Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Sacramento, CA

May 25, 2011Butte County, Glenn County, California

NWS Sacramento, CA issued this tornado warning at May 25, 2011, 6:10 PM PDT for Butte County, Glenn County, California. It was in force for 35 min. 3 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
May 25, 2011, 6:10 PM PDT (01:10 UTC)
Expired
May 25, 2011, 6:45 PM PDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Sacramento, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Butte County, CA, Glenn County, CA

The radar

The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 24 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:11 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 25, 6:20 PM PDTTORNADO8 Ssw Chico, CATORNADO ON THE GROUND FILMED LIVE BY MEDIA HELICOPTERS NEAR DURHAM.
May 25, 6:35 PM PDTFUNNEL CLOUD2 E Chico, CA
May 25, 6:40 PM PDTTORNADO9 Nw Oroville, CATREES DOWN ON TAYLOR AVE. JUST SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF DURHAM.

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 00:00Z, 1.2 hours before the alert went out and 222 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 2011-05-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 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 2011-05-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -3 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1378 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
83 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
184 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.

510 
WFUS56 KSTO 260110
TORSTO
CAC007-021-260145-
/O.NEW.KSTO.TO.W.0005.110526T0110Z-110526T0145Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
610 PM PDT WED MAY 25 2011

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL BUTTE COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...PARADISE...CHICO...
  EXTREME EAST CENTRAL GLENN COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...

* UNTIL 645 PM PDT

* AT 602 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
  A TORNADO AROUND 5 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CHICO...MOVING EAST AT 15    
MPH. A SECOND TORNADO IS AROUND 5 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ORDBEND...ALSO 
MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. 

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  SOUTH CHICO 615 PM PDT...
  PARADISE BY 645 PM PDT...

* THESE TWO STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF BRIEFLY DISSIPATING AND 
REFORMING TORNADOES.


PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
QUARTER SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

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 3982 12160 3957 12154 3953 12195 3974 12199
TIME...MOT...LOC 0106Z 259DEG 11KT 3970 12178

$$

DANG/RB
1 follow-up statement
686 
WWUS56 KSTO 260135
SVSSTO

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
635 PM PDT WED MAY 25 2011

CAC007-021-260145-
/O.CON.KSTO.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-110526T0145Z/
GLENN CA-BUTTE CA-
635 PM PDT WED MAY 25 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 645 PM PDT FOR CENTRAL
BUTTE AND EXTREME EAST CENTRAL GLENN COUNTIES...

AT 628 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE THE POSSIBILITY TWO TORNADOES. THE FIRST TORNADO IS 3 MILES 
SOUTH OF CHICO. THE SECOND TORNADO IS NEAR DURHAM. BOTH OF THESE 
STORMS ARE MOVING TO THE EAST AT AROUND 10 MPH. 

THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF DISSIPATING AND REFORMING TORNADOES.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  PARADISE BY 645 PM PDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

IN ADDITION TO THE TORNADO...THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING
PENNY SIZE HAIL AND DESTRUCTIVE STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

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 3982 12160 3957 12154 3953 12195 3974 12199
TIME...MOT...LOC 0132Z 259DEG 11KT 3971 12168

$$

DANG/RB

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 25, 5:01 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementSTOButte59 min
May 25, 5:12 PM PDTTornado WarningSTOButte, Glenn63 min
May 25, 6:45 PM PDTTornado WarningSTOButte45 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.