A tornado touched down briefly at the southeast corner of Mt. Evans near Lincoln Lake.
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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 tornado touched down briefly at the southeast corner of Mt. Evans near Lincoln Lake. The estimated elevation where this tornado touched down was near 12,500 feet. This would make this tornado one of the highest ever recorded in the U.S.
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 Jul 28, 9:29 AM MST, 4 hours 16 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1029 AM MDT SAT JUL 28 2012 .UPDATE...WEAK NORTHERLY PUSH MOVED ACROSS THE PLAINS THIS MORNING. THIS SLIGHTLY COOLER BOUNDARY LAYER...COMBINED WITH SOME MID LEVEL CLOUDINESS...HAS DELAYED THE PLAINS HEATING A BIT AND WILL LIKELY ALLOW THE CAP TO HOLD IN PLACE TIL LATE AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT...HAVE DELAYED THE POPS A BIT ON THE PLAINS WHILE LOWERING THEM SLIGHTLY OVER THE NORTHEASTERN PORTIONS OF THE PLAINS WHERE CAP IS NORMALLY STRONGEST IN THESE SITUATIONS. LATEST HRRR AND RAP ALSO SUGGEST A LATER ARRIVAL OF CONVECTION ON THE PLAINS...AND EVEN HINT AT THE CAP REMAINING STRONG ENOUGH TO PREVENT CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR PROGRESSION. MEANWHILE...THE MOUNTAINS AND FOOTHILLS SHOULD SEE ANOTHER ACTIVE DAY WITH PLENTY OF PW AND VALUES ABOUT 0.10 TO 0.20 INCH HIGHER THAN YESTERDAY. LOOKS LIKE THE BEST MOISTURE PLUME IS AIMING TOWARD SUMMIT/PARK COUNTIES AND THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS. THE WEAK Q-G SUBSIDENCE SHOULD ALSO ABATE LATER THIS AFTERNOON PER THE LATEST Q-G ANALYSIS/TRENDS ALLOWING FOR RATHER HIGH CONVECTIVE COVERAGE. && .AVIATION...PER DISCUSSION ABOVE...CAP WILL LIKELY TAKE LONGER TO ERODE ACROSS THE PLAINS THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING WITH WEAK BOUNDARY LAYER COOLING AND SOME MID LEVEL CLOUDINESS. WILL PUSH BACK THUNDER CHANCES A COUPLE HOURS AND CENTER IT CLOSER TO 00Z. SOME CHANCE THAT CONVECTION MAY NOT AFFECT FRONT RANGE AIRPORTS IF CAP IS A LITTLE STRONGER. WILL MONITOR LATEST ACARS SOUNDINGS FOR THUNDER UPDATES THIS AFTERNOON. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 345 AM MDT SAT JUL 28 2012/ SHORT TERM...BROAD HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT CENTERED OVER THE PANHANDLES OF TEXAS AND OKLAHOMA WITH A HEALTHY WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT OVER NORTHERN COLORADO. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY CONTINUES TO SHOW THE MOISTURE PLUME OVER MUCH OF COLORADO STREAMING IN FROM ARIZONA AND WESTERN NEW MEXICO. GIVEN SATELLITE TRENDS DON'T REALLY SEE MUCH CHANGE IN THE OVERALL MOISTURE LEVELS THROUGH TONIGHT. CURRENT IPW VALUES FROM GPS ARE JUST UNDER AN INCH OVER THE PLAINS. BOTH NAM/GFS BUMP UP PW VALUES TO JUST OVER AN INCH BY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER BOTH GFS/NAM SEEM TO KEEP MOST OF THE PRECIP OVER THE MOUNTAINS...FOOTHILLS AND PALMER DIVIDE WITH VERY LITTLE PRECIP OVER THE PLAINS. GIVEN THE WESTERLY FLOW DON'T SEE WHY THE STORMS WON'T BE ABLE TO MAKE IT OVER ONTO THE PLAINS. MODEL DEWPOINTS SEE A BIT LOW AS WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO HOLD DEWPOINTS IN THE MID 40S TO AROUND 50. THIS WILL RESULT IN SFC BASED CAPES FROM 500-1000J/KG. HAVE BUMPED UP POPS 10 PERCENT ACROSS THE BOARD OVER THE PLAINS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. LONG TERM...THE STRONG UPPER LEVEL SUBTROPICAL HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE