Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 2003
Flash Flood Warning 2, NWS Hanford, CA
NWS Hanford, CA issued this flash flood warning at Aug 2, 2003, 4:17 PM PDT for Fresno County, Tulare County, California. It was in force for 3 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Aug 2, 2003, 4:17 PM PDT (23:17 UTC)
- Expired
- Aug 2, 2003, 7:15 PM PDT
- In force
- 3 hr
- Issued by
- NWS Hanford, CA
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
Counties Fresno County, CA, Tulare County, CA
The radar
The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 69 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:21 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 flash flood 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
Edwards AFB, CA (KEDW), launched 12:00Z, 11.3 hours before the alert went out and 218 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
- 124 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -156 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1422 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 13 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -11 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 13 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WGUS56 KHNX 022321 FFWHNX CAC019-107-030215- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED FLASH FLOOD WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA 417 PM PDT SAT AUG 2 2003 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HANFORD CA HAS ISSUED A * FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR... EAST CENTRAL FRESNO COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA NORTH CENTRAL TULARE COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA * UNTIL 715 PM PDT * AT 411 PM PDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN EXTENDING FROM THE LAKE WISHON AREA SOUTHWARD INTO KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARK...FROM GRANT GROVE TO GIANT FOREST TO NEAR LODGEPOLE. THE LINE WAS NEARLY STATIONARY. EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM THESE STORMS WILL CAUSE FLASH FLOODING OF CREEKS AND STREAMS...ROADS AND ROADSIDE CULVERTS. THE HEAVY RAINS COULD ALSO TRIGGER ROCK AND MUDSLIDES IN STEEP TERRAIN. A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT OR OCCURRING. IF YOU ARE IN THE WARNING AREA MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IMMEDIATELY. RESIDENTS LIVING ALONG STREAMS AND CREEKS SHOULD TAKE IMMEDIATE PRECAUTIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS SWIFTLY FLOWING WATERS OR WATERS OF UNKNOWN DEPTH BY FOOT OR BY AUTOMOBILE. IF YOUR VEHICLE STALLS, ABANDON IT IMMEDIATELY AND SEEK HIGHER GROUND. TO REPORT SEVERE WEATHER HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN HANFORD CA. LAT...LON 3680 11918 3692 11899 3635 11863 3624 11885
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this flash flood 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 flash flood warning went out at Aug 2, 2:05 PM PDT, 2 hours 12 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Aug 2, 2:05 PM PDT, 2 hours 12 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
205 PM PDT SAT AUG 2 2003
CONVECTION WAS CONTINUING THIS AFTERNOON...HOWEVER STRONGER DYNAMICS
WERE MOVING EAST INTO THE SIERRA AS ELONGATED VORT AXIS APPROACHES
THE SJ VALLEY. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE PRODUCED IMPRESSIVE PRECIP TOTALS
IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS...AND A PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT WAS ISSUED
THIS MORNING TO SUMMARIZE SOME 24 HOUR AMOUNTS. REFER TO PNSHNX /WMO
HEADER NOUS46 KHNX/...OR THE CLIMATOLOGY SECTION OF THE NWS HANFORD
OFFICE WEBSITE...FOR DETAILS.
OTHERWISE WITH UPSTREAM DEFORMATION ZONE STILL APPROACHING THE COAST
...AND WITH X-SECTIONS PROJECTING WEAK H7-H5 UVM EARLY THIS EVE...
WILL KEEP POPS UNTIL VORT AND DEF AXIS SHIFT EAST OF THE CWA AROUND
06Z. WITH 18Z KEDW RAOB ALSO SHOWING PWS STILL IN EXCESS OF ONE INCH
...WILL ALSO MAINTAIN FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR SIERRA ZONES FROM
YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON...AND FOR THE ADJACENT FOOTHILLS.
FLOW ALOFT HAS BEGUN VEERING SW THIS AFTERNOON...AND WILL STRENGTHEN
OVERNIGHT AS UPPER LOW MOVES E-NE FROM 34N/135W. SW FLOW WILL
PREVAIL THRU TUES AS LOW LIFTS SLOWLY NE TOWARD THE CA/OR COAST.
PROJECTED TEMPS ALOFT/THICKNESSES WILL SUPPORT SURFACE MAXES NEAR
SEASONAL LEVELS ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVS. HOWEVER TEMPS SHOULD FALL
BELOW SEASONAL NORMALS IN THE SJ VALLEY AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS AS
STRENGTHENING ONSHORE GRADS SUPPORT A GOOD MARINE INTRUSION INTO THE
VALLEY. GRADS SHOULD ALSO SUPPORT BREEZY TO WINDY CONDITIONS IN THE
KERN MTNS/DESERTS.
IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD...WED THRU SAT...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS IN GOOD
AGREEMENT AND POSITION CENTER OF CLOSED LOW OFF THE PAC NW COAST ON
DAY 4 AND 5 WITH ELONGATED TROUGH EXTENDING SOUTHWARD ALONG 135W.
MEANWHILE...UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AXIS SITUATED ALONG THE CONTINENTAL
DIVIDE. HEALTHY ONSHORE GRADIENTS WED THRU THU WILL BRING COOL MARINE
ENFORCEMENTS INTO THE SJ VLY AS BRISK WINDS BLOW THRU PACHECO PASS
AND COTTONWOOD PASS ON THE WEST SIDE. GUSTY WEST WINDS LIKELY TO
OCCUR BELOW THE KERN CO MTN PASSES AS WELL. AFTER THURSDAY...THE GFS
MODEL FORECASTS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE TO BUILD WESTWARD INTO CA.
WITH MODEST RISES IN HEIGHTS...THICKNESSES...AND 850 MB TEMPS
FORECAST BY THE GFS MODEL DURING THE FRI-SAT TIME PERIOD...EXPECT A
DECENT WARMUP BY THE END OF THE WORK WEEK WITH A CONTINUED UPWARD
TREND OF TEMPERATURES SATURDAY...ESP OVER THE HIER TERRAIN AND
DESERT.
.HNX...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM
YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON UNTIL 900 PM.
...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE MARIPOSA...MADERA...AND
FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS UNTIL 900 PM.
JSN/DURFEEHazardous weather outlook, Aug 2, 4:05 PM PDT, 12 minutes before
CAZ089>099-031230- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA 405 PM PDT SAT AUG 2 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA INTERIOR. .DAY ONE...TODAY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA THIS EVENING. THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTAIN HEAVY RAIN... GUSTY WINDS...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. A FLASH FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE...AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS...UNTIL 900 PM. REFER TO FFAHNX /WGUS66 KHNX/ AND FLSHNX /WGUS86 KHNX/ FOR DETAILS. THERE IS ALSO A SLIGHT CHANCE OF EVENING THUNDERSTORMS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY...AS WELL AS THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE. JSN
The office that day
Everything else NWS Hanford, CA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 5:40 PM PDT | Flash Flood Warning | HNX | Kern | 3 hr |
Nearby
Flash Flood Warnings in California, 2003Every flash flood warning in 2003
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.