Alert archive / California / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2005

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Sacramento, CA

May 9, 2005Butte County, California

NWS Sacramento, CA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 9, 2005, 2:51 PM PDT for Butte County, California. It was in force for 44 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 9, 2005, 2:51 PM PDT (21:51 UTC)
Expired: May 9, 2005, 3:35 PM PDT
In force: 44 min
Issued by: NWS Sacramento, CA
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Butte County, CA

The radar

The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 7 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:50 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

Oakland, CA (KOAK), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 196 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: 137 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 737 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 55 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 102 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS56 KSTO 092153
SVRSTO
CAC007-092215-
/O.NEW.KSTO.SV.W.0039.050509T2151Z-050509T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
253 PM PDT MON MAY 9 2005

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  SOUTH CENTRAL BUTTE COUNTY IN CALIFORNIA
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...PALERMO...OROVILLE

* UNTIL 315 PM PDT

* AT 248 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM.  THIS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR PALERMO...AND
  MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.


DOPPLER RADAR HAS INDICATED SOME WEAK ROTATION WITHIN THIS STORM. 
WHILE NOT IMMEDIATELY LIKELY...A TORNADO MAY STILL DEVELOP. THIS 
STORM IS ALSO LIKELY PRODUCING HAIL TO THE SIZE OF NICKELS AND HEAVY 
RAIN. IF IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY


LAT...LON 3942 12178 3932 12164 3931 12145 3951 12145
      3961 12160

$$

PCH

2 follow-up statements

000 
WWUS56 KSTO 092216
SVSSTO

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
315 PM PDT MON MAY 9 2005

CAC007-092245-
/O.EXP.KSTO.SV.W.0039.000000T0000Z-050509T2215Z/
BUTTE CA-
315 PM PDT MON MAY 9 2005

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING CONTINUES FOR SOUTH CENTRAL BUTTE 
COUNTY UNTIL 345 PM PDT...


AT 315 PM CONTINUED TO INDICATE A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM NEAR OVER 
OROVILLE SOUTH TO PALERMO. THIS STORM IS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN AND 
GUSTY WINDS ALONG WITH POSSIBLE HAIL TO DIME SIZE. SEEK SHELTER 
INDOORS IF IN THE PATH.

LAT...LON 3942 12178 3932 12164 3931 12145 3951 12145
      3961 12160

$$

PCH

000 
WWUS56 KSTO 092235
SVSSTO

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
335 PM PDT MON MAY 9 2005

CAC007-092245-
/O.EXP.KSTO.SV.W.0039.000000T0000Z-050509T2215Z/
BUTTE CA-
335 PM PDT MON MAY 9 2005

...THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING CONTINUES FOR SOUTH CENTRAL BUTTE 
HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

AT 335 PM...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THE STRONG THUNDERSTORM 
PREVIOUSLY OVER THE OROVILLE AND PALERMO AREAS HAS WEAKENED AND 
MOVED TO THE EAST. THUS THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING HAS BEEN 
CANCELLED.


LAT...LON 3942 12178 3932 12164 3931 12145 3951 12145
      3961 12160

$$

PCH

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 Sacramento, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 9, 2:00 PM PDT, 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 9, 2:00 PM PDT, 51 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
200 PM PDT MON MAY 9 2005

.DISCUSSION...

SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...
SEVERE WEATHER IS THE MAIN FOCUS ACROSS THE VALLEY AND FOOTHILLS
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.  NUMEROUS REPORTS OF SMALL HAIL. AND
GUSTY WINDS...BUT NO SEVERE REPORTS AS OF YET.  NUMEROUS MAMMATUS
CLOUDS WERE SEEN EARLIER TODAY ACROSS THE SACRAMENTO AREA...INDICATIVE
OF THE TURBULENCE IN THE CURRENT ATMOSPHERE.

ACROSS THE SIERRA...ON AND OFF SNOW SHOWERS...LOCALLY HEAVY ARE
OCCURRING. WHAT TYPICALLY HAPPENS DURING WIDESPREAD SHOWER/T-STORM
EVENTS IN THE VALLEY IS THAT IT GETS ADVECTED EASTWARD AND UPSLOPE
SEVERAL THOUSAND FEET.  THIS TENDS TO CRAM THE SCATTERED SHOWERS INTO
ONE LARGE STRATIFORM AREA OF PRECIP...NAMELY SNOW ABOVE 4500 FEET. FOR
THAT REASON WILL LEAVE CURRENT WINTER STORM WARNING INTACT THRU 10 PM
AND ALLOW EVENING SHIFT TO MAKE THE DECISION TO TAKE IT DOWN EARLIER OR
LET IT RIDE.

BASIL

.LONG TERM...FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...
UPPER RIDGE OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA GIVES WAY TO A TROF AS JET
STRENGTHENS ALONG 40N.  FARTHER NORTH STORM TRACK SUPPORTS A
PROGRESSIVE PATTERN...WITH WEATHER SYSTEMS BRUSHING THE FAR NORTH
EVERY COUPLE OF DAYS.  GFS IS STILL SOMEWHAT OF AN OUTLIER...BUT
MOST CONSISTENT AND ACCORDING TO NCEP THE MODEL OF CHOICE.
ECMWF/CANADIAN SOLUTIONS HAVE A MORE AMPLIFIED...SLOWER SOLUTION BUT
UKMET NOW MORE IN LINE WITH THE GFS.  THEREFORE THE FORECAST WILL BE
DRY THROUGH THE PERIOD.  DECENT HEATING AND THE THERMAL TROF LIKELY
TO CAUSE AT LEAST AFTERNOON CUMULUS CLOUDS OVER THE SIERRA
FRIDAY...THERMAL TROF SHIFTS EAST SATURDAY INTO THE GREAT BASIN.
SOMEWHAT COOLER TEMPERATURES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS THE DELTA BREEZE
STRENGTHENS.  HIGH CLOUDS SPREAD ACROSS THE REGION SUNDAY/MONDAY AS
A STRONGER WAVE MOVES INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.  STILL KEEPING THE
FORECAST DRY DAY 7 (MONDAY) FOR NOW.  SG

