Alert archive / California / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 13, NWS Hanford, CA

September 4, 1997Kern County, California

NWS Hanford, CA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Sep 4, 1997, 5:58 PM PDT for Kern County, California. It was in force for 62 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Sep 4, 1997, 5:58 PM PDT (00:58 UTC)
Expired
Sep 4, 1997, 7:00 PM PDT
In force
62 min
Issued by
NWS Hanford, CA
Area
Whole counties

County Kern County, CA

The nearest sounding before it

China Lake (Naf), CA (KNID), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 109 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, China Lake (Naf), CA at 00:00Z on 1997-09-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 402 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, China Lake (Naf), CA at 00:00Z on 1997-09-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
402 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-42 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2653 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
25 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
54 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 KFAT 050100 RRA
SVRFAT
CAC029-050200-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
558 PM PDT THU SEP 4 1997
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HANFORD HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  700 PM PDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATION...
 
IN SOUTH CALIFORNIA
 
   ...CENTRAL KERN COUNTY
 
AT 550 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER THE PIUTE
MOUNTAINS...ABOUT 35 MILES EAST OF BAKERSFIELD. THIS STORM WAS MOVING
NORTHEAST VERY SLOWLY AND IS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND HAIL AS LARGE AS
AN INCH.
 
ALSO...THERE EXISTS A THREAT OF FLASH FLOODING FROM THIS STORM ALTHOUGH
IT IS CURRENTLY OVER A RELATIVELY UNINHABITED AREA. THE MAIN CONCERN OF
FLASH FLOODING WILL BE CALIENTE CREEK NEAR PIUTE...TO THE WEST...AND
KELSO VALLEY...TO THE EAST...OF THIS STORM.
 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE DAMAGING HAIL...LIGHTNING...AND HEAVY
RAIN...WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. IF YOU SEE AN APPROACHING
STORM...TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.

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.

NWS Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Sep 4, 2:30 PM PDT, 3 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 4, 2:30 PM PDT, 3 hours 28 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
230 PM PDT THU SEP 04 1997

ALL MDLS IN GNRL AGRMNT. CU CRNTLY BLDG OVR SIERNEV AND TEHACHAPI
MTNS AND XPCT SOME TSTM ACTVTY THRU THE EVNG HRS. THE LAST REMNANTS
OF MONSOONAL MSTR OVR ERN KERN CNTY SHLD BE ADVCTD TO THE NE TNGT AS
H7-H5 FLOW SHFTS TO MORE SW WITH INCRS SPDS. THIS WILL SHFT THE CRNT
H7 THETA-E RIDGE OVR ERN KERN CO TO THE EAST TNGT ALSO. XPC ANY TSTM
ACTVTY THRU THIS EVNG OVR SRN MTNS AND DESERT TO CLR TNGT. GLF AK
TROF MOVG ONSHR PACNW BY 00Z SAT WL LWR SFC PRES OVR NRN NV AND SHFT
THE TRML TROF NR THE CST FARTHER INLAND. THIS WL INCRS ONSHR GRADS
ACRS THE CWA BY TMRW AFTN. OTHRW FAIR WX TO PRST NOW THRU THE WKEND
AS DRY SW FLOW DOMINATES AND THE AIR MASS BCMS MORE STBL. STILL
ENOUGH MSTR FOR FEW AFTN CU SIERNEV FRI AND WILL INDCT SLGT CHC OF
TSTMS FOR KERN DESERTS AND MTNS IN COORDINATION WITH OXR.

TMPS XPCTD TO CHG LTL BUT LKLY DN A FEW DEGREES NXT SVRL DAYS AS HGTS
DCRS SLGTLY AND INCRSG ONSHR GRADS DVLP. MARINE LYR RMG SHLW ENOUGH
TO INHIBIT ANY MAJOR INTRUSION..THOUGH..INTO THE VLY. MRF KEEPS WK
TROF OFF THE W CST WITH DRY FLOW THRU THE XTND PD. THIS WL MAINTAIN
NEAR NRML TMPS UNDER MSTLY CLR SKIES.  FAT BFL 0000 YNP 1000

.HNX...NONE.

FAT UU 068/096 066/094 065 83000
BFL UU 069/097 068/095 066 83000
YNP UU 056/084 054/083 052 83100

GREISS

In the hours before

Local storm report, Sep 4, 1:19 PM PDT, 4 hours 39 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
115 PM PST THU SEP 4 1997

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0632 PM    NEAR CANTIL               CA   FLASH FLOOD
09/03/97   KERN                           HEAVY RAIN AND RUNOFF
                                          STRANDED MOTORISTS AT
                                          632 PM PDT ON HWY 14
                                          WITH 8 FOOT SURGE AT
                                          710 PM OVER HWY 14 AND
                                          12 FOOT SURGE DOWNSTEAM
                                          OVER REDROCK RD AT 717 PM.
                                          JUST DOWNSTREAM OF HWY 14.
                                          UNKNOWN NUMBER OF CARS
                                          WASHED OFF ROAD...NO FATAL
                                          AT THIS POINT...NUMEROUS
                                          MINOR INJURIES. SEARCH AND
                                          RESCUE STILL UNDERWAY.
                                          4.50 INCHES RAIN OVERNIGHT

0800 PM    ONYX                      CA   FLASH FLOOD
09/03/97   KERN                           1 FOOT FLOW FROM SCODIE CR
                                          ACROSS HWY 178 EAST OF
                                          LAKE ISABELLA DUE TO
                                          HEAVY THUNDERSTORM RAINS.
                                          HAIL 1/2 INCH WITH RAIN.

