A small landspout touched down north of Limon.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS BOU wrote it up.
A small landspout touched down north of Limon.
The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Aug 17, 2:25 PM MST, 1 hour 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 325 PM MDT SUN AUG 17 2008 .SHORT TERM...TIGHT CYCLONIC CIRCULATION AROUND A VERTICALLY STACKED UPPER LOW NOW OVER NRN TELLER COUNTY HAS CONTINUED TO WRAP LOW AND MID-LEVEL CLOUDS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS NORTHWESTWARD OVER SOUTH CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE DENVER/BOULDER WFO COUNTY WARNING AREA. THIS VORTEX IS PROGGED TO TRACK SOUTHEASTWARD OUT OVER THE I-25 URBAN CORRIDOR SOUTH OF THE PALMER DIVIDE BY EARLY THIS EVENING. LAPS AND RUC CAPE...VERTICAL VELOCITY AND STABILITY FIELDS INDICATE A BAND OF MODERATE LIFT AND INSTABILITY ACROSS DOUGLAS... ELBERT AND LINCOLN COUNTIES WHERE MULTI-CELL STORMS HAVE ALREADY ERUPTED. ALTHOUGH STORMS HAVE STRUGGLED TO RETRAIN THEIR UPDRAFTS AS THEY MOVE OFF THE HIGHER TERRAIN. SHOULD SEE THE PRESENT CONVECTION IN DOUGLAS AND ELBERT COUNTIES SHIFT SOUTHEASTWARD NEXT FEW HOURS ALONG AN AXIS OF RAISED INSTABILITY. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE DUE TO RELATIVELY STRONG LOW TO MID-LEVEL SHEAR IN THE AREA. FUNNEL CLOUDS...LARGE HAIL...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND POSSIBLY A WEAK TORNADO OR TWO ARE POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THESE STORMS THRU 01Z/MON. MEANWHILE HAVE ALSO SEEN SPOTTY CONVECTION FROM TIME TO TIME OVER THE FRONT RANGE FOOTHILLS AND OUT ACROSS THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE...BUT OF LITTLE CONSEQUENCE. AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES OUT ONTO THE SOUTHEASTERN PLAINS...SHOULD SEE A STEADY DECREASE IN CLOUD COVER AND SHOWER/TSTORM COVERAGE DURING THE EVENING HOURS WITH THE 850-500MB FLOW SHIFTING TO A MORE NORTHERLY COMPONENT. HOWEVER... LIGHT BNDRY LAYER FLOW WILL BE HARD PRESSED TO SCOUR OUT SURFACE MOISTURE WITH WIDESPREAD WET/SATURATED SOILS. THEREFORE COULD SEE PATCHY FOG FORMING AFTER MIDNIGHT...ESPLY IN LOW LYING AREAS EAST OF THE I-25 URBAN CORRIDOR. ON MONDAY...WITH THE UPPER LOW SLOWLY MOVING AWAY FROM COLORADO... THE DAY MAY BEGIN WITH A FAIR AMOUNT OF MID-LEVEL CLOUDINESS AND PATCHY FOG AROUND. HOWEVER...AS WINDS ABOVE THE MIXING LAYER TURN TO A MORE NWLY COMPONENT SHOULD SEE DRIER AND AND WARMER AIR SPREADING OVER THE AREA. PRECIPITATION CHANCES LOOK MUCH LOWER ON MONDAY... WITH ONLY ISOLATED/WIDELY SCATTERED AFTERNOON T-STORMS OVER THE MTNS AND FOOTHILLS MAINLY SOUTH OF I-70...AND PALMER DIVIDE. SHOULD SEE SFC TEMPS ACROSS THE CWFA SOME 10-15F WARMER THAN THOSE TODAY. .LONG TERM...MODELS SHOW THE UPPER LOW OVER THE TEXAS PANHANDLE MONDAY EVENING WITH WEAK NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT FOR THE FORECAST AREA. BY TUESDAY...AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM SOUTHWEST OF THE STATE. NORTHWESTERLY FLOW ALOFT IS PROGGED ON TUESDAY...AND WESTERLY FOR TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. IT GOES BACK TO NORTH-NORTHWESTERLY BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AS THE UPPER RIDGE FLATTENS DUE TO A DECENT UPPER TROUGH OVER THE NORTHWESTERN UNITED STATES MOVING EAST. THE SYNOPTIC SCALE ENERGY FOR THE FORECAST AREA IS WEAK DOWNWARD THROUGH THE PERIODS. THE BOUNDARY LAYER FLOW LOOKS TO BE A MIX OF NORMAL DIURNAL TRENDS WITH SOME SOUTHERLY ENHANCEMENT THROWN IN. FOR MOISTURE...MODELS HAVE SOME IN THE LOWER AND MID LEVELS MONDAY EVENING FOR MOST OF THE FORECAST AREA. SAME FOR LATE DAY TUESDAY AND LATE DAY WEDNESDAY. THE NAM SHOWS SOME LOW LEVEL MOISTURE OVER THE PLAINS MONDAY...TUESDAY...AND WEDNESDAY OVERNIGHTS. PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES ARE IN THE 0.50 TO 1.00 INCH RANGE FROM MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...WITH THE HIGHER VALUES FURTHER EAST ON THE PLAINS. FOR THE MOST PART...DEW POINTS STAY IN THE 50S F OVER THE PLAINS THROUGH ALL THE PERIODS. THE THETA-E AXIS IS OVER SOUTH CENTRAL COLORADO LATE MONDAY. BY LATE DAY TUESDAY IT IS OVER THE WESTERN AND CENTRAL FORECAST AREA. BY LATE DAY WEDNESDAY...IT MIGRATES OVER THE EASTERN FORECAST AREA. THE LAPSE RATE