&&

.STO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE WEST
     SLOPES OF NORTHERN SIERRA NEVADA...WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY AND
     LASSEN PARK AREA...THROUGH 10 PM TONIGHT.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, May 9, 7:00 AM PDT, 7 hours 51 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
700 AM MON MAY 9 2005

CAZ013>019-063-064-066>069-101400-
SHASTA LAKE AREA/NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY-
BURNEY BASIN/EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY-NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY-
CENTRAL SACRAMENTO VALLEY-SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY-
CARQUINEZ STRAIT AND DELTA-NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
MOUNTAINS SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTIES-
CLEAR LAKE/SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY-MOTHERLODE-
EAST FOOTHILLS/NORTH SACRAMENTO VALLEY-
WESTERN PLUMAS COUNTY/LASSEN PARK-WEST SLOPE NORTHERN SIERRA
NEVADA-
700 AM PDT SUN MAY 9 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A LATE SEASON PACIFIC STORM WILL BRING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO
INTERIOR NORTHERN CALIFORNIA TODAY. SNOW LEVELS ARE AROUND 5000 FEET.

* WINTER STORM WARNING.......SEE WWUS46 KSTO - WSWSTO FOR DETAILS *

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

SHOWERS WILL TAPER OFF TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY. WEAK RIDGE FOR DRY
WEATHER FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS TO THEIR LOCAL NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE.

THE LATEST WEATHER INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET AT
(LOWER CASE): HTTP://WWW.WRH.NOAA.GOV/STO

HS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 9, 10:00 AM PDT, 4 hours 51 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
1000 AM PDT MON MAY 9 2005

CAZ013>019-063-064-066-067-092300-
BURNEY BASIN / EASTERN SHASTA COUNTY-CARQUINEZ STRAIT AND DELTA-
CENTRAL SACRAMENTO VALLEY-CLEAR LAKE/SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY-MOTHERLODE-
MOUNTAINS SOUTHWESTERN SHASTA COUNTY TO NORTHERN LAKE COUNTY-
NORTHEAST FOOTHILLS/SACRAMENTO VALLEY-NORTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY-
NORTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SHASTA LAKE AREA / NORTHERN SHASTA COUNTY-SOUTHERN SACRAMENTO VALLEY-
1015 AM PDT MON MAY 9 2005

...POTENTIAL FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...

A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HAS BROUGHT
IN UNSEASONABLY COLD AND UNSTABLE AIR ACROSS NORTHERN CALIFORNIA.

DUE TO THE UNUSUALLY COLD NATURE OF THIS LATE SEASON STORM SYSTEM...
ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP CAN HAVE STRONG WIND GUSTS OF OVER 50
MPH AS WELL AS SOME HAIL. A STRONG THUNDERSTORM MAY ALSO PRODUCE A
FUNNEL CLOUD OR EVEN A BRIEF TORNADO WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING.  IF
A FUNNEL CLOUD IS SPOTTED...SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.  THE STRONGEST
THUNDERSTORM THREAT FOR TODAY WILL MAINLY BE OVER THE NORTHERN
SACRAMENTO VALLEY REGION...MAINLY NORTH OF SACRAMENTO.

DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS ALSO POSSIBLE WITH ANY
THUNDERSTORM. IF YOU SEE THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHING...SEEK
INDOOR SHELTER IMMEDIATELY.

BASIL

Local storm report, May 9, 1:45 PM PDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
145 PM PDT MON MAY 09 2005

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1240 PM     HAIL             TURLOCK                 37.50N 120.85W
05/09/2005  0.25 INCH        STANISLAUS         CA   PUBLIC

1240 PM     HAIL             ANDERSON                40.45N 122.29W
05/09/2005  0.25 INCH        SHASTA             CA   PUBLIC

            ACCUMULATION UP TO 1 INCH

0142 PM     HAIL             10 N SACRAMENTO         38.71N 121.47W
05/09/2005  0.25 INCH        SACRAMENTO         CA   PUBLIC

            ACCUMULATION COVERING HWY 99

&&

KJ

The office that day

Everything else NWS Sacramento, CA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
May 9, 12:21 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Shasta, Tehama	54 min
May 9, 1:02 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Sacramento	43 min
May 9, 1:17 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Shasta	28 min
May 9, 1:27 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo	48 min
May 9, 1:27 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Placer, Sacramento, Sutter, Yolo	48 min
May 9, 1:40 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Shasta	50 min
May 9, 1:46 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Sacramento	44 min
May 9, 2:07 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Stanislaus	15 min
May 9, 2:32 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Shasta	25 min
May 9, 2:41 PM PDT	Tornado Warning	STO	Sutter, Yuba	34 min
May 9, 2:43 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Sacramento	44 min
May 9, 3:07 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	San Joaquin	23 min
May 9, 3:21 PM PDT	Tornado Warning	STO	Amador, Calaveras, San Joaquin	24 min
May 9, 3:43 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Sacramento	28 min
May 9, 3:43 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Sacramento	32 min
May 9, 3:46 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Calaveras	44 min
May 9, 3:57 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Shasta, Tehama	32 min
May 9, 4:22 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	Calaveras	23 min
May 9, 4:36 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	STO	El Dorado, Sacramento	24 min
May 9, 4:54 PM PDT	Tornado Warning	STO	El Dorado, Sacramento	26 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in California, 2005 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2005

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.