Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Goodland, KS

May 11, 2011Kit Carson County, Colorado

NWS Goodland, KS issued this tornado warning at May 11, 2011, 4:41 PM MDT for Kit Carson County, Colorado. It was in force for 37 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 11, 2011, 4:41 PM MDT (22:41 UTC)
Expired
May 11, 2011, 5:18 PM MDT
In force
37 min
Issued by
NWS Goodland, KS
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Kit Carson County, CO

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 84 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:43 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 11, 4:57 PM MDTHAIL 0.75Stratton, 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 11, 3:52 PM MDTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 10.7 hours before the alert went out and 68 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 2011-05-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2011-05-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 66 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
629 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
47 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
583 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.

576 
WFUS53 KGLD 112241
TORGLD
COC063-112330-
/O.NEW.KGLD.TO.W.0006.110511T2241Z-110511T2330Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
441 PM MDT WED MAY 11 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GOODLAND HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL KIT CARSON COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO...

* UNTIL 530 PM MDT

* AT 439 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS
  STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR STRATTON...AND WAS MOVING NORTHWEST AT 20
  MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF NORTHERN KIT CARSON COUNTY.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 70 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 413 AND 428.

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 3957 10284 3957 10253 3925 10242 3924 10272
TIME...MOT...LOC 2242Z 156DEG 16KT 3936 10260
HAIL 1.25IN
$$

LOCKHART
2 follow-up statements
402 
WWUS53 KGLD 112306
SVSGLD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
506 PM MDT WED MAY 11 2011

COC063-112330-
/O.CON.KGLD.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-110511T2330Z/
KIT CARSON CO-
506 PM MDT WED MAY 11 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR CENTRAL KIT CARSON COUNTY
UNTIL 530 PM MDT...

AT 502 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.  THIS DANGEROUS
STORM WAS LOCATED 10 MILES NORTH OF STRATTON...AND WAS MOVING
NORTHWEST AT 20 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF NORTHERN KIT CARSON COUNTY.

THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 70 BETWEEN MILE MARKERS 413 AND 428.

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 3957 10284 3957 10253 3925 10242 3924 10272
TIME...MOT...LOC 2306Z 156DEG 16KT 3946 10266
HAIL 1.25IN
$$

LOCKHART
786 
WWUS53 KGLD 112318
SVSGLD

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GOODLAND KS
518 PM MDT WED MAY 11 2011

COC063-112328-
/O.CAN.KGLD.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-110511T2330Z/
KIT CARSON CO-
518 PM MDT WED MAY 11 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL KIT CARSON COUNTY IS CANCELLED...

THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER POSES AN IMMEDIATE THREAT TO LIFE OR
PROPERTY...HOWEVER HEAVY RAIN IS STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS
THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 3957 10284 3957 10253 3925 10242 3924 10272
TIME...MOT...LOC 2318Z 156DEG 16KT 3951 10269
$$

LOCKHART

The office that day

Everything else NWS Goodland, KS issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 7:32 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGLDYuma43 min
May 10, 7:33 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGLDYuma42 min
May 11, 3:02 PM MDTTornado WarningGLDKit Carson31 min
May 11, 3:36 PM MDTTornado WarningGLDKit Carson39 min
May 11, 4:17 PM MDTTornado WarningGLDKit Carson43 min
May 11, 4:40 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementGLDKit Carson2 hr
May 11, 4:46 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDKit Carson59 min
May 11, 4:56 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningGLDYuma18 min
May 11, 5:28 PM MDTTornado WarningGLDYuma10 min

Nearby

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