Alert archive / Colorado / Tornado Watches in 2021
Tornado Watch 223
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at May 29, 2021, 1:48 PM MDT for 12 counties in Colorado. It was in force for 7 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 29, 2021, 1:48 PM MDT (19:48 UTC)
- Expired
- May 29, 2021, 9:00 PM MDT
- In force
- 7 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
- Largest hail expected
- 2.5 in
- Strongest gust expected
- 60 kt
Counties Baca County, CO, Bent County, CO, Cheyenne County, CO, Crowley County, CO, El Paso County, CO, Elbert County, CO, Kiowa County, CO, Las Animas County, CO, Lincoln County, CO, Otero County, CO, Prowers County, CO, Pueblo County, CO
The radar
The Pueblo radar (KPUX), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:47 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 SPC expected
The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.
- Two or more tornadoes
- 40%
- One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
- 20%
- Ten or more severe wind reports
- 40%
- One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
- 20%
- Ten or more severe hail reports
- 70%
- One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
- 60%
- Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
- 90%
Warnings issued inside it
28 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 1:48 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | El Paso | 27 min |
| May 29, 1:55 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Elbert | 35 min |
| May 29, 2:04 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | Bent, Las Animas, Otero | 41 min |
| May 29, 2:06 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | Las Animas | 39 min |
| May 29, 2:38 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | Bent, Las Animas, Otero | 52 min |
| May 29, 2:42 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | El Paso | 48 min |
| May 29, 2:59 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | Las Animas | 31 min |
| May 29, 3:25 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | El Paso | 35 min |
| May 29, 3:26 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | Las Animas | 49 min |
| May 29, 3:55 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | El Paso | 35 min |
| May 29, 4:25 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | El Paso | 50 min |
| May 29, 4:31 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | El Paso | 29 min |
| May 29, 4:46 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | Las Animas | 44 min |
| May 29, 4:58 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Lincoln | 32 min |
| May 29, 5:16 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | BOU | Lincoln | 29 min |
| May 29, 5:24 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | Baca, Las Animas | 36 min |
| May 29, 5:30 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | GLD | Cheyenne, Kit Carson | 25 min |
| May 29, 5:33 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | Pueblo | 27 min |
| May 29, 5:46 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | Custer, Pueblo | 29 min |
| May 29, 5:53 PM MDT | Flash Flood Warning | PUB | Custer, Pueblo | 86 min |
| May 29, 5:53 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | Baca, Las Animas | 52 min |
| May 29, 6:11 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | PUB | Baca, Las Animas | 34 min |
| May 29, 6:38 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | PUB | Baca, Las Animas | 22 min |
| May 29, 6:53 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | El Paso | 37 min |
| May 29, 6:54 PM MDT | Tornado Warning | PUB | Baca, Las Animas | 36 min |
| May 29, 7:24 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | Baca, Las Animas | 36 min |
| May 29, 7:45 PM MDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | PUB | El Paso | 30 min |
| May 29, 7:57 PM MDT | Flash Flood Warning | PUB | El Paso | 79 min |
Discussions around it
SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.
The nearest sounding before it
Denver, CO (KDNR), launched 12:00Z, 7.8 hours before the alert went out and 180 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 2325 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 20 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -78 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 92 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
671
WWUS20 KWNS 291945
SEL3
SPC WW 291945
COZ000-300300-
URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 223
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
145 PM MDT Sat May 29 2021
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a
* Tornado Watch for portions of
Southeast Colorado
* Effective this Saturday afternoon and evening from 145 PM until
900 PM MDT.
* Primary threats include...
A couple tornadoes possible
Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 2.5
inches in diameter likely
Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible
SUMMARY...Thunderstorms are developing over the foothills of eastern
Colorado. These storms will track eastward into a progressively
more moist/unstable airmass, with the potential for very large hail
and damaging winds in the stronger cells. A few tornadoes are also
possible this afternoon and evening.
The tornado watch area is approximately along and 65 statute miles
north and south of a line from 20 miles west of Pueblo CO to 35
miles east southeast of Lamar CO. For a complete depiction of the
watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.
&&
AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 2.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 60 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean
storm motion vector 27030.
...HartSPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 12:58 PM MDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baca, Bent, Crowley, Elbert, Lincoln, Otero | 2 hr |
| May 29, 4:54 PM MDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Crowley, El Paso, Lincoln | 66 min |
| May 29, 5:30 PM MDT | Mesoscale Discussion | SPC | Baca | 90 min |
Nearby
Tornado Watches in Colorado, 2021Every tornado watch 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.