Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2014
Tornado Warning 20, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2014, 3:18 PM MDT for Adams County, Arapahoe County, Denver County, Colorado. It was in force for 27 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 21, 2014, 3:18 PM MDT (21:18 UTC)
- Expired
- May 21, 2014, 3:45 PM MDT
- In force
- 27 min
- Issued by
- NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Tornado
- Observed
- Hail
- 1.5 in
Counties Adams County, CO, Arapahoe County, CO, Denver County, CO
The radar
The Denver radar (KFTG), 4 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:19 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 | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 3:39 PM MDT | HAIL 1.75 | 5 N Bennett, 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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 12:34 PM MDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 8 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 12:00Z, 9.3 hours before the alert went out and 110 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 268 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -75 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 786 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 36 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 86 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 158 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 2.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
711
WFUS55 KBOU 212118
TORBOU
COC001-005-031-212145-
/O.NEW.KBOU.TO.W.0020.140521T2118Z-140521T2145Z/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
318 PM MDT WED MAY 21 2014
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A
* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
NORTH CENTRAL ARAPAHOE COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO...
EAST CENTRAL DENVER COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO...
SOUTH CENTRAL ADAMS COUNTY IN NORTHEAST COLORADO...
* UNTIL 345 PM MDT
* AT 314 PM MDT...A CONFIRMED TORNADO WAS LOCATED OVER NORTHEASTERN
AURORA...OR 24 MILES EAST OF DENVER...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH.
TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS CHASING THE STORM CONTINUE TO REPORT
FUNNEL CLOUDS AND WALL CLOUDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.
THE STORM IS ALSO PRODUCING HEAVY RAIFALL...MAKING VISUAL
CONFIRMATION OF ANY TORNADOES DIFFICULT. THE STORM HAS A HISTORY
OF PRODUCING A TORNADO...AND IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING ADDITIONAL
TORNADIC ACTIVITY WITH LITTLE WARNING.
HAZARD...DAMAGING TORNADO AND PING PONG BALL SIZE HAIL.
SOURCE...WEATHER SPOTTERS CONFIRMED TORNADO.
IMPACT...FLYING DEBRIS WILL BE DANGEROUS TO THOSE CAUGHT WITHOUT
SHELTER. MOBILE HOMES WILL BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED.
DAMAGE TO ROOFS...WINDOWS AND VEHICLES WILL OCCUR. TREE
DAMAGE IS LIKELY.
* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
EASTERN AURORA...EASTERN DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT...BENNETT...
STRASBURG...MANILA VILLAGE AND WATKINS.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
TO REPEAT...A TORNADO IS ON THE GROUND. TAKE COVER NOW! MOVE TO A
BASEMENT OR 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.
MOTORISTS SHOULD NOT TAKE SHELTER UNDER HIGHWAY OVERPASSES. IF YOU
CANNOT SAFELY DRIVE AWAY FROM THE TORNADO...AS A LAST RESORT...EITHER
PARK YOUR VEHICLE AND STAY PUT...OR ABANDON YOUR VEHICLE AND LIE DOWN
IN A LOW LYING AREA AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.
HEAVY RAINFALL MAY HIDE THIS TORNADO. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR THE
TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW.
&&
LAT...LON 3968 10469 3990 10464 3992 10425 3965 10426
TIME...MOT...LOC 2114Z 268DEG 18KT 3977 10450
TORNADO...OBSERVED
HAIL...1.50IN
$$
DANKERSThe office that day
Everything else NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 6:19 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Adams, Arapahoe, Elbert, Lincoln, Washington | 41 min |
| May 20, 10:51 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | BOU | Weld | 39 min |
| May 20, 11:43 PM MDT | Special Weather Statement | BOU | Weld | 62 min |
| May 20, 11:51 PM MDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BOU | Morgan, Weld | 114 min |
| May 21, 6:47 AM MDT | Areal Flood Advisory | BOU | Morgan | 3 hr |
| May 21, 1:00 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Jefferson | 45 min |
| May 21, 1:36 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Adams, Arapahoe, Denver | 39 min |
| May 21, 1:56 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Adams, Arapahoe, Denver | 34 min |
| May 21, 2:21 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Adams, Denver | 39 min |
| May 21, 2:23 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Adams, Arapahoe, Denver | 22 min |
| May 21, 2:42 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Adams, Arapahoe | 33 min |
| May 21, 3:47 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Adams, Arapahoe | 28 min |
| May 21, 3:57 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Douglas, Elbert | 48 min |
| May 21, 4:18 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Adams, Arapahoe | 42 min |
| May 21, 4:57 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | BOU | Adams | 48 min |
| May 21, 5:34 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Adams, Morgan, Washington | 41 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 2014Every tornado warning in 2014Tornadoes in 2014
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.