Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2011

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Sacramento, CA

May 25, 2011Butte County, California

NWS Sacramento, CA issued this tornado warning at May 25, 2011, 6:45 PM PDT for Butte County, California. It was in force for 45 min. 7 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, 6:45 PM PDT (01:45 UTC)
Expired
May 25, 2011, 7:30 PM PDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Sacramento, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Butte County, CA

The radar

The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 21 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:46 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, 7:00 PM PDTTSTM WND DMG7 Nw Oroville, CAPOSSIBLE OUTBUILDING/BARN TORNADO DAMAGE AT 2910 TABLE MOUNTAIN BLVD.
May 25, 7:00 PM PDTHAIL 0.888 Ssw Paradise, CA
May 25, 7:00 PM PDTTORNADO7 Nw Oroville, CAOUTBUILDING/BARN/DETACHED GARAGE/TREE DAMAGE AT TABLE MOUNTAIN BLVD.
May 25, 7:00 PM PDTTORNADO8 Ssw Paradise, CAOBSERVER SPOTTED TORNADO APPROX. 1 MILE SOUTH.
May 25, 7:10 PM PDTHAIL 18 Ssw Paradise, CA
May 25, 7:20 PM PDTFUNNEL CLOUD8 Nnw Oroville, CA
May 25, 7:23 PM PDTFUNNEL CLOUD4 Ne Durham, CAFUNNEL CLOUD HANGING OVER TOWN OF DURHAM FOR 10 MINUTES.

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, 1.8 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.

559 
WFUS56 KSTO 260145
TORSTO
CAC007-260230-
/O.NEW.KSTO.TO.W.0006.110526T0145Z-110526T0230Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
645 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...

* UNTIL 730 PM PDT

* AT 641 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 13 MILES 
SOUTH   OF CHICO...OR 1 MILES WEST OF WEST NORTHWEST 
OROVILLE...MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE A HISTORY 
OF DISSIPATING AND REFORMING TORNADOES.

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


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 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 12157 3952 12149 3950 12179 3975 12185
TIME...MOT...LOC 0143Z 261DEG 12KT 3957 12178

$$

DANG/RB
2 follow-up statements
939 
WWUS56 KSTO 260158
SVSSTO

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

CAC007-260230-
/O.CON.KSTO.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-110526T0230Z/
BUTTE CA-
658 PM PDT WED MAY 25 2011

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 730 PM PDT FOR CENTRAL
BUTTE COUNTY...

AT 645 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES. THESE 
THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED IN AN AREA ALONG HIGHWAY 99 BETWEEN CHICO 
AND OROVILLE TO THE EAST OF DURHAM...AND IN AN AREA JUST WEST OF 
PARADISE. THESE STORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

THESE STORMS HAVE A HISTORY OF 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 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 12157 3952 12149 3950 12179 3975 12185
TIME...MOT...LOC 0149Z 261DEG 12KT 3957 12175

$$

DANG/RB
788 
WWUS56 KSTO 260230
SVSSTO

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

CAC007-260238-
/O.EXP.KSTO.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-110526T0230Z/
BUTTE CA-
730 PM PDT WED MAY 25 2011

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL BUTTE COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT 730 PM
PDT...

A STRONG THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF PARADISE CONTINUES TO 
MOVE TO THE NORTHEAST AT AROUND 15 MPH. THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF 
PRODUCING OF DIME SIZED HAIL AND BRIEF HEAVY RAIN WITH LOCALLY 
GUSTY WINDS. THIS STORM MAY CONTINUE TO BRIEFLY SPAWN A FUNNEL 
CLOUD. 

LAT...LON 3982 12157 3952 12149 3950 12179 3975 12185
TIME...MOT...LOC 0228Z 261DEG 12KT 3959 12158

$$

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, 6:10 PM PDTTornado WarningSTOButte, Glenn35 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.