Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2011
Tornado Warning 1, NWS Sacramento, CA
NWS Sacramento, CA issued this tornado warning at Mar 21, 2011, 3:05 PM PDT for Colusa County, Glenn County, California. It was in force for 40 min. 2 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 21, 2011, 3:05 PM PDT (22:05 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 21, 2011, 3:45 PM PDT
- In force
- 40 min
- Issued by
- NWS Sacramento, CA
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
Counties Colusa County, CA, Glenn County, CA
The radar
The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 48 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:05 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.
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 3:07 PM PDT | TORNADO | 12 N Williams, CA | PRELIMINARY REPORT OF A TORNADO NEAR MAXWELL. |
| Mar 21, 3:10 PM PDT | HAIL 1.25 | 3 N Maxwell, CA |
Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.
The nearest sounding before it
Oakland, CA (KOAK), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 182 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 6 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -59 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 646 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 10 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 32 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 5 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
672 WFUS56 KSTO 212205 TORSTO CAC011-021-212245- /O.NEW.KSTO.TO.W.0001.110321T2205Z-110321T2245Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA 305 PM PDT MON MAR 21 2011 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... NORTH CENTRAL COLUSA COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA... THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF MAXWELL... SOUTH CENTRAL GLENN COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA... * UNTIL 345 PM PDT * AT 300 PM PDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR MAXWELL...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. * THE TORNADO WILL BE BETWEEN MAXWELL AND DELEVAN BETWEEN 305 AND 315 PM PDT... 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 3948 12218 3937 12194 3920 12217 3932 12238 TIME...MOT...LOC 2204Z 261DEG 11KT 3930 12221 $$ JHM
1 follow-up statement
745
WWUS56 KSTO 212218
SVSSTO
SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
318 PM PDT MON MAR 21 2011
CAC011-021-212245-
/O.CON.KSTO.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-110321T2245Z/
COLUSA CA-GLENN CA-
318 PM PDT MON MAR 21 2011
...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 345 PM PDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN GLENN AND NORTH CENTRAL COLUSA COUNTIES...
AT 315 PM PDT...A TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTER REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR
MAXWELL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH TOWARDS DELEVAN AND ALONG
INTERSTATE 5.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS UNDER A WORKBENCH OR
OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. SEEK SHELTER ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF
THE BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. USE
BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY AND ALWAYS STAY AWAY FROM
WINDOWS.
IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE
NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
&&
LAT...LON 3930 12230 3945 12219 3941 12203 3937 12194
3921 12216
TIME...MOT...LOC 2213Z 261DEG 11KT 3930 12217
$$
JHMThe office that day
Everything else NWS Sacramento, CA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 21, 2:27 PM PDT | Special Weather Statement | STO | Colusa | 33 min |
| Mar 21, 2:59 PM PDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | STO | Colusa, Glenn | 61 min |
| Mar 21, 3:04 PM PDT | Flood Watch | STO | 65 hr | |
| Mar 21, 3:48 PM PDT | Tornado Warning | STO | Colusa, Glenn | 27 min |
| Mar 21, 3:52 PM PDT | Special Weather Statement | STO | Calaveras | 38 min |
| Mar 21, 4:15 PM PDT | Special Weather Statement | STO | Butte | 45 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; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.