0804 PM    MOJAVE                    CA   FLASH FLOOD
09/03/97   KERN                           SHEET FLOW AND FLASH FLOOD
                                          INTO WEST / NORTH PORTIONS
                                          OF MOJAVE. 4 FOOT DEEP
                                          WATER...CARS FLOATED. NO
                                          INJURIES OR FATALITIES.

0745 AM    NEAR TEHACHAPI            CA   LIGHTNING
09/02/97   KERN                           DAMAGE TO WATER WELL AND
                                          POWER TRANSFORMER

0330 PM    ROSAMOND                  CA   0.75 INCH HAIL
09/02/97   KERN                           NO DAMAGE REPORTED

0600 PM    NEAR KERNVILLE            CA   HAIL
09/02/97   KERN                           HILLS 3 NE KERNVILLE WHITE
                                          WITH HAIL COVER. SIZE
                                          UNKNOWN BUT VERY LARGE BY
                                          WSR-88D ALGORITHMS.

0830 PM    RIDGECREST                CA   FLOODING
09/02/97   KERN                           LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WITH
                                          THUNDERSTORMS BROUGHT
                                          1.11 INCHES IN 30 MINS.
                                          NUMEROUS INTERSECTIONS
                                          FLOODED WITH 2-6" MUD.
                                          HAIL 1/2 INCH WITH RAIN.
                                          IN MOUNTAINS WEST OF AREA
                                          0.90 INCH FELL IN 8 MINS.

DAN GUDGEL...WCM
NWSO SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
Local storm report, Sep 4, 2:15 PM PDT, 3 hours 43 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
115 PM PST THU SEP 4 1997

TIME(PDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0632 PM    NEAR CANTIL               CA   FLASH FLOOD
09/03/97   KERN                           HEAVY RAIN AND RUNOFF
                                          STRANDED MOTORISTS AT
                                          632 PM PDT ON HWY 14
                                          WITH 8 FOOT SURGE AT
                                          710 PM OVER HWY 14 AND
                                          12 FOOT SURGE DOWNSTEAM
                                          OVER REDROCK RD AT 717 PM.
                                          JUST DOWNSTREAM OF HWY 14.
                                          UNKNOWN NUMBER OF CARS
                                          WASHED OFF ROAD...NO FATAL
                                          AT THIS POINT...NUMEROUS
                                          MINOR INJURIES. SEARCH AND
                                          RESCUE STILL UNDERWAY.
                                          4.50 INCHES RAIN OVERNIGHT

0800 PM    ONYX                      CA   FLASH FLOOD
09/03/97   KERN                           1 FOOT FLOW FROM SCODIE CR
                                          ACROSS HWY 178 EAST OF
                                          LAKE ISABELLA DUE TO
                                          HEAVY THUNDERSTORM RAINS.
                                          HAIL 1/2 INCH WITH RAIN.

0804 PM    MOJAVE                    CA   FLASH FLOOD
09/03/97   KERN                           SHEET FLOW AND FLASH FLOOD
                                          INTO WEST / NORTH PORTIONS
                                          OF MOJAVE. 4 FOOT DEEP
                                          WATER...CARS FLOATED. NO
                                          INJURIES OR FATALITIES.

0745 AM    NEAR TEHACHAPI            CA   LIGHTNING
09/02/97   KERN                           DAMAGE TO WATER WELL AND
                                          POWER TRANSFORMER

0330 PM    ROSAMOND                  CA   0.75 INCH HAIL
09/02/97   KERN                           NO DAMAGE REPORTED

0600 PM    NEAR KERNVILLE            CA   HAIL
09/02/97   KERN                           HILLS 3 NE KERNVILLE WHITE
                                          WITH HAIL COVER. SIZE
                                          UNKNOWN BUT VERY LARGE BY
                                          WSR-88D ALGORITHMS.

0830 PM    RIDGECREST                CA   FLOODING
09/02/97   KERN                           LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN WITH
                                          THUNDERSTORMS BROUGHT
                                          1.11 INCHES IN 30 MINS.
                                          NUMEROUS INTERSECTIONS
                                          FLOODED WITH 2-6 MUD.
                                          HAIL 1/2 INCH WITH RAIN.
                                          IN MOUNTAINS WEST OF AREA
                                          0.90 INCH FELL IN 8 MINS.

DAN GUDGEL...WCM
NWSO SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in California, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997

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.