Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 1993

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Hanford, CA

February 23, 1993Kern County, California

NWS Hanford, CA issued this tornado warning at Feb 23, 1993, 2:21 PM PST for Kern County, California. It was in force for 54 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Feb 23, 1993, 2:21 PM PST (22:21 UTC)
Expired
Feb 23, 1993, 3:15 PM PST
In force
54 min
Issued by
NWS Hanford, CA
Area
Whole counties

County Kern County, CA

The nearest sounding before it

Edwards AFB, CA (KEDW), launched 12:00Z, 10.4 hours before the alert went out and 98 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, Edwards AFB, CA at 12:00Z on 1993-02-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 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, Edwards AFB, CA at 12:00Z on 1993-02-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 286 square meters per square second.1939587897117136156Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
498 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
66 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
286 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
368 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 KBFL 232223
TORBFL
CAC029-232315-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BAKERSFIELD CA
221 PM PST TUE FEB 23 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BAKERSFIELD HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  315 PM PST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION......
 
IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
 
   ...NORTH CENTRAL KERN COUNTY
 
A FUNNEL CLOUD HAS BEEN SIGHTED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
BAKERSFIELD HALFWAY BETWEEN MCFARLAND AND WASCO. THIS FUNNEL CLOUD
HAS DEVELOPED AND DECREASED TWICE IN THE PAST 15 MINUTES. THIS
FUNNEL CLOUD HAS THE POTENTIAL OF TOUCHING DOWN IN THE VICINITY OF
MCFARLAND.
 
THE STORM IS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST AT 15 MPH.
 
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.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO M0OVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...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.
WELLIVER

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, Feb 23, 12:46 PM PST, 1 hour 35 minutes before
CAZ005-232200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FRESNO CA
1245 PM PST TUE FEB 23 1993

...HAIL ALONG HIGHWAY 99 NEAR CHOWCHILLA...

AT 1230 PM..A WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED HEAVY HAIL IN THE VICINITY
OF CHOWCHILLA. ONE INCH OF SMALL HAIL WAS REPORTED TO HAVE COVERED
THE ROAD.

CURRENT WEATHER CONDITIONS CAN SUPPORT HEAVY SHOWERS WITH SMALL HAIL
POSSIBLE THROUGH THIS EVENING. PERSONS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR POOR
VISIBILITIES AND S@LIPPERY DRIVING CONDITIONS WHEN DRIVING INTO HEAVIER
SHOWERS.

GREISS

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in California, 1993Every tornado warning in 1993Tornadoes in 1993

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.