Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 2011

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA

March 24, 2011San Mateo County, California

NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued this flash flood warning at Mar 24, 2011, 5:03 PM PDT for San Mateo County, California. It was in force for 2 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
Mar 24, 2011, 5:03 PM PDT (00:03 UTC)
Expired
Mar 24, 2011, 7:30 PM PDT
In force
2 hr
Issued by
NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County San Mateo County, CA

The radar

The San Francisco radar (KMUX), 44 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:06 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Oakland, CA (KOAK), launched 00:00Z, 0.1 hours before the alert went out and 56 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, Oakland, CA at 00:00Z on 2011-03-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Oakland, CA at 00:00Z on 2011-03-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -13 square meters per square second.1939587897117136Sfc1 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
2 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
686 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
72 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-13 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-14 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.

085 
WGUS56 KMTR 250003
FFWMTR
CAC081-250130-
/O.NEW.KMTR.FF.W.0004.110325T0003Z-110325T0130Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO CA
503 PM PDT THU MAR 24 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA HAS
ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  THE PESCADERO CREEK IN SAN MATEO COUNTY IN WESTERN CALIFORNIA...

* UNTIL 630 PM PDT.

* AT 459 PM PDT...NWS DOPPLER RADAR AND AUTOMATED RAIN GAGES   
INDICATED A BAND OF HEAVY SHOWERS THAT DEVELOPED AND IS MOVING OVER 
THE PESCADERO CREEK BASIN.  THE CURRENT STAGE IS JUST UNDER THE 
FLOOD STAGE OF 12 FEET.  THE RIVER IS EXPECTED TO GO OVER FLOOD 
STAGE IN THE NEXT HOUR BEFORE BEGINNING TO RECEDE AS THE SHOWER 
ACTIVITY WINDS DOWN.

* THE STORM IS MAINLY OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE INDICATED 
COUNTY.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.

RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS AS WELL AS ROADWAYS...UNDERPASSES AND OTHER LOW
LYING SPOTS. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER OR WATER
OF UNKNOWN DEPTH. TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY 
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.

LAT...LON 3729 12242 3726 12228 3720 12230 3721 12242
      3723 12243

$$

WJK
2 follow-up statements
925 
WGUS56 KMTR 250127
FFWMTR
CAC081-250230-
/O.EXT.KMTR.FF.W.0004.000000T0000Z-110325T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO CA
627 PM PDT THU MAR 24 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA HAS
EXTENDED THE

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  THE PESCADERO CREEK IN SAN MATEO COUNTY IN WESTERN CALIFORNIA...

* UNTIL 730 PM PDT.

* AT 620 PM PDT...NWS DOPPLER RADAR AND AUTOMATED RAIN GAGES         
  INDICATED CONTINUED MODERATE RAINFALL OVER THE PESCADERO CREEK     
  BASIN. THE CURRENT STAGE HAS BEEN HOVERING RIGHT AROUND THE FLOOD  
  STAGE OF 12 FEET.  WITH ADDITIONAL SHOWERS STILL EXPECTED MAINLY   
  FOR ABOUT ANOTHER HOUR...THIS FLASH FLOOD WARNING IS EXTENDED.

* THE STORM PRODUCING WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS
  OF THE INDICATED COUNTY.

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.

BE ESPECIALLY CAUTIOUS AT NIGHT WHEN IT IS HARDER TO RECOGNIZE THE 
DANGERS OF FLOODING. IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE 
UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS 
SUBJECT TO FLOODING WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.

LAT...LON 3729 12242 3726 12228 3720 12230 3721 12242
      3723 12243

$$

WJK
737 
WGUS76 KMTR 250230
FFSMTR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO CA
730 PM PDT THU MAR 24 2011

CAC081-250235-
/O.EXP.KMTR.FF.W.0004.000000T0000Z-110325T0230Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SAN MATEO CA-
730 PM PDT THU MAR 24 2011

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 730 PM PDT FOR THE 
PESCADERO CREEK SAN MATEO COUNTY...

AT 7:20 PM PDT THE LEVEL OF THE PESCADERO CREEK WAS AT 11.75 FEET... 
WHICH IS JUST BELOW FLOOD STAGE OF 12 FEET. THE CREEK LEVEL IS 
TRENDING DOWN AND IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE TO FALL THROUGH THE 
EVENING. THEREFORE...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO 
EXPIRE AT 7:30 PM. SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE FORECAST FOR THE REMAINDER 
OF THE EVENING. SOME SHOWERS MAY PRODUCE BRIEF HEAVY RAIN. 
HOWEVER...FURTHER RISES ARE NOT EXPECTED ON THE PESCADERO CREEK. 

LAT...LON 3729 12242 3726 12228 3720 12230 3721 12242
      3723 12243

$$

DYKEMA

The office that day

Everything else NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 24, 5:27 PM PDTFlash Flood WarningMTRMonterey3 hr
Mar 24, 9:58 PM PDTSmall Craft Advisory for Hazardous SeasMTR26 hr
Mar 25, 3:09 PM PDTSmall Craft AdvisoryMTR24 hr
Mar 25, 3:09 PM PDTHigh Surf AdvisoryMTRMarin, Monterey, City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Sonoma8 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in California, 2011Every flash flood warning in 2011

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.