Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2025

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 238, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

July 16, 2025Douglas County, Elbert County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 16, 2025, 3:01 PM MDT for Douglas County, Elbert County, Colorado. It was in force for 29 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 16, 2025, 3:01 PM MDT (21:01 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 2025, 3:30 PM MDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area
Storm-based polygon
Hail
1.0 in
Wind
50.0 mph

Counties Douglas County, CO, Elbert County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 53 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:00 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
Jul 16, 2:45 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 9.0 hours before the alert went out and 438 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, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2025-07-16Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 905 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Dodge City, at 12:00Z on 2025-07-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -34 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
905 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-297 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1724 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
40 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 16, 11:20 AM MDT, 3 hours 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 16, 11:20 AM MDT, 3 hours 41 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 16, 9:26 AM MDT, 5 hours 35 minutes before
Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
926 AM MDT Wed Jul 16 2025

COZ030>051-171530-
Jackson County Below 9000 Feet-
West Jackson and West Grand Counties Above 9000 Feet-
Grand and Summit Counties Below 9000 Feet-
South and East Jackson/Larimer/North and Northeast Grand/
Northwest Boulder Counties Above 9000 Feet-
South and Southeast Grand/West Central and Southwest Boulder/
Gilpin/Clear Creek/Summit/North and West Park Counties Above
9000 Feet-Larimer and Boulder Counties Between 6000 and 9000 Feet-
Jefferson and West Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet/Gilpin/Clear
Creek/Northeast Park Counties Below 9000 Feet-
Central and Southeast Park County-
Larimer County Below 6000 Feet/Northwest Weld County-
Boulder And Jefferson Counties Below 6000 Feet/West Broomfield
County-
North Douglas County Below 6000 Feet/Denver/West Adams and
Arapahoe Counties/East Broomfield County-
Elbert/Central and East Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet-
Northeast Weld County-Central and South Weld County-Morgan County-
Central and East Adams and Arapahoe Counties-
North and Northeast Elbert County Below 6000 Feet/North Lincoln
County-
Southeast Elbert County Below 6000 Feet/South Lincoln County-
Logan County-Washington County-Sedgwick County-Phillips County-
926 AM MDT Wed Jul 16 2025

This hazardous weather outlook is for northeast and north central
Colorado.

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

Scattered showers and thunderstorms expected today across our
area, with the chance for some storms to become strong to severe
along the I-25 corridor. The severity of today's storms will be
dependent on how much sunshine we get. Hail the size of ping pong
balls are the main threat. However, localized flooding, damaging
winds and an isolated tornado are possible. Best chance for severe
weather in the Denver metro will be between 2-6 PM.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday

90+ degree temperatures are expected to return by Friday. There
will be daily chances of showers and thunderstorms through the
weekend.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation will not be needed today or tonight.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 16, 2:24 PM MDT, 37 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 16, 2:37 PM MDT, 24 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 16, 2:48 PM MDT, 13 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Denver CO
248 PM MDT Wed Jul 16 2025

COZ036-041-162115-
Elbert/Central and East Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet CO-
Jefferson and West Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet/Gilpin/Clear
Creek/Northeast Park Counties Below 9000 Feet CO-
248 PM MDT Wed Jul 16 2025

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT CENTRAL DOUGLAS COUNTY UNTIL
315 PM MDT...

At 248 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Sprucewood, or 28 miles south of Denver, moving east at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and nickel size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is possible.

Locations impacted include...
  Castle Rock, Roxborough Park, Sedalia, Perry Park, Sprucewood,
  Devil's Head, Castle Pines and Shamballa.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Monitor the weather situation closely and be alert for threatening
weather conditions.

&&

LAT...LON 3923 10509 3932 10516 3941 10516 3946 10502
      3944 10502 3944 10500 3942 10499 3941 10496
      3943 10495 3947 10497 3950 10489 3928 10481
TIME...MOT...LOC 2048Z 252DEG 17KT 3933 10507

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.88 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

Danielson

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 16, 2:24 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOULarimer36 min
Jul 16, 2:37 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOUGilpin38 min
Jul 16, 2:47 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUBoulder, Broomfield, Jefferson28 min
Jul 16, 2:48 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOUDouglas27 min
Jul 16, 3:13 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOUWeld32 min
Jul 16, 3:27 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOUDouglas33 min
Jul 16, 4:11 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOUWeld49 min
Jul 16, 4:13 PM MDTSpecial Weather StatementBOUElbert47 min
Jul 16, 4:22 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOUWeld23 min
Jul 16, 5:14 PM MDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningBOULogan, Morgan, Washington, Weld31 min
Jul 16, 5:36 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUMorgan, Washington24 min
Jul 16, 5:55 PM MDTTornado WarningBOUWashington35 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Colorado, 2025Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2025

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.