Alert archive / California / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 15, NWS Reno, NV

July 31, 2003Nevada County, Sierra County, California

NWS Reno, NV issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 31, 2003, 3:27 PM PDT for Nevada County, Sierra County, California. It was in force for 33 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 31, 2003, 3:27 PM PDT (22:27 UTC)
Expired
Jul 31, 2003, 4:00 PM PDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Reno, NV
Area
Whole counties

Counties Nevada County, CA, Sierra County, CA

The nearest sounding before it

Reno, NV (KREV), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 210 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Reno, NV at 12:00Z on 2003-07-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 3 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Reno, NV at 12:00Z on 2003-07-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 12 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
3 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-379 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2514 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
12 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
153 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.

956 
WUUS55 KREV 312227
SVRREV
CAC057-091-312300-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
325 PM PDT THU JUL 31 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN NEVADA COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...PROSSER CREEK RESERVOIR...BOCA
  RESERVOIR
  EASTERN SIERRA COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...STAMPEDE RESERVOIR...SIERRAVILLE

* UNTIL 400 PM PDT

* AT 322 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER INDEPENDENCE LAKE...OR ABOUT 5 MILES 
  WEST   OF STAMPEDE RESERVOIR...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 25 MPH. THE 
  STORM WILL MOVE NORTHWEST NEAR HIGHWAY 89 TOWARD SIERRAVILLE.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
  3 MILES NORTHEAST OF SIERRAVILLE AT 345 PM PDT
  5 MILES NORTHEAST OF SATTLEY AT 355 PM PDT
  4 MILES EAST OF CALPINE AT 400 PM PDT

INTENSE RAINFALL AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING AS WELL AS HAIL WILL 
ACCOMPANY THIS STORM. EXPECT LOCAL FLOODING OF ROADWAYS.

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

$$

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 31, 3:00 PM PDT, 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 3:00 PM PDT, 27 minutes before
WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
300 PM PDT THU JUL 31 2003

INVERTED SHORT WAVE TROUGH MOVING NORTHWEST THROUGH WESTERN NEVADA
AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA HAD ALREADY HELPED PRODUCE STRONG CONVECTION
ALONG THE WESTERN BOUNDARY OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS AFTERNOON. AIR
MASS OVER THE REGION...ESPECIALLY SOUTHERN ZONES QUITE WET SO EXPECT
MORE CONVECTION INTO THE EVENING AS WEAK SHORTWAVE CONTINUES TO MOVE
NORTHWEST. WILL KEEP FLASH FLOOD WATCH OUT. ANOTHER ACTIVE AFTERNOON
LIKELY ON FRIDAY AS WEAK UPPER LOW THAT HAS BEEN PARKED OFF THE
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA COAST THE PAST FEW DAYS FINALLY LIFTS OUT TO THE
NORTHEAST...AGAIN PRODUCING A SOURCE OF VERTICAL MOTION FOR
CONTINUING MOIST AIR OVER THIS REGION. HAVE INCREASED QPF AND POPS
SOME FRIDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THIS WEAK LOW OPENS UP INTO A
WEAK TROUGH ON SATURDAY BUT IS VERY SLOW TO MOVE NORTHEAST SO THAT
CONVECTION WILL LIKELY BE MORE WIDESPREAD ON SATURDAY THAN
PREVIOUSLY FORECAST. INCREASED TROUGHING IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC ON
SUNDAY FORECAST TO FINALLY BRING DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW INTO THE
REGION. LAMONI

IN THE EXTENDED...MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...MODELS CONTINUE TO BREAK
DOWN THE STRONG UPPER RIDGE BUT WITH A SLIGHTLY SLOWER ADVANCE OF
THE THE PACIFIC TROF THAN PREVIOUS RUNS.  LOWERING HEIGHTS ALONG
WITH A MORE STABLE AND DRIER SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL REDUCE PRECIP
CHANCES ACROSS WRN AND SRN ZONES MONDAY. STRONGER FLOW WILL PUSH
BEST CHANCES MONDAY INTO ERN CHURCHILL... PERSHING... NRN WASHOE...
LASSEN AND MODOC COUNTIES AHEAD OF VORT MAX FORECAST TO EJECT
NORTHEAST OUT OF TROF OVER NRN CA AND OREGON MONDAY AFTERNOON.
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY MAY STILL SEE SLIGHT CHANCE PRECIP FAR NRN
WASHOE AND MODOC COUNTIES AHEAD OF WEAK DISTURBANCES MOVING UP INTO
OREGON AND IDAHO. ELSEWHERE SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL KEEP ZONES DRY THRU
THURSDAY. MAX TEMPERATURES WILL REAMING 3-5 DEGREES BELOW
NORMAL...WITH A RETURN TO COMFORTABLE AND NEAR NORMAL MORNING LOWS.
BENINATO

