Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 3, NWS San Diego, CA

March 27, 1991San Diego County, California

NWS San Diego, CA issued this tornado warning at Mar 27, 1991, 2:16 AM PST for San Diego County, California. It was in force for 59 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 27, 1991, 2:16 AM PST (10:16 UTC)
Expired
Mar 27, 1991, 3:15 AM PST
In force
59 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 00:00Z, 10.3 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 00:00Z on 1991-03-27Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 44 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1991-03-27The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 66 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
44 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1099 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
62 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
66 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
105 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KSAN 271018
TORSAN
CAC073-271115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
216 AM PST WED MAR 27 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN DIEGO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  315 AM PST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTHWEST CALIFORNIA
 
   ...NORTHERN SAN DIEGO COUNTY
 
FOR MARINE INTERESTS ON THE COASTAL WATERS AROUND...NORTHER SAN DIEGO
COUNTY...
 
THE SAN DIEGO COUNTY SHERIFF REPORTED THAT A RESIDENT OF SAN MARCOS IN
NORTHERN SAN DIEGO COUNTY SPOTTED A TRONADO THAT STRUCK THE GRAND
AVENUE SECTION OF THE TOWN. A LARGE SHED WAS LIFTED FROM ONE YARD TO
ANOTHER...AT THIS TIME NO OTHER DAMAGE HAS BEEN REPORTED. ALL
RESIDENTS OF NORTHERN SAN DIEGO COUNTY SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS
DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.
 
 
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWIScE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

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 26, 9:06 PM PST, 5 hours 10 minutes before
CAZALL-271200

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
915 PM PST TUE MAR 26 1991

...WINTER STORM WARNING SAN DIEGO MOUNTAINS THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
...URBAN STREET FLOODING POSSIBLE...

AN ADDITIONAL FOOT OR TWO FEET OF SNOW IS EXPECTED IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY
MOUNTAINS TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS CREATED
BY GUSTY WINDS.  SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTING TO 40 MPH AT TIMES ARE
EXPECTED THROUGH WEDNESDAY.  THE SNOW LEVEL WILL LOWER TO NEAR 2500 FEET
ESPECIALLY NEAR HEAVY SNOW SHOWERS WITH GUSTY WINDS AND DOWNDRAFTS.
RESIDENTS AND TRAVELLERS SHOULD BE AWARE OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW
THAT WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES.  COLD TEMPERATURES IN THE 20S AND LOW 30S
PLUS STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL LOWER THE WIND CHILL FACTOR TO NEAR ZERO.

PEOPLE TRAVELING IN THE MOUNTAINS ARE URGED TO BE PREPARED FOR
WINTER CONDITIONS AND TO CARRY CHAINS...BLANKETS AND WARM CLOTHING.
.
RADAR INDICATED A GENERAL AREA OF RAIN WAS MOVING INTO SAN DIEGO COUNTY
FROM THE PACIFIC WITH SOME HEAVY SHOWERS OVER SATURATED WILL CAUSE HIGHER
RUNOFF AND POSSIBLE URBAN STREET FLOODING.  MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO BE
ALERT DURING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL FOR DANGEROUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.
AVOID FLOODED STREETS...UNDERPASSES AND PONDED AREAS WHERE IT IS
DIFFICULT TO ASSESS THE WATER DEPTH OR CURRENTS. IN SOME AREAS SATURATED
GROUNDS COULD PRODUCE MUDSLIDES AND EROSION PROBLEMS DURING THIS STORMY
PERIOD.

THE STRONG COLD UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE OVER SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA WATERS
RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR STORMY WEATHER CAN PRODUCE THE TYPE OF CONDITIONS
THAT ARE ALSO FAVORABLE FOR THE FORMATION OF FUNNEL CLOUDS...WATERSPOUTS
AND EVEN A TORNADO THROUGH WEDNESDAY.  PERSONS SHOULD TAKE COVER IN THE
EVENT ANY OF THESE DANGEROUS SITUATIONS OCCUR..AVOID THEM AND TAKE COVER.

DRY WEATHER WILL RETURN THURSDAY AND FRIDAY UNDER BUILDING HIGH
PRESSURE BUT NIGHTS WILL TURN COLDER. TONIGHT AND THURSDAY NIGHT THE
GROWERS OF SAN DIEGO COUNTY ARE ADVISED THAT SOME FROST PROTECTION MAY
BE NECESSARY AS TEMPERATURES IN COLDEST ORCHARDS FALL INTO THE MIDDLE
TO UPPER 20S.

THE NEXT STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED AS WARRANTED.

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.