Alert archive / California / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Hanford, CA
NWS Hanford, CA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 20, 2002, 3:02 PM PDT for Fresno County, California. It was in force for 43 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- May 20, 2002, 3:02 PM PDT (22:02 UTC)
- Expired
- May 20, 2002, 3:45 PM PDT
- In force
- 43 min
- Issued by
- NWS Hanford, CA
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Fresno County, CA
The radar
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:05 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.
Did it verify
Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
The nearest sounding before it
Oakland, CA (KOAK), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 251 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 4 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -206 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 592 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 37 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -46 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- -31 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS56 KHNX 202202 SVRFAT CAC019-202245- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA 300 PM PDT MON MAY 20 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HANFORD CA HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... CENTRAL FRESNO COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA * UNTIL 345 PM PDT * AT 250 PM PDT...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER CENTRAL FRESNO COUNTY...OR ABOUT 6 MILES EAST OF CLOVIS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH. * THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE NORTH OF PINE FLAT RESERVOIR AROUND 310 PM PDT VERY LARGE HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THE STORM...PUT YOUR CAR IN A GARAGE AND MOVE TO A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER FROM THE WEATHER IN A STRONG BUILDING. DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...VERY HEAVY RAIN...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE ALL POSSIBLE IN SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS. STAY INSIDE AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN HANFORD CA. LAT...LON 3687 11972 3674 11956 3692 11937 3704 11944 DS
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 May 20, 2:00 PM PDT, 1 hour 2 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 20, 2:00 PM PDT, 1 hour 2 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
200 PM PDT MON MAY 20 2002
WATER VAPOR LOOPS SHOW COLD CORE LOW MOVING INTO NORCAL EARLY THIS
AFTERNOON. ONE VORT LOPE FROM THIS LOW MOVED OVER CENTRAL CA EARLIER
THIS MORNING AND IS MOVING EAST OF THE SIERRA CREST. SECOND VORT
LOBE IS MOVING ONTO THE CENTRAL COAST NOW...AND WILL PASS THRU THE
AREA LATER THIS AFTERNOON. A THIRD VORT LOBE SEEN OUT AT 125W...AND
THIS WILL MOVE THRU THIS EVE. THESE WILL KEEP SHOWERS AND T-STORMS
PERSISTENT THRU THIS EVE...BEFORE UPPER TROF AXIS SWINGS THRU...AND
DRYING BEGINS FROM THE NW OVERNITE. WINDS IN THE KERN MTNS AND
DESERTS HAVE BEEN SLOW TO PICK UP...BUT STILL THINK THIS WILL OCCUR
LATER THIS AFTERNOON...AND WILL LEAVE WAD UP FOR NOW. ON TUES...MTNS
REMAIN IN A SLIGHT CYCLONIC FLOW...AND WITH LINGERING MOISTURE...
WILL CONT WITH SOME LOW CHANCE POPS THOSE AREAS. VALLEY ZONES MAY
SEE SOME SUN FROM TIME TO TIME...BUT FOR THE MOST PART...MOIST COOL
AIRMASS WILL ALLOW DEVELOPMENT OF A LOT OF SC...BUT SHOULD NOT SEE
ANY PRECIP. HEIGHTS WILL GRADUALLY RISE TUE AND WED...AND TEMPS
SHOULD MODERATE ABOUT 10 DEGREES WED...UNDER MOSUNNY SKIES. FOR
THURS...THE AVN DROPS AN INSIDE SLIDER TYPE SYS INTO THE GREAT BASIN
AND STABILIZES HEIGHTS TEMPORARILY...BUT STILL SHOULD SEE ANOTHER
COUPLE OF DEGS WARMING. AFTER THURS...FLAT RIDGE BUILDS ACROSS THE
REGION...AND TEMPS WILL RISE TO A LITTLE ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE
HOLIDAY WEEKEND. FAT 7-00 BFL 6-00 YNP +300 BINGHAM
.HNX...WINTER STORM WARNING TONIGHT FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON.
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TONIGHT FOR THE TULARE COUNTY
MOUNTAINS.
...WIND ADVISORY THIS EVENING FOR THE KERN MOUNTAINS AND
DESERTS.The office that day
Everything else NWS Hanford, CA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2:18 PM PDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HNX | Fresno, Madera | 42 min |
| May 20, 3:36 PM PDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HNX | Fresno | 44 min |
| May 20, 4:01 PM PDT | Tornado Warning | HNX | Madera, Mariposa, Merced | 44 min |
| May 20, 4:31 PM PDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HNX | Fresno | 29 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in California, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002
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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.