FIELDS ON CROSS SECTIONS SHOW A PRETTY STRONG CAP IN THE MID LEVELS OVER MOST OF THE PLAINS LATE DAY MONDAY AND LATE DAY TUESDAY. IT IS THERE AGAIN WEDNESDAY BUT MAINLY OVER THE FAR EASTERN FORECAST AREA AND ITS ERODING BY LATE IN THE DAY. THERE IS SOME CAPE MONDAY EVENING OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...BUT ITS PRETTY MINOR. THERE IS BETTER CAPE OVER ALL THE FORECAST AREA LATE DAY TUESDAY...BEST IN THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS...MINOR OUT ON THE PLAINS. BY LATE DAY WEDNESDAY...THERE IS PRETTY DECENT CAPE OVER MOST AREAS. FOR POPS...10%-20% WILL DO...WITH NONE OVER SOME THE PLAINS. FOR TEMPERATURES...TUESDAYS HIGHS ARE 1.5 - 3.0 C WARMER THAN MONDAYS. ON WEDNESDAY...HIGHS ARE 1-2 C WARMER THAN TUESDAYS. FOR THE LATER DAYS...THURSDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...MODELS HAVE THE UPPER RIDGE FLATTENING ON THURSDAY WITH A DECENT UPPER TROUGH MOVING EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTHERN UNITED STATES. THE TROUGH AXIS MOVES ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA LATE THURSDAY WELL INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. TEMPERATURES COOL OFF FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. MOISTURE INCREASES SOMEWHAT FOR LATE THURSDAY INTO SATURDAY. SUNDAY LOOKS DRY AND WARMER. && .AVIATION...ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN THE DENVER METRO AREA THRU 01Z/MONDAY. GUSTY WINDS...LIGHT TO MODERATE RAINFALL BRIEFLY PRODUCING MVFR VSBYS AND CIGS AT THE DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. PARTIAL CLEARING OVERNIGHT AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES SOUTHEAST OF THE DENVER METRO AREA. COULD SEE PATCHY FOG FORMING AROUND 10Z IN THE VICINITY OF DIA...ALL OF WHICH SHOULD DISSIPATE WITH CLEARING SKIES BY MID-MORNING. .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && BAKER/RJK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1114 AM MDT SUN AUG 17 2008 COZ030>051-181200- 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- 1114 AM MDT SUN AUG 17 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ONCE AGAIN DEVELOP ACROSS MUCH OF THE OUTLOOK AREA THIS AFTERNOON AND LINGER THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING. SOME OF THE STORMS ON THE PLAINS...GENERALLY EAST OF THE I-25 URBAN CORRIDOR AND SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 76 WILL BE CAPABLE OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...SMALL HAIL AND POSSIBLY A BRIEF FUNNEL CLOUD OR TWO. IN THE HIGH COUNTRY...SCATTERED SHOWERS GENERALLY ABOVE 10500 FEET MAY AGAIN PRODUCE A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW...BUT LITTLE ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION IS ANTICIPATED. A RELATIVELY STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM CENTERED OVER SUMMIT COUNTY LATE THIS MORNING WILL CONTINUE TO TRACK VERY SLOWLY SOUTHEASTWARD DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. BY LATE TONIGHT THIS WEATHER SYSTEM IS FORECAST TO BE CENTERED OVER SOUTHEAST COLORADO. THE CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION EXPECTED ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA TODAY WILL GRADUALLY SHIFT SOUTH OF THE AREA OVERNIGHT WITH THIS STORM SYSTEM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED IN THE HIGH COUNTY MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY. THERE WILL BE EVEN LESS OF A CHANCE OUT ON THE PLAINS THROUGH THAT PERIOD. BY THE WEEKEND...AN UPPER TROUGH WILL INCREASE THE CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FOR ALL THE FORECAST AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL WARM UP TO NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS BY TUESDAY AND CONTINUE INTO FRIDAY. FOR THE WEEKEND... READINGS WILL COOL OFF A LITTLE DUE TO THE COOLER AIRMASS WITH THE UPPER TROUGH. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT. BAKER/RJK
The Denver radar (KFTG), 89 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:07 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A small landspout tornado touched briefly down but did no damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Colorado, 2008Warnings in Colorado, August 2008
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 137177.