Alert archive / California / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1990

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 1, NWS San Diego, CA

August 5, 1990Imperial County, California

NWS San Diego, CA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Aug 5, 1990, 9:33 PM PDT for Imperial County, California. It was in force for 117 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 5, 1990, 9:33 PM PDT (04:33 UTC)
Expired
Aug 5, 1990, 11:30 PM PDT
In force
117 min
Issued by
NWS San Diego, CA
Area
Whole counties

County Imperial County, CA

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

The nearest sounding before it

San Diego, CA (KNKX), launched 00:00Z, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 173 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, San Diego, CA at 00:00Z on 1990-08-06Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 9 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, San Diego, CA at 00:00Z on 1990-08-06The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 42 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
9 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-978 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1877 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
42 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
129 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KLAX 060451 COR
SVRSAN
CAC025-060630-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
945 PM PDT SUN AUG 5 1990   ...CORRECTION...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN DIEGO HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDER
STORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1130 PM PDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING
LOCATION...

IN SOUTHEAST CALIFORNIA

   ...EASTERN AND CENTRAL IMPERIAL COUNTY...

A COMPLEX VERY HEAVY THUNDERSTORM COVERS MUCH OF EASTERN IMPERIAL
COUNTY FROM THE PALO VERDE AREA TO EAST OF EL CENTRO.  THE STORM IS
MOVING TOWARDS THE WEST AND MAY HAVE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 55
55 MPH IS BLOWING DUST AND SAND.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM.  IF YOU ARE IN ITS PATH YOU SHOULD SEEK
SHELTER IN A SAFE PLACE.  UNSECURED MOBILE HOMES ARE ESPECIALLY
DANGEROUS PLACES TO BE DURING SEVERE WEATHER.  BLOWING DUST AND
SAND MAY REDUCE THE VISIBILITY TO NEAR ZERO FOR BRIEF PERIODS
OF TIME.

GREBE

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.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 5, 9:00 PM PDT, 33 minutes before
CAZ011-018-150735-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
9:00 PM PDT SUN JUL 15 1990

...A FEW HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEASTERN IMPERIAL COUNTY...

RADAR INDICATES A FEW HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEASTERN IMPERIAL
COUNTY SOUTH OF BLYTHE, CALIFORNIA. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TOWARD THE
WEST 10 TO 20 MPH TOWARD THE CHOCOLATE MOUNTAINS. SOME OF THESE STORMS
MAY HAVE VERY STRONG GUSTY WINDS WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO CROSS THE CHOCOLATE MOUNTAINS AND
APPROACH THE SALTON SEA AREA DURING THE LATE NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING
HOURS.

TRAVELERS DRIVING OR RESIDING IN THESE REMORE AREAS SHOULD USE EXTRA
CAUTION FOR ANY RAPID WEATHER CHANGES AND KEEP ABREAST TO THE LATEST
FORECASTS.
.
HASTRUP
Special weather statement, Aug 5, 9:01 PM PDT, 32 minutes before
CAZ011-018-150735-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
9:00 PM PDT SUN AUG 5 1990

...A FEW HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEASTERN IMPERIAL COUNTY...

RADAR INDICATES A FEW HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHEASTERN IMPERIAL
COUNTY SOUTH OF BLYTHE, CALIFORNIA. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING TOWARD THE
WEST 10 TO 20 MPH TOWARD THE CHOCOLATE MOUNTAINS. SOME OF THESE STORMS
MAY HAVE VERY STRONG GUSTY WINDS WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES.

THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIKELY TO CROSS THE CHOCOLATE MOUNTAINS AND
APPROACH THE SALTON SEA AREA DURING THE LATE NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING
HOURS.

TRAVELERS DRIVING OR RESIDING IN THESE REMORE AREAS SHOULD USE EXTRA
CAUTION FOR ANY RAPID WEATHER CHANGES AND KEEP ABREAST TO THE LATEST
FORECASTS.
.
HASTRUP

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in California, 1990Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1990

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.