Severe Thunderstorm Warning 3, NWS Hanford, CA

Issued

May 20, 2002, 3:36 PM PDT (22:36 UTC)

Expired

May 20, 2002, 4:20 PM PDT

In force

44 min

Issued by

NWS Hanford, CA

Area

Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Fresno County, CA

The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 58 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:40 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.

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.

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.

000 
WUUS56 KHNX 202236
SVRFAT
CAC019-202315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
335 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
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...FRESNO...CLOVIS

* UNTIL 420 PM PDT

* AT 325 PM PDT...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER
  FRESNO...OR ABOUT 2 MILES NORTHWEST OF FRESNO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT
  15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE OVER FRESNO AND CLOVIS THROUGH 
  415 PM PDT.

HAIL UP TO THREE QUARTERS OF AN INCH IN DIAMETER HAS BEEN REPORTED 
WITH THIS STORM. 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 3683 11987 3674 11982 3684 11957 3690 11965

DS

NWS Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 20, 3:05 PM PDT, 31 minutes earlier.

INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
305 PM PDT MON MAY 20 2002

WATER VAPOR IMAGES SHOW A LARGE CUTOFF UPPER LEVEL LOW CENTER OFF
THE NORTH CALIFORNIA COAST. COLDER MORE UNSTABLE AIR OVER
NORTHWESTERN CA. A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AFFECTED THE
CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND YOSEMITE OVERNIGHT. THE THREAT OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE HIGH TODAY AS THE UPPER LOW MOVES
EAST ACROSS CALIFORNIA. THE COLDER AIR ALOFT WILL FURTHER
DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE AND THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY WILL BE UNDER
THE FAVORABLE LEFT FRONT QUAD OF A STRONG 130 KNOT JET. HODOGRAPH
SHOWS STRONG STRAIGHT LINE SHEAR FAVORABLE FOR RIGHT SPLITTING
CELLS. LOW WETBULB ZERO TEMPERATURE INDICATES STORMS MAY BE
ACCOMPANIED WITH SMALL HAIL. SOUTHWEST MID LEVEL WIND AT 40-50 MPH
WILL PROVIDE FAVORABLE OROGRAPHIC LIFT OVER THE SIERRA. WILL POST A
WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE SIERRA NORTH OF KINGS CANYON FOR
POSSIBLE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 6-12 INCHES...AND A WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORY FOR THE TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS FOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF
3-8 INCHES. ALSO WILL HOIST A WIND ADVISORY FOR KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WITH UPPER JET
MOVING OVER THE TEHACHAPI MNTS AND MODELS PROG LOCAL PRESSURE
GRADIENTS TO INCREASE 10-12MB. BEST DYNAMICS WILL BE ACROSS THE
CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND SIERRA AND WILL CARRY
LIKELY-CATEGORICAL POPS AND CHANCE IN THE SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN AND
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS. WIND FLOW TURNS NORTHWEST AS THROUGH AXIS
MOVES THROUGH AROUND 06Z MONDAY NIGHT. EXPECT LOTS OF LOW LEVEL
CLOUDINESS TUESDAY MORNING WITH SOME LINGERING SHOWERS ALONG THE
MOUNTAINS WITH NW LOW LEVEL FLOW MAY BANKING MOISTURE ALONG
FOOTHILLS AND SOUTH SIDE OF THE VALLEY. 500MB HEIGHTS RISE BY 50M
AND TEMPERATURES SHOULD RECOVER WEDNESDAY. A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE
BUILDS OVER THE AREA FOR THE EXTENDED PERIOD AND WARM DRY WEATHER
SHOULD RETURN CA.

.HNX...WINTER STORM WATCH MONDAY AND MONDAY NIGHT FOR THE SOUTHERN
       SIERRA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON.
    ...WIND ADVISORY FOR KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND
       DESERTS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH 9:00 PM...

MV

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in California, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.