood Advisory	BOU	Weld	47 hr
Jul 13, 12:37 AM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOU	Weld	83 min
Jul 13, 1:11 AM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOU	Logan	94 min
Jul 13, 2:01 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BOU	Elbert	29 min
Jul 13, 2:22 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Elbert	38 min
Jul 13, 2:42 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOU	Elbert	93 min
Jul 13, 2:58 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Elbert	38 min
Jul 13, 3:52 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Elbert	38 min
Jul 13, 4:22 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Elbert	16 min
Jul 13, 5:08 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BOU	Jefferson	52 min
Jul 13, 5:53 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	BOU	Boulder	82 min
Jul 13, 5:56 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Adams, Arapahoe, Denver, Douglas, Jefferson	49 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes in 2011

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.