CENTERED OVER OKLAHOMA SUNDAY MORNING IS FORECAST TO SHIFT SOUTHWARD OVER NORTHERN TEXAS DURING THE DAY. THIS ALLOWS THE PLUME OF MOIST SUBTROPICAL AIR HOVERING OVER THE DESERT SOUTHWEST TO STREAM NORTHEASTWARD OVER COLORADO THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. MODELS SHOW 850-500MB PRECIPITABLE WATER AND MEAN LAYER SPECIFIC HUMIDITY VALUES CLIMBING DURING THE DAY SUNDAY AS THE MAIN PUSH OF MOISTURE PASSES OVER THE FORECAST AREA LATE IN THE DAY. NAM DOES NOT INDICATE ALL THAT MUCH QUASI-GEOSTROPHIC ASCENT OR SFC-500MB INSTABILITY AROUND ON SUNDAY. WHEREAS THE GFS SHOWS ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF Q-G LIFT BUT QUITE A BIT MORE LOW-LEVEL CAPE/INSTABILITY DUE LARGELY TO MORE PRECIPITABLE WATER AROUND. ECMWF CAPE AND Q-G ASCENT ABOUT THE SAME AS THAT ON THE GFS. MEANWHILE SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT IS RELATIVELY WEAK ON ALL THREE MODELS ON SUNDAY. LIGHT EASTERLY/UPSLOPE FLOW ALSO ACCOUNTING FOR THE INCREASE IN LOW- LEVEL MOISTURE EAST OF THE MTNS. PW VALUES SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 0.80 AND 1.10 INCH ON THE PLAINS BY LATE AFTERNOON AND ABOUT 0.70 INCH IN THE HIGH COUNTRY. WITH THIS MUCH WATER VAPOR HANGING AROUND... COULD SEE SKIES CLOUDING OVER BEFORE SOLAR HEATING HAS TIME TO GENERATE STORMS. THAT MAY EXPLAIN THE LOW POPS OFFERED BY THE MODEL GUIDANCE. STILL FEEL THERE/S SUFFICIENT CAUSE TO STICK WITH THE 20-30 PCT POPS ON THE PLAINS AND 30-50 PCT POPS IN THE HIGH COUNTRY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. HOWEVER IT MAY REQUIRE BOUNDARIES MOVING DOWN FROM STORMS SCATTERED OVER THE FOOTHILLS TO INITIATE STORM DEVELOPMENT OVER THE ADJACENT PLAINS. THIS MAY NOT HAPPEN UNTIL LATE..SAY 5 OR 6 PM DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF CLOUD COVERAGE. SLOW STORM MOTIONS AND THE POSSIBILITY OF TRAINING STORMS COULD RESULT IN LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL...UPWARDS OF AN INCH IN UNDER 30 MINUTES...MAINLY OVER AND NEAR THE FRONT RANGE. AS HAS BEEN THE CASE THIS SUMMER...BURN SCARS MOST SUSCEPTIBLE TO FLASH FLOODING SHOULD THIS SCENARIO PAN OUT. COULD SEE STORMS LINGERING ON THE PLAINS WELL INTO THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...MAINLY OUT NEAR THE EASTERN BORDER. LACK OF SHEAR OR MUCH INSTABILITY SHOULD LIMIT SEVERE WX BUT BRIEF HEAVY RAIN STILL POSSIBLE. FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY...THE SUBTROPICAL HIGH OVER NORTHERN TEXAS ON SUNDAY MIGRATES WESTWARD OVER THE TEXAS/OKLAHOMA PANHANDLE ON MONDAY WHERE IT LINGERS THROUGH TUESDAY. AS A CONSEQUENCE STEERING WINDS ALOFT OVER NORTHEAST COLORADO BECOME MORE WESTERLY IN DIRECTION. PULSES OF MONSOONAL MOISTURE CARRIED ALONG BY THIS FLOW SHOULD KEEP THE CHANCE OF THE T-STORMS GOING IN THE HIGH COUNTRY THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING. WHEREAS THIS SAME WESTERLY FLOW WILL LIKELY REDUCE THE CHANCE OF STORMS ON THE PLAINS EVEN WITH ALL OF THE MOISTURE AT MID-LEVELS. CAN/T RULE OUT A FEW STORMS DRIFTING OFF THE FOOTHILLS AND OVER THE NEARBY PLAINS CAPABLE OF BRIEF HEAVY RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING BOTH DAYS. STORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO MOVE TOO FAR OUT OVER THE PLAINS WHERE THE ATMOSPHERE LOOKS STRONGLY CAPPED. FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT REMAINS IN PLACE WITH THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH CONTINUING ITS SLOW WESTWARD TRACK ACROSS NORTHERN NEW MEXICO. WEDNESDAY LOOKS DRIER...EVEN IN THE HIGH COUNTRY...WITH SUBSIDENCE/WARMING ALOFT. BY THURSDAY...MODELS INDICATE A RESURGENCE IN SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE PASSAGE OF A WEAK UPPER AIR DISTURBANCE. