Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 1, NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA

March 18, 2011San Mateo County, California

NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued this tornado warning at Mar 18, 2011, 11:02 AM PDT for San Mateo County, California. It was in force for 28 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
Mar 18, 2011, 11:02 AM PDT (18:02 UTC)
Expired
Mar 18, 2011, 11:30 AM PDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon

County San Mateo County, CA

The radar

The San Francisco radar (KMUX), 59 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:02 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 12:00Z, 6.0 hours before the alert went out and 23 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 12:00Z on 2011-03-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 21 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 12:00Z on 2011-03-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 203 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
21 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-28 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
757 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
68 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
203 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
285 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.

219 
WFUS56 KMTR 181802
TORMTR
CAC081-181830-
/O.NEW.KMTR.TO.W.0001.110318T1802Z-110318T1830Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO CA
1102 AM PDT FRI MAR 18 2011

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

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SAN MATEO COUNTY IN WESTERN CALIFORNIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...SAN MATEO...SAN CARLOS...REDWOOD
  CITY...MILLBRAE...FOSTER CITY...BURLINGAME...BELMONT...

* UNTIL 1130 AM PDT

* AT 1058 AM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR HALF MOON
  BAY...OR 10 MILES WEST OF BELMONT...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO   
HILLSBOROUGH AND HALF MOON BAY

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH OR LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

&&

LAT...LON 3765 12237 3761 12234 3760 12230 3758 12229
      3759 12224 3755 12222 3754 12218 3752 12216
      3738 12241 3748 12245 3750 12250 3754 12252
TIME...MOT...LOC 1801Z 233DEG 27KT 3747 12244

$$

RILEY
1 follow-up statement
392 
WWUS56 KMTR 181815
SVSMTR

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO CA
1115 AM PDT FRI MAR 18 2011

CAC081-181830-
/O.CON.KMTR.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-110318T1830Z/
SAN MATEO CA-
1115 AM PDT FRI MAR 18 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1130 AM PDT FOR SAN
MATEO COUNTY...

AT 1111 AM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR BELMONT...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO FOSTER
CITY AND REDWOOD CITY

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A BASEMENT. GET UNDER A
WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. IF NO BASEMENT IS
AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING IN AN
INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO
COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

&&

LAT...LON 3759 12242 3762 12235 3761 12234 3760 12230
      3758 12229 3759 12224 3755 12222 3754 12218
      3752 12216 3742 12233
TIME...MOT...LOC 1815Z 246DEG 34KT 3754 12227

$$

RILEY

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 18, 9:49 AM PDTHigh Wind WatchMTRAlameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito and 5 more28 hr
Mar 18, 11:43 AM PDTSpecial Weather StatementMTRSan Mateo47 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in California, 2011Every tornado warning in 2011Tornadoes 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.