Alert archive / California / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 8, NWS Hanford, CA
NWS Hanford, CA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 31, 2002, 10:54 PM PDT for Fresno County, California. It was in force for 36 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 31, 2002, 10:54 PM PDT (05:54 UTC)
- Expired
- May 31, 2002, 11:30 PM PDT
- In force
- 36 min
- Issued by
- NWS Hanford, CA
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Fresno County, CA
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
Vandenberg AFB, CA (KVBG), launched 00:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 246 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1747 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 23 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 20 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 37 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
458 WUUS56 KHNX 010554 SVRHNX CAC019-010630- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA 1053 PM PDT FRI MAY 31 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HANFORD CA HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... CENTRAL FRESNO COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF CLOVIS * UNTIL 1130 PM PDT * AT 1042 PM PDT...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES EAST OF SANGER. THE STORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. * THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE... IN THE TOWN OF PIEDRA NEAR PINE FLAT LAKE CENTRAL FRESNO COUNTY AT 1130 PM PDT HAIL...INTENSE RAIN AND STRONG DAMAGING WINDS ARE LIKELY WITH THIS STORM. TAKE COVER IN A SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM PASSES. 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 3664 11969 3671 11919 3703 11928 3693 11972
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 31, 9:15 PM PDT, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 31, 9:15 PM PDT, 1 hour 39 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 915 PM PDT FRI MAY 31 2002 UPPER LOW ALONG THE SOCAL COAST WAS TRACKING E-NE AT AROUND 20 KTS THIS EVE...AND RUC APPEARS ON TRACK SHOWING LOW WEAKENING INTO AN OPEN WAVE AND LIFTING ACROSS THE KERN MTNS/DESERTS LATE TONIGHT. CAPE HAS BEGUN TO DECREASE OVER THE CWA WITH LOSS OF SURFACE HEATING...AND DEEPER CONVECTION WAS DIMINISHING. GIVEN TRAJECTORY OF LOW...WILL MAINTAIN POPS ACROSS MANY AREAS IN THE DISTRICT OVERNIGHT. HOWEVER WILL MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO CLOUD COVER WORDING GIVEN ROTATION OF COOLER TOPS AROUND CIRCULATION AND SOME DRIER AIR MOVING INTO FAR SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA. OTHER ERN PAC TROUGH WAS MOVING INSIDE 130W THIS EVE AND ONSHORE GRADS HAVE RESPONDED WITH SFO-SAC APPROACHING 4 MB AND MARINE LAYER DEPTH NEAR 2K FEET. WILL THEREFORE ALSO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO WINDS IN SJ VALLEY AND KERN MTN/DESERT ZONES. .HNX...NONE. JSN
The office that day
Everything else NWS Hanford, CA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 10:26 PM PDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HNX | Fresno | 34 min |
| May 31, 11:45 PM PDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | HNX | Fresno | 30 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.