Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Warnings in 2021

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 16, 2021Lincoln County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this tornado warning at May 16, 2021, 4:51 PM MDT for Lincoln County, Colorado. It was in force for 24 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
May 16, 2021, 4:51 PM MDT (22:51 UTC)
Expired
May 16, 2021, 5:15 PM MDT
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Radar indicated
Hail
1.25 in

County Lincoln County, CO

The radar

The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 49 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:55 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 nearest sounding before it

Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 10.9 hours before the alert went out and 147 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 2021-05-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 215 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 12:00Z on 2021-05-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 35 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
215 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-294 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
861 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
35 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-44 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

717 
WFUS55 KBOU 162251
TORBOU
COC073-162315-
/O.NEW.KBOU.TO.W.0003.210516T2251Z-210516T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Denver CO
451 PM MDT Sun May 16 2021

The National Weather Service in Denver Colorado has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  South central Lincoln County in east central Colorado...

* Until 515 PM MDT.
    
* At 450 PM MDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located 6 miles west of Wild Horse Point, or 41 miles north of
  North La Junta, moving south at 10 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and half dollar size hail.

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

  IMPACT...Expect damage to mobile homes, roofs, and vehicles.

* Locations impacted include...
  Wild Horse Point.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

This Tornado Warning replaces the Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued
for the same area.

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 3852 10372 3867 10373 3870 10352 3852 10349
TIME...MOT...LOC 2250Z 000DEG 8KT 3859 10363 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.25IN

$$

RPK
2 follow-up statements
568 
WWUS55 KBOU 162301
SVSBOU

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Denver CO
501 PM MDT Sun May 16 2021

COC073-162315-
/O.CON.KBOU.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-210516T2315Z/
Lincoln CO-
501 PM MDT Sun May 16 2021

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 515 PM MDT FOR SOUTH
CENTRAL LINCOLN COUNTY...
    
At 500 PM MDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 6 miles west of Wild Horse Point, or 39 miles north of
North La Junta, moving south at 10 mph.

HAZARD...TORNADO and half dollar size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Expect damage to mobile homes, roofs, and vehicles.

Locations impacted include...
Wild Horse Point.

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 3852 10372 3867 10373 3870 10352 3852 10349
TIME...MOT...LOC 2300Z 000DEG 8KT 3857 10363 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.25IN

$$

RPK
241 
WWUS55 KBOU 162315
SVSBOU

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Denver CO
515 PM MDT Sun May 16 2021

COC073-162325-
/O.EXP.KBOU.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-210516T2315Z/
Lincoln CO-
515 PM MDT Sun May 16 2021

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL LINCOLN COUNTY HAS
EXPIRED...
        
The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area.
Therefore, the warning has been allowed to expire.  However small
hail and heavy rain are still possible with this thunderstorm.

LAT...LON 3852 10372 3867 10373 3870 10352 3852 10349
TIME...MOT...LOC 2315Z 000DEG 8KT 3854 10363 

$$

RPK

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 15, 6:00 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOUDouglas30 min
May 16, 1:33 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBOUJackson87 min
May 16, 3:58 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOULincoln32 min
May 16, 4:13 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln32 min
May 16, 4:27 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln33 min
May 16, 4:43 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln32 min
May 16, 4:54 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULincoln36 min
May 16, 5:22 PM MDTAreal Flood AdvisoryBOULincoln113 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Colorado, 2021Every tornado warning in 2021Tornadoes in 2021

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.