Extended Abstract (500K)P9.11
An analysis of the 22 May 2008 Windsor, Colorado, tornado
Daniel T. Lindsey, NOAA/NESDIS, Fort Collins, CO; and S. D. Miller, J. Braun, and D. Bikos
On 22 May 2008, a rare damaging (EF3) tornado struck the town of Windsor, Colorado. Windsor is situated near Colorado's Front Range, slightly east of Interstate 25, which is along the populated "Urban Corridor." A deep upper-level trough encompassed much of the Western U. S., allowing for south-southeasterly mean winds to steer storms forming east of the Front Range into more populated regions. The storm of interest formed near Denver International Airport in a climatologically favored region for initiation, then moved to the north-northwest passing west of Greeley and hitting the town of Windsor directly.
This paper provides an overview of the event, focusing on the setup from a satellite perspective. Visible imagery from GOES revealed a boundary separating warm, dry air to the south from cool, moist air to the north. Clearing north of this boundary allowed a narrow tongue of very unstable air to develop, and the Windsor storm was feeding on this air as it progressed to the north.
Poster Session 9, Event Case Studies Posters
Wednesday, 29 October 2008, 3:00 PM-4:30 PM, Madison Ballroom
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