Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2018

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 21, 2018Elbert County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2018, 5:10 PM MDT for Elbert County, Colorado. It was in force for 25 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, 2018, 5:10 PM MDT (23:10 UTC)
Expired: May 21, 2018, 5:35 PM MDT
In force: 25 min
Issued by: NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.0 in

County Elbert County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 54 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:11 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, 5:16 PM MDT	TORNADO	13 Wsw Agate, CO	OBSERVERS REPORTED BRIEF CLOUD OF DUST NEAR THE FUNNEL IN AN OPEN FIELD WITH NO DAMAGE REPORTED. ESTIMATED EF-0.

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

The nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDEN), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 95 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: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL: 1541 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 148 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 122 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

482 
WFUS55 KBOU 212310
TORBOU
COC039-212345-
/O.NEW.KBOU.TO.W.0001.180521T2310Z-180521T2345Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Denver CO
510 PM MDT MON MAY 21 2018

The National Weather Service in Denver Colorado has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  North central Elbert County in east central Colorado...

* Until 545 PM MDT.
    
* At 509 PM MDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located 12 miles west of Agate, or 28 miles west of Limon,
  moving east at 5 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and quarter 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 tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
  north central Elbert County.

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 3937 10425 3947 10424 3948 10409 3938 10404
      3933 10409
TIME...MOT...LOC 2309Z 283DEG 6KT 3941 10418 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.00IN

$$

GIMMESTAD

1 follow-up statement

429 
WWUS55 KBOU 212335
SVSBOU

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Denver CO
535 PM MDT MON MAY 21 2018

COC039-212344-
/O.CAN.KBOU.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-180521T2345Z/
Elbert CO-
535 PM MDT MON MAY 21 2018

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTH CENTRAL ELBERT 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 and 
heavy rain is still possible with this thunderstorm between Kiowa 
and Agate over the next half hour.

LAT...LON 3937 10425 3947 10424 3948 10409 3938 10404
      3933 10409
TIME...MOT...LOC 2334Z 283DEG 6KT 3940 10413 

$$

GIMMESTAD

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 21, 4:46 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BOU	Elbert	44 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 2018 Every tornado warning in 2018 Tornadoes in 2018

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.