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SHOW THIS WAVE PASSING OVER THE FORECAST AREA AROUND MAX HEATING. SO THE CHANCE FOR T-STORMS SLIGHTLY BETTER ON THURSDAY...ESPLY IN THE HIGH COUNTRY. COULD SEE A REPEAT ON FRIDAY IF THE GFS IS CORRECT. WHEREAS THE ECMWF APPEARS DRIER AND LESS ACTIVE. TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT THE EXTENDED PERIOD ARE PROGGED TO REMAIN ABOVE AVERAGE WITH THE WARMEST READINGS MID-WEEK. AVIATION...WITH NEXT 12Z TAF ISSUANCE WILL LIKELY INCREASE CHANCES OF TS THIS AFTERNOON WITH TEMPO FOR TS/GUSTY WINDS GIVEN SIMILAR MOISTURE LEVELS COMPARED TO YESTERDAY. TIMING OF STORMS MAYBE A BIT LATER TODAY WITH MORE CLOUD COVER EXPECTED DURING THE MORNING HOURS. HYDROLOGY...GIVEN PW VALUES AROUND AN INCH AGAIN TODAY...SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING UP TO 2 INCHES IN LESS THAN ONE HOUR. THIS WOULD RESULT IN POSSIBLE FLASH FLOODING ESPECIALLY IN BURN AREAS. HOWEVER STORM MOTIONS OF 10-15KT SHOULD KEEP THINGS MOVING AND NOT RESULT IN ANY MAJOR FLASH FLOODING TODAY. && .BOU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...BARJENBRUCH LONG TERM....BAKER AVIATION...BARJENBRUCH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DENVER CO 1057 AM MDT SAT JUL 28 2012 COZ030>051-291700- 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- 1057 AM MDT SAT JUL 28 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST AND NORTH CENTRAL COLORADO. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...AND ALSO SPREAD EASTWARD OVER THE ADJACENT PLAINS DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. STORMS WILL BE LATER AND MORE ISOLATED OVER THE FAR NORTHEAST PLAINS. EXPECT BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS UP TO 45 MPH WITH THE STORMS. GIVEN HIGH MOISTURE VALUES IN THE ATMOSPHERE AGAIN TODAY...RAINFALL RATES MAY APPROACH ONE INCH IN 30 MINUTES WITH THE STRONGEST STORMS. STORMS THAT TRAVEL OVER THE BURN SCARS MAY RESULT IN SOME LOCALIZED FLOODING CONDITIONS. STORMS WILL GRADUALLY DIMINISH LATER THIS EVENING WITH PARTIAL CLEARING OVERNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SOUTHERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO BRING SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. THE MOISTURE WILL COMBINE WITH STRONG DAYTIME HEATING TO PRODUCE SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORM ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA...MOST NUMEROUS OVER THE MOUNTAINS. SOME OF THE STORMS COULD PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL. THE FLOW ALOFT WILL BECOME WESTERLY WEDNESDAY WHICH WILL DECREASE THE CHANCE FOR STORMS. WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE OUTLOOK AREA THURSDAY AND FRIDAY WHICH SHOULD CONFINE MOST OF THE THUNDERSTORMS TO THE MOUNTAINS AND HIGH VALLEYS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY OR TONIGHT...HOWEVER HEAVY RAIN AND REPORTS OF FLOODING WILL BE APPRECIATED. BARJENBRUCH/D-L
The Denver radar (KFTG), 96 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:43 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A tornado touched down briefly but did no damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Colorado in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Colorado, 2012Warnings in Colorado, July 2012
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: 391188.