Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 1, NWS San Diego, CA

March 20, 1991San Diego County, California

NWS San Diego, CA issued this tornado warning at Mar 20, 1991, 12:36 PM PST for San Diego County, California. It was in force for 69 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 20, 1991, 12:36 PM PST (20:36 UTC)
Expired
Mar 20, 1991, 1:45 PM PST
In force
69 min
Issued by
NWS San Diego, CA
Area
Whole counties

County San Diego County, CA

The nearest sounding before it

San Diego, CA (KNKX), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 47 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 12:00Z on 1991-03-20Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 62 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 12:00Z on 1991-03-20The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 177 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
62 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
606 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
60 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
177 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
241 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAN 202039
TORSAN
CAC073-202145-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
1236 PM PST WED MAR 20 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN DIEGO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  145 PM PST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA
 
   ...NORTHWESTERN SAN DIEGO COUNTY
 
AND FOR MARINE INTERESTS ON THE COASTAL WATERS FROM THE
SAN DIEGO COUNTY LINE TO THE MEXICAN BORDER.
 
A WATERSPOUT OFFSHORE NEAR CAMP PENDELTON MOVED ONSHORE AT
12.30 PM PST BECOMING A TORNADO. IN ADDITION..TWO OTHER
FUNNEL CLOUDS WERE REPORTED NEAR THE SHORE.
 
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
 
ATKIN

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado 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, Mar 20, 10:58 AM PST, 1 hour 38 minutes before
CAZALL-210500

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
1100 AM PST WED MAR 20 1991

...ROUGH SEAS AND HIGH SURF TODAY AND THURSDAY...
...WINTER STORM WARNING MOUNTAINS TODAY AND TONIGHT...
...HIGH WIND ADVISORY...

...HIGH SURF ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SAN DIEGO WATERS TODAY...
SURF 4 TO 7 FEET WITH BREAKERS DEVELOPING WITH WINDY AND STORMY
CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUING THROUGH THURSDAY.  ROUGH
CONDITIONS WILL BE DANGEROUS FOR ALL BUT THE MOST EXPERIENCED SWIMMERS.

GUSTY DEVELOPING SOUTHWEST WINDS TO 35 MPH THIS AFTERNOON AS ANOTHER
STORM ARRIVES IN SAN DIEGO HAS PROMPTED A WIND ADVISORY.  GUSTY WINDS
WILL CAUSE FLYING DEBRIS AND PRODUCE BROKEN BRANCHES.

ANOTHER DEVELOPING STORM THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WILL BRING
NUMEROUS HEAVY SHOWERS AND POSSIBLE THUNDERSHOWERS WITH STRONG GUSTY
WINDS TO 35 MPH.  SOME OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS COULD HAVE HAIL AND
COULD ALSO HAVE WIND GUSTS OVER 35 MPH.  HEAVY DEVELOPING RUNOFF
CAUSED BY THE DEVELOPING SHOWERS COULD ALSO CREATE URBAN STREET
FLOODING AND POSSIBLE MUD SLIDES IN THE NORMALLY PRONE AREAS SUCH
AS MISSION VALLEY AND DEL DIOS HIGHWAY.  THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE
URGEST MOTORISTS TO STAY TUNED TO THE LATEST FORECAST AND TO AVOID
FLOODED AREAS.  RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE ESTIMATED 0.50 INCH COASTAL
SECTIONS...0.50 TO 1.00 INCH INLAND AND FOOTHILLS AND 0.75 TO 1.50
INCHES MOUNTAINS.

DEVELOPING BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS HAVE PROMPTED
A WINTER STORM WARNING WHERE ANOTHER FOOT OF NEW SNOW IS POSSIBLE.
SNOWLEVEL WILL LOWER TO 3500 FEET.  SNOWFLURRIES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH
THURSDAY.  WINDS WILL GUST TO 40 MPH THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT AND
EVENING HIGHER NEAR THUNDERST1ORMS.

SHIGEHARA

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in California, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

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.