.REV...FLASH FLOOD WATCH UNTIL 9 PM
NVC021-019-005-CAC003-051-
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 31, 6:45 AM PDT, 8 hours 42 minutes before
CAZ070>073-NVZ001>005-311400-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
645 AM PDT THU JUL 31 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN NEVADA...THE EASTERN
SIERRA AND NORTHEASTERN CALIFORNIA.

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 9PM THIS EVENING FOR DOUGLAS...
MINERAL...SOUTHERN LYON...MONO AND ALPINE COUNTIES...

.DAY ONE...TODAY

MOIST AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS OVER WESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN
CALIFORNIA WILL PRODUCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING.  FLASH FLOODING WILL BE A THREAT SOUTH OF HIGHWAY 50...WITH
LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL TO THE NORTH OF HIGHWAY 50.  ADDITIONAL
DETAILS CAN BE FOUND IN THE LATEST FLOOD WATCH STATEMENT (WGUS65
KREV).

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

THE MOIST AND UNSTABLE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH SUNDAY WITH
DRIER CONDITION FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THE FLASH FLOOD THREAT THIS
AFTERNOON.  WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

BRONG

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 31, 2:48 PM PDT, 39 minutes before
CAC061-312215-

SPEICAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
248 PM PDT THU JUL 31 2003

...A THUNDERSTORM WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN AND INTENSE LIGHTNING WEST OF
LAKE TAHOE...

AT 250 PM THE COAST GUARD AT LAKE TAHOE ALONG THE NORTHWEST SHORE
NEAR TAHOE CITY REPORTED A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND
INTENSE LIGHTNING. ESTIMATES OF UP TO 1/2 INCH OF RAIN IN ONLY 20
MINUTES WERE REPORTED.

THE STORM WILL MOVE NORTHWEST AT 20 MPH AND WILL HIT SQUAW VALLEY BY
253 PM PDT AND DONNER PASS BY 310 PM PDT.  MOTORISTS SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR 15 TO 20 MINUTES OF HEAVY RAIN AND INTENSE LIGHTNING AS
THIS STORM PASSES.

JAH
Special weather statement, Jul 31, 2:48 PM PDT, 39 minutes before
CAZ072-NVZ002-312215-

SPEICAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RENO NV
248 PM PDT THU JUL 31 2003

...A THUNDERSTORM WITH TORRENTIAL RAIN AND INTENSE LIGHTNING WEST OF
LAKE TAHOE...

AT 250 PM THE COAST GUARD AT LAKE TAHOE ALONG THE NORTHWEST SHORE
NEAR TAHOE CITY REPORTED A THUNDERSTORM WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN AND
INTENSE LIGHTNING. ESTIMATES OF UP TO 1/2 INCH OF RAIN IN ONLY 20
MINUTES WERE REPORTED.

THE STORM WILL MOVE NORTHWEST AT 20 MPH AND WILL HIT SQUAW VALLEY BY
253 PM PDT AND DONNER PASS BY 310 PM PDT.  MOTORISTS SHOULD BE
PREPARED FOR 15 TO 20 MINUTES OF HEAVY RAIN AND INTENSE LIGHTNING AS
THIS STORM PASSES.

JAH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 31, 1:53 PM PDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningREVEl Dorado, Placer22 min
Jul 31, 2:59 PM PDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningREVNevada, Placer, Sierra16 min
Jul 31, 3:12 PM PDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningREVNevada, Sierra18 min
Jul 31, 3:28 PM PDTFlash Flood WarningREVNevada, Sierra92 min
Jul 31, 3:39 PM PDTTornado WarningREVSierra21 min
Jul 31, 4:00 PM PDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningREVPlumas, Sierra25 min

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.