Alert archive / Colorado / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2025

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 53, NWS Denver/Boulder, CO

May 24, 2025Elbert County, Colorado

NWS Denver/Boulder, CO issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 24, 2025, 3:47 PM MDT for Elbert County, Colorado. It was in force for 43 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: May 24, 2025, 3:47 PM MDT (21:47 UTC)
Expired: May 24, 2025, 4:30 PM MDT
In force: 43 min
Issued by: NWS Denver/Boulder, CO
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Possible
Damage threat: Considerable
Hail: 1.75 in
Wind: 50.0 mph

County Elbert County, CO

The radar

The Denver radar (KFTG), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:48 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.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
May 24, 1:14 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Dodge City, (KDDC), launched 12:00Z, 9.8 hours before the alert went out and 405 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: 444 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -376 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1500 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 26 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: -6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 187 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 1.7

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 May 24, 2:26 PM MDT, 1 hour 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 24, 2:26 PM MDT, 1 hour 21 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 24, 10:05 AM MDT, 5 hours 42 minutes before

Hazardous Weather Outlook
National Weather Service Denver/Boulder CO
1005 AM MDT Sat May 24 2025

COZ030>051-251615-
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-
1005 AM MDT Sat May 24 2025

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

.DAY ONE...Today and Tonight

A few severe thunderstorms will be possible this afternoon
through the early evening hours along the I-25 Corridor from
Denver south to the Palmer Divide. At this time, the main focus
area appears to be over southern portions of the Denver metro,
eastern Douglas county and western portions of Elbert county.
Large hail, damaging winds and a few tornadoes will be possible.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday

Scattered to numerous showers and storms can be expected on
Sunday, but cooler weather will likely limit instability and any
severe storm threat. Memorial day should see a little lower shower
and storm coverage, with temperatures remaining below normal.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

Spotter activation may be needed this afternoon after 2 pm.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 24, 1:28 PM MDT, 2 hours 19 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Denver CO
128 PM MDT Sat May 24 2025

COZ041-242015-
Elbert/Central and East Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet CO-
128 PM MDT Sat May 24 2025

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHWESTERN ELBERT...SOUTH
CENTRAL ARAPAHOE AND NORTHEASTERN DOUGLAS COUNTIES UNTIL 215 PM
MDT...

At 128 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Franktown, or 24 miles southeast of Denver, moving northeast at 15
mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and half inch 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...
  Extreme Southern Aurora, southeastern Centennial, northeastern
  Castle Rock, southeastern Parker, Elizabeth, Ponderosa Park, The
  Pinery and Franktown.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3933 10467 3939 10483 3951 10481 3951 10480
      3949 10479 3949 10477 3951 10475 3953 10476
      3953 10475 3957 10477 3958 10474 3961 10473
      3962 10468 3960 10468 3959 10463 3958 10462
      3959 10460 3951 10445 3938 10445
TIME...MOT...LOC 1927Z 204DEG 12KT 3941 10476

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.50 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

Gimmestad

Special weather statement, May 24, 2:11 PM MDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Denver CO
211 PM MDT Sat May 24 2025

COZ041-242100-
Elbert/Central and East Douglas Counties Above 6000 Feet CO-
211 PM MDT Sat May 24 2025

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHWESTERN ELBERT COUNTY
UNTIL 3 PM MDT...

At 211 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Elizabeth, or 33 miles southeast of Denver, moving east at 15 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 40 mph and penny 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...
  Kiowa.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 3930 10457 3944 10458 3948 10436 3945 10437
      3946 10433 3944 10433 3939 10434 3937 10433
      3937 10431 3935 10430 3934 10431 3934 10432
      3932 10434 3931 10433 3932 10432 3930 10433
      3930 10432 3929 10432 3930 10430 3926 10429
TIME...MOT...LOC 2011Z 265DEG 11KT 3936 10453

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.75 IN
MAX WIND GUST...40 MPH

Gimmestad

Local storm report, May 24, 2:34 PM MDT, 1 hour 13 minutes before

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Local storm report, May 24, 2:43 PM MDT, 1 hour 4 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 24, 3:15 PM MDT, 32 minutes before

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Special weather statement, May 24, 3:32 PM MDT, 15 minutes before

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The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 23, 6:10 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	BOU	Washington	23 min
May 23, 6:30 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning Considerable damage threat	BOU	Washington	45 min
May 24, 1:28 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BOU	Douglas	47 min
May 24, 2:11 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BOU	Elbert	49 min
May 24, 2:29 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Elbert	46 min
May 24, 2:49 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Douglas	41 min
May 24, 3:15 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BOU	Elbert	45 min
May 24, 3:32 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	BOU	Elbert	43 min
May 24, 4:28 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Elbert	47 min
May 24, 5:09 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Jefferson	51 min
May 24, 5:53 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	BOU	Douglas	37 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Colorado, 2025 Every 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.