Alert archive / California / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 19, NWS Reno, NV

July 17, 2002Lassen County, Plumas County, Sierra County, California

NWS Reno, NV issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 17, 2002, 3:01 PM PDT for Lassen County, Plumas County, Sierra County, California. It was in force for 29 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: Jul 17, 2002, 3:01 PM PDT (22:01 UTC)
Expired: Jul 17, 2002, 3:30 PM PDT
In force: 29 min
Issued by: NWS Reno, NV
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Lassen County, CA, Plumas County, CA, Sierra County, CA

The radar

The Reno radar (KRGX), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:03 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

Reno, NV (KREV), launched 12:00Z, 10.0 hours before the alert went out and 171 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 2800 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 27 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 64 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 94 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.

977 
WUUS55 KREV 172201
SVRREV
CAC035-063-091-172230-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
300 PM PDT WED JUL 17 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  EXTREME SOUTHEASTERN LASSEN COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
  SOUTHEASTERN PLUMAS COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA   
  NORTHEASTERN SIERRA COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
  THIS INCLUDES THE EASTERN HALF OF SIERRA VALLEY

* UNTIL 330 PM PDT

* AT 253 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 5 MILES WEST OF DOG VALLEY...OR ABOUT 7 MILES
  NORTH OF STAMPEDE RESEVOIR...MOVING NORTH AT 25 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
  4 MILES WEST OF CHILCOOT AT 325 PM PDT
  OVER VINTON AT 330 PM PDT

IF SEVERE WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...GO INSIDE A STURDY SHELTER
AWAY FROM CREEK BEDS AND OTHER FLOOD-PRONE AREAS. REMEMBER...A SEVERE
THUNDERSTORM CAN PRODUCE LARGE DAMAGING HAIL...DAMAGING WINDS IN
EXCESS OF 55 MPH...DEADLY LIGHTNING...AND VERY HEAVY RAIN.

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.

REPORT DAMAGING WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY
WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST
OFFICE.

LAT...LON 3950 12023 3955 12001 3985 12011 3978 12037

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 Reno, NV wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 17, 3:00 PM PDT, 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 17, 3:00 PM PDT, 1 minute before

WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
300 PM PDT WED JUL 17 2002

TSTMS BREAKING OUT OVER MUCH OF CWA THIS AFTN WITH STRONGEST CELLS
OVER SIERRA AND WRN NV S OF I80. TSTMS FAIRLY FAST MOVING WITH MAIN
THREAT LARGE HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS. WEAK UPPER LOW AND VORT MAX OFF
CENTRAL CA CST NEAR SFO BAY AREA FORECAST TO MOVE SLOWLY ENE NEXT 24
HOURS INTO WRN NV BY THU AFTN. MORE TSTMS EXPECTED THURSDAY AFTN IN
VERY MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIRMASS. WHILE TODAYS TSTMS MORE SVR WITH
HAIL THURSDAYS STORMS WILL HAVE MORE FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL. WILL
INCLUDE HEAVY RAIN WORDING IN MOST ZONES THURSDAY AFTN. VORT MAX
MOVES E OF AREA ON FRIDAY WITH LINGERING SHOWERS AND TSTMS ACROSS
NRN CWA FRIDAY AFTN. WEAK FLOW WILL ALLOW FOR MORE PM TSTMS AGAIN
SATURDAY WITH WEAK VORT FEATURES MOVING IN FROM OFF CA CST. CYLKE

IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD...THE MRF...CANADIAN AND NOGAPS BRING ANOTHER
UPPER LOW TO THE CA COAST BY SUNDAY AND MOVE IT SLOWLY NEWD ACROSS
NRN CA WITH A SOUTH FLOW ALOFT OVER OUR REGION. ON THE FLIP
SIDE...THE EXCEPTIONS ARE THE ECMWF AND UKMET  WHICH HOLD THE LOW
FARTHER OFFSHORE AND KEEP OUR REGION DRY. THE 12Z AVN GENERALLY
FOLLOWS UP ON THE MRF SOLUTION AND EVEN SLOWS THE LOW DOWN A
BIT...SO FOR THIS PACKAGE THE POPS WILL BE RAISED TO CHANCE CATEGORY
ON SUNDAY AND A SLIGHT CHANCE INTRODUCED FOR MONDAY. BY TUESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY RIDGE REBUILDS OVER CA/NV WITH DRYING CONDITIONS AND
VALLEY TEMPERATURES RISING TO AROUND 100 DEGREES ON BOTH DAYS. MJD

.REV...NONE.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 17, 2:35 PM PDT, 26 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO, NV
735 AM PDT WED JUL 17 2002

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

0143 PM    8 S INCLINE VILLAGE       NV   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/17/02   DOUGLAS                        REPORTED BY GLENBROOK FIRE
                                          DEPARTMENT

0149 PM    8 E BECKWOURTH            CA   .75 INCH HAIL
07/17/02   PLUMAS                         REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

0205 PM    INCLINE VILLAGE           NV   1.00 INCH HAIL
07/17/02   WASHOE                         REPORTED BY SPOTTERS

CJ

The office that day

Everything else NWS Reno, NV issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 17, 1:53 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	REV	Lassen, Plumas	22 min
Jul 17, 2:03 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	REV	Nevada, Placer, Sierra	42 min
Jul 17, 2:37 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	REV	Lassen, Plumas	33 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in California, 2002 Every 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.