Alert archive / California / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2001

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 3, NWS Hanford, CA

February 10, 2001Fresno County, California

NWS Hanford, CA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 10, 2001, 5:27 PM PST for Fresno County, California. It was in force for 33 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline the Iowa Environmental Mesonet reconstructed for it; the warning itself named whole counties, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Feb 10, 2001, 5:27 PM PST (01:27 UTC)
Expired
Feb 10, 2001, 6:00 PM PST
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Hanford, CA
Area
Whole counties; the outline is the Mesonet’s reconstruction

County Fresno County, CA

The radar

The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 49 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:28 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 10, 5:40 PM PSTHail 0.75Reedley, CA

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Vandenberg AFB, CA (KVBG), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 242 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, Vandenberg AFB, CA at 00:00Z on 2001-02-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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, Vandenberg AFB, CA at 00:00Z on 2001-02-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 27 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
942 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
42 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
27 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
78 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 
WUUS56 KHNX 110131
SVRFAT
CAC019-110200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
527 PM PST SAT FEB 10 2001

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HANFORD CA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  THE FOOTHILLS OF NORTHEAST FRESNO COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

* UNTIL 600 PM PST

* AT 520 PM PST...WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  OVER SANGER...OR ABOUT 14 MILES SOUTHEAST OF CLOVIS...MOVING EAST
  AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL...
   MOVE ALONG THE KINGS CANYON HIGHWAY AND BE NEAR
   SQUAW VALLEY AT 540 PM PST

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE DUNLAP AND PINE FLAT LAKE 

HAIL UP TO 1 INCH IN DIAMETER IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. IF YOU 
ARE IN THE PATH OF THE STORM...PUT YOUR CAR IN A GARAGE AND MOVE TO 
A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER.

REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOU|R REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE IN HANFORD CA.

LAT...LON 3683 11966 3658 11959 3662 11930 3673 11930 3686 11937

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 Feb 10, 3:50 PM PST, 1 hour 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 10, 3:50 PM PST, 1 hour 37 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
350 PM PST SAT FEB 10 2001

DELAYED DUE TO SEVERE WX IN PROGRESS. FIRST STORM SYSTEM IS WINDING
DOWN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVE OVER CNTRL CA WHILE THE
INITIAL TROUGH AXIS SHIFTS EAST OF SIERRA CREST. STILL MONITORING A
FEW HEAVIER SHOWERS AND ISOLATED TSTMS WITH HAIL AT THIS TIME...
WHICH WILL DIMINISH EARLY THIS EVENING.

NEXT SYSTEM VERY QUICK ON ITS HEELS PROMISES TO BE AN EVEN BIGGER
SNOW MAKER FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA AND KERN COUNTY MTNS BY
VIRTUE OF SLOW MOVEMENT/LONG DURATION...WITH NEARLY IDEAL STRONG
OROGRAPHIC FLOW AND LOTS OF DEEP MOIST LIFT DURING SUN TO SUN NIGHT.
ETA/AVN SOLUTIONS NOT FAR FROM EACH OTHER...A FEW INITIALIZATION
PROBLEMS ON 12Z...BUT MIDDLE OF ROAD SOLUTION ON TRACK. EXPECT SNOW
AMOUNTS UP TO 2-3 FEET OVER HIGHER ELEV SIERRA...8 TO 16 INCHES KERN
MTNS...6 TO 12 INCHES NEAR 3000 FT IN FOOTHILLS AND SEVERAL INCHES
ACCUM BELOW 3000 FT. ETA SHOWS TIGHT GRADS WITH ADVANCING STORM FOR
GUSTY LLVL SE WINDS ON SUNDAY AND STRONG SW FLOW FROM 850MB UP.

STRONG STORM SHOULD START TO WIND DOWN BY EARLY MONDAY IN NORTH
SECTIONS NEAR YOSEMITE...HOWEVER FURTHER SOUTH IF SLOWER TIMING
OCCURS THE SIGNIFICANT PRECIP COULD EXTEND MUCH OF THE DAY MONDAY IN
AND AROUND KERN COUNTY. WITH HIGH CONFIDENCE AND TO PUT IN CLOSER
COORD WITH LOX HAVE POSTED WINTER STORM WARNING FOR SUNDAY TO MONDAY
MORN. OTHER ITEM TO WATCH WILL BE LOWERING SNOW LEVELS ON MONDAY AND
TUESDAY AS UNSTABLE SHOWERY WINTER WX PERSISTS AND COLDEST CORE OF
UPPER SYSTEM MOVES NEARBY...DROPPING FRZG LEVELS EVEN LOWER. WILL BE
POSSIBLE TO SEE SIGNIFICANT SNOW NEAR FOOTHILLS ON WEST SIDE OF SAN
JOAQUIN VLLY...AND ALSO IN KERN DESERT. INSTABILITY ALSO WILL
SUPPORT CHC TSTMS MANY LOCATIONS.

IN EXTENDED...UNSTABLE SHOWERY CONDS TUE WITH CONTINUED CHC TSTMS.
GRADUALLY ACTIVITY WILL DECREASE THRU WEDS AND END BY THURS. WILL
CONTINUE TO FOLLOW MED RANGE SOLUTIONS ADVERTISING A RIDGE AND
RETURN TO DRY LATE THIS WEEK.

.HNX...WINTER STORM WARNING LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT FOR
       THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NJEVADA NORTH OF KERN COUNTY.
    ...WINTER STORM WARNING SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY MORNING FOR THE
       KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS.

LAVIS

The office that day

Everything else NWS Hanford, CA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 10, 4:27 PM PSTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHNXFresno, Madera63 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in California, 2001Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2001

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.