Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

April 17, 2015Washington County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at Apr 17, 2015, 6:11 PM MDT for Washington County, Colorado. It was in force for 19 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Apr 17, 2015, 6:11 PM MDT (00:11 UTC)
Expired
Apr 17, 2015, 6:30 PM MDT
In force
19 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
0.75 in

County Washington County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 120 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:13 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.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Apr 17, 4:37 PM MDTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 52 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 00:00Z on 2015-04-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 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, Denver, CO at 00:00Z on 2015-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -38 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-109 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1370 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-112 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

629 
WFUS55 KBOU 180011
TORBOU
COC121-180030-
/O.NEW.KBOU.TO.W.0003.150418T0011Z-150418T0030Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
611 PM MDT FRI APR 17 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DENVER HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY IN NORTHEASTERN COLORADO...

* UNTIL 630 PM MDT
    
* AT 611 PM MDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED 6 MILES SOUTH OF PREWITT RESERVOIR...OR 13
  MILES NORTHWEST OF AKRON...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

  IMPACT...EXPECT DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES...ROOFS AND VEHICLES. 

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  PREWITT RESERVOIR.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

&&

LAT...LON 4028 10322 4026 10346 4043 10346 4043 10327
TIME...MOT...LOC 0011Z 153DEG 12KT 4033 10333 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

RPK
2 follow-up statements
348 
WWUS55 KBOU 180018
SVSBOU

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
618 PM MDT FRI APR 17 2015

COC121-180030-
/O.CON.KBOU.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-150418T0030Z/
WASHINGTON CO-
618 PM MDT FRI APR 17 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 PM MDT FOR NORTH
CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY...
    
AT 617 PM MDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED 5 MILES SOUTH OF PREWITT RESERVOIR...OR 14 MILES
NORTHWEST OF AKRON...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO. 

SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

IMPACT...EXPECT DAMAGE TO MOBILE HOMES...ROOFS AND VEHICLES. 

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
PREWITT RESERVOIR.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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.

&&

LAT...LON 4028 10322 4026 10346 4043 10346 4043 10327
TIME...MOT...LOC 0017Z 153DEG 12KT 4035 10334 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$

RPK
418 
WWUS55 KBOU 180030
SVSBOU

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO
630 PM MDT FRI APR 17 2015

COC121-180039-
/O.EXP.KBOU.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-150418T0030Z/
WASHINGTON CO-
630 PM MDT FRI APR 17 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON COUNTY WILL
EXPIRE AT 630 PM MDT...
                
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER APPEARS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.
THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE.  HOWEVER SMALL HAIL
AND GUSTY WINDS ARE STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT FOR NORTHEASTERN
COLORADO.

LAT...LON 4028 10322 4026 10346 4043 10346 4043 10327
TIME...MOT...LOC 0028Z 153DEG 12KT 4035 10334 

$$

RPK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 17, 7:08 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOULogan37 min
Apr 17, 8:14 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOULogan31 min
Apr 17, 8:42 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOULogan33 min
Apr 18, 1:38 PM MDTTornado Warning Tornado observedBOUWashington22 min
Apr 18, 2:49 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOULogan41 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 2015Every tornado warning in 2015Tornadoes in 2015

Sources

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.