Alert archive / California / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 2, NWS Hanford, CA

July 31, 2003Kern County, California

NWS Hanford, CA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 31, 2003, 4:00 PM PDT for Kern County, California. It was in force for 30 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 31, 2003, 4:00 PM PDT (23:00 UTC)
Expired
Jul 31, 2003, 4:30 PM PDT
In force
30 min
Issued by
NWS Hanford, CA
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Kern 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 text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

165 
WUUS56 KHNX 312300
SVRHNX
CAC029-312330-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
359 PM PDT THU JUL 31 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HANFORD CA HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

* UNTIL 430 PM PDT

* AT 352 PM PDT...DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER   
EDWARDS AFB...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
RURAL SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY 

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.

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 3494 11801 3481 11785 3505 11752 3521 11771

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 Jul 31, 2:50 PM PDT, 1 hour 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 2:50 PM PDT, 1 hour 10 minutes before
INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HANFORD CA
250 PM PDT THU JUL 31 2003

SIGNIFICANT VARIATION IN TEMPERATURE ACROSS THE CWFA WHERE
PERSISTENT CLOUD COVER IS INHIBITING TEMPERATURE RISES ... PRIMARILY
OVER THE CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND ADJACENT MOUNTAIN AREAS.
SOUTH VALLEY...KERN MOUNTAINS...AND KERN DESERTS RECEIVING MORE
HEATING AND CURRENT SHORT-TERM CONCERN IS DEVELOPING CONVECTIVE
ACTIVITY THOSE AREAS. INTERESTING TO NOTE FRESNO IS IN CATCH-UP RACE
TO REACH 100 DEG DAY DUE TO LINGERING CLOUDINESS. PER PREVIOUS
DISCUSSION MOIST MONSOONAL MOISTURE IN SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW ALOFT
PERSISTING THROUGH MID-DAY SATURDAY. HIGH PRESSURE PROGGED TO MOVE
EASTWARD AS A TROF DEVELOPS IN THE EAST PACIFIC ON TUESDAY. VEERING
OF THE WIND FLOW NOT TO BE FAST BUT DOES PICKUP SOME WESTERLY
COMPONENT LATE SUNDAY. DRYING WILL BE SLOW. EXPECT MOUNTAINS AND
DESERTS TO BE THE SLOWEST TO DRY THUS KEEPING THREAT OF AFTERNOON
CONVECTION THOSE AREAS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AND EVEN THE NORTH
PORTION OF CA ZN96...YOSEMITE AREA...ON SUNDAY. LOW PRESSURE WILL
SET UP NEAR N40/W130 BY MONDAY MORNING. ESTABLISHED SOUTHWEST FLOW
ALOFT TO FINALLY BRING DRYING MONDAY FOR ENTIRE CWFA.

INSTABILITY INDICES STILL CONTINUE THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER IN KERN
DESERTS PER DISCUSSION THIS MORNING. SATELLITE IMAGERY AT POST TIME
SHOWS CELLS FAR SOUTHEAST CORNER OF KERN COUNTY MOVING NORTHWEST
WITH MORE TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT OF CONVECTION OVER KERN MOUNTAINS AND
SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA. SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER SJ
VALLEY LOCATIONS DUE TO UPPER FLOW MOVING CELLS OFF HIGHER TERRAIN
AND OVER VALLEY.  GUDGEL

FOR THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...H5 LOW
PROGGED TO REMAIN NEAR 40N/130W WITH RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ALONG
AZ/NM BORDER THROUGH THE PERIOD. WILL CONTINUE DRY CONDITIONS FROM
PREVIOUS FCST AS GENERAL PATTERN OF SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT REMAINS IN
PLACE ACROSS CWFA.

EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO START NEAR SEASONAL NORMALS. GFS BRINGS
WEAK SHORT WAVE AROUND THE LOW INTO EXTREME NORCAL MONDAY NIGHT...
BRINGING A PUSH OF MARINE AIR INTO THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. ANOTHER
WAVE IS TIMED FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT...BUT IS PROGGED TO MOVE ACROSS
CENTRAL CA. THIS WILL RESULT IN FALLING HEIGHTS/THICKNESSES ACROSS
ENTIRE CWFA FOR GOOD SYNOPTIC COOLING ALL AREAS.  MENDENHALL

.HNX...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 31, 5:30 AM PDT, 10 hours 30 minutes before
CAZ089>099-011230-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
530 AM PDT THU JUL 31 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THERE IS A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER PORTIONS OF THE
SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...THE KERN COUNTY DESERTS...AND THE CENTRAL
AND SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. ANY OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY
CONTAIN GUSTY WINDS...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF HEAVY
RAINFALL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 31, 10:04 AM PDT, 5 hours 56 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
1004 AM PDT THU JUL 31 2003

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

0245 PM    EDWARDS AFB               CA   DOWNBURST
07/30/03   KERN                           WIND GUST TO 78 MPH CAUSED
                                          MINOR DAMAGE

GUDGEL

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in California, 2003Every severe thunderstorm 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.