Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Sacramento, CA

March 21, 2011Colusa County, Glenn County, California

NWS Sacramento, CA issued this tornado warning at Mar 21, 2011, 3:48 PM PDT for Colusa County, Glenn County, California. It was in force for 27 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 21, 2011, 3:48 PM PDT (22:48 UTC)
Expired: Mar 21, 2011, 4:15 PM PDT
In force: 27 min
Issued by: NWS Sacramento, CA
Area: Storm-based polygon

Counties Colusa County, CA, Glenn County, CA

The radar

The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 43 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:48 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, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 179 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: 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

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

321 
WFUS56 KSTO 212248
TORSTO
CAC011-021-212315-
/O.NEW.KSTO.TO.W.0002.110321T2248Z-110321T2315Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
348 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...
  SOUTHEASTERN GLENN COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...

* UNTIL 415 PM PDT

* AT 345 PM PDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD   
  OVER NORTH CENTRAL COLUSA COUNTY...7 MILES NORTHEAST OF            
  MAXWELL...MOVING EAST TO NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE   
  INDICATED COUNTIES. RADAR SHOWS PERSISTENT CIRCULATION WITH THIS   
  STORM SO THE FUNNEL MAY STILL TOUCH DOWN IN RURAL AREAS EAST OF    
  MAXWELL.   

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

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

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 3940 12216 3942 12194 3929 12197 3920 12211
      3930 12219
TIME...MOT...LOC 2245Z 261DEG 11KT 3932 12205

$$
JHM

2 follow-up statements

506 
WWUS56 KSTO 212307
SVSSTO

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
407 PM PDT MON MAR 21 2011

CAC011-021-212315-
/O.CON.KSTO.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-110321T2315Z/
COLUSA CA-GLENN CA-
407 PM PDT MON MAR 21 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 415 PM PDT FOR
SOUTHEASTERN GLENN AND NORTH CENTRAL COLUSA COUNTIES...

AT 401 PM PDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD 
WITH A STORM LOCATED OVER NORTHEASTERN COLUSA COUNTY...OR 10 MILES 
NORTHEAST OF MAXWELL...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

THE STORM WILL REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE INDICATED 
COUNTIES...AS IT MOVES TOWARDS AFTON THROUGH 415 PM. ALTHOUGH 
CIRCULATION HAS WEAKENED WITH THIS STORM...IT DOES HAVE A HISTORY OF 
PRODUCING A TORNADO. 

LAT...LON 3940 12216 3942 12194 3929 12197 3920 12211
      3930 12219
TIME...MOT...LOC 2304Z 262DEG 8KT 3936 12203

$$
JHM

931 
WWUS56 KSTO 212317
SVSSTO

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
417 PM PDT MON MAR 21 2011

CAC011-021-212326-
/O.EXP.KSTO.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-110321T2315Z/
COLUSA CA-GLENN CA-
417 PM PDT MON MAR 21 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHEASTERN GLENN AND NORTH CENTRAL
COLUSA COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

THE STORM CIRCULATION HAS WEAKENED BUT THE STORM IS STILL CAPABLE OF 
PRODUCING HALF INCH SIZED HAIL AS IT MOVES TOWARDS AFTON AND CODORA. 

LAT...LON 3940 12216 3942 12194 3929 12197 3920 12211
      3930 12219
TIME...MOT...LOC 2307Z 262DEG 8KT 3936 12202

$$
JHM

The 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, 3:05 PM PDT	Tornado Warning	STO	Colusa, Glenn	40 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, 2011 Every tornado warning in 2011 Tornadoes 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.