Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 38, NWS Pueblo, CO

August 17, 2015Crowley County, Otero County, Colorado

NWS Pueblo, CO issued this tornado warning at Aug 17, 2015, 6:15 PM MDT for Crowley County, Otero County, Colorado. It was in force for 23 min. 2 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: Aug 17, 2015, 6:15 PM MDT (00:15 UTC)
Expired: Aug 17, 2015, 6:38 PM MDT
In force: 23 min
Issued by: NWS Pueblo, CO
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.5 in

Counties Crowley County, CO, Otero County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 68 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:15 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
Aug 17, 6:15 PM MDT	HAIL 0.75	2 Wnw Rocky Ford, CO
Aug 17, 6:43 PM MDT	HAIL 0.88	1 Wsw Rocky Ford, 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
Aug 17, 2:32 PM MDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 00:00Z, 0.3 hours before the alert went out and 215 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: 985 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -158 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1172 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 97 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 232 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 3.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

293 
WFUS55 KPUB 180015
TORPUB
COC025-089-180100-
/O.NEW.KPUB.TO.W.0038.150818T0015Z-150818T0100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
615 PM MDT MON AUG 17 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PUEBLO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL OTERO COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO...
  SOUTHERN CROWLEY COUNTY IN SOUTHEASTERN COLORADO...

* UNTIL 700 PM MDT
    
* AT 615 PM MDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A
  TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR ROCKY FORD...OR 14 MILES WEST OF LA
  JUNTA...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

  HAZARD...TORNADO AND PING PONG BALL SIZE HAIL. 

  SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

  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. 

* THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  ROCKY FORD AROUND 620 PM MDT.
  SWINK AROUND 635 PM MDT.
  LA JUNTA AND NORTH LA JUNTA AROUND 645 PM MDT.

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 OUTDOORS...IN A
MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL
SHELTER AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3799 10392 3813 10383 3802 10341 3773 10346
TIME...MOT...LOC 0015Z 296DEG 20KT 3802 10380 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.50IN

$$

KAM

2 follow-up statements

240 
WWUS55 KPUB 180027
SVSPUB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
627 PM MDT MON AUG 17 2015

COC025-180036-
/O.CAN.KPUB.TO.W.0038.000000T0000Z-150818T0100Z/
CROWLEY CO-
627 PM MDT MON AUG 17 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHERN CROWLEY COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
    
THE TORNADIC THUNDERSTORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT 
OF THE WARNED AREA. THEREFORE THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM MDT FOR SOUTHEASTERN
COLORADO.

LAT...LON 3795 10386 3809 10373 3802 10341 3773 10346
TIME...MOT...LOC 0026Z 296DEG 21KT 3798 10371 

$$

COC089-180100-
/O.CON.KPUB.TO.W.0038.000000T0000Z-150818T0100Z/
OTERO CO-
627 PM MDT MON AUG 17 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM MDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN OTERO COUNTY...
    
AT 626 PM MDT...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO
WAS LOCATED NEAR ROCKY FORD...OR 9 MILES WEST OF LA JUNTA...MOVING
SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

HAZARD...TORNADO AND PING PONG BALL SIZE HAIL. 

SOURCE...RADAR INDICATED ROTATION. 

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. 

THIS DANGEROUS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
  SWINK AROUND 635 PM MDT.
  LA JUNTA AROUND 640 PM MDT.
  NORTH LA JUNTA AROUND 645 PM MDT.

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 OUTDOORS...IN A
MOBILE HOME...OR IN A VEHICLE...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL
SHELTER AND PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 3795 10386 3809 10373 3802 10341 3773 10346
TIME...MOT...LOC 0026Z 296DEG 21KT 3798 10371 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.50IN

$$

KAM

726 
WWUS55 KPUB 180038
SVSPUB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PUEBLO CO
638 PM MDT MON AUG 17 2015

COC089-180048-
/O.CAN.KPUB.TO.W.0038.000000T0000Z-150818T0100Z/
OTERO CO-
638 PM MDT MON AUG 17 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN OTERO COUNTY IS CANCELLED...
                
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS WEAKENED BELOW SEVERE
LIMITS...AND NO LONGER APPEARS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO.
THEREFORE THE WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELLED.  HOWEVER SMALL HAIL....
GUSTY WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN ARE STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM MDT FOR SOUTHEASTERN
COLORADO.

LAT...LON 3795 10386 3809 10373 3802 10341 3773 10346
TIME...MOT...LOC 0037Z 296DEG 20KT 3795 10363 

$$

KAM

The office that day

Everything else NWS Pueblo, CO issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 17, 6:00 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	PUB	Bent	45 min
Aug 17, 6:18 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Bent	42 min
Aug 17, 6:46 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	PUB	Bent, Kiowa	44 min
Aug 17, 6:58 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Bent	23 min
Aug 17, 7:22 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	PUB	Bent	38 min
Aug 17, 7:27 PM MDT	Flash Flood Warning	PUB	Bent, Prowers	4 hr
Aug 17, 7:40 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	PUB	Bent, Kiowa, Prowers	80 min
Aug 17, 7:52 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Baca, Bent, Prowers	68 min
Aug 17, 8:02 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	PUB	Fremont	28 min
Aug 17, 8:59 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	PUB	Baca	28 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 2015 Every tornado warning in 2015 Tornadoes 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.