Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Hanford, CA

April 11, 2012Tulare County, California

NWS Hanford, CA issued this tornado warning at Apr 11, 2012, 2:43 PM PDT for Tulare County, California. It was in force for 32 min. 1 report 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: Apr 11, 2012, 2:43 PM PDT (21:43 UTC)
Expired: Apr 11, 2012, 3:15 PM PDT
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Hanford, CA
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Tulare County, CA

The radar

The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 32 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:45 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
Apr 11, 3:24 PM PDT	HAIL 1	7 N Visalia, CA	AROUND 1/2 INCH TO 1 INCH DIAMETER HAIL. ALSO ABOUT 7 MI EAST OF TRAVER AND 99

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Vandenberg AFB, CA (KVBG), launched 12:00Z, 9.7 hours before the alert went out and 220 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: 10 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 522 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 15 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 23 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.

300 
WFUS56 KHNX 112143
TORHNX
CAC107-112215-
/O.NEW.KHNX.TO.W.0001.120411T2143Z-120411T2215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
243 PM PDT WED APR 11 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HANFORD CA HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL TULARE COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...

* UNTIL 315 PM PDT

* AT 240 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO OVER WEST
  CENTRAL TULARE COUNTY...OR 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF VISALIA...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 10 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL NORTHWESTERN TULARE COUNTY AT 300 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 3653 11926 3640 11922 3637 11941 3646 11946
TIME...MOT...LOC 2143Z 246DEG 9KT 3643 11938

$$

INIGUEZ

2 follow-up statements

514 
WWUS56 KHNX 112152
SVSHNX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
252 PM PDT WED APR 11 2012

CAC107-112215-
/O.CON.KHNX.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120411T2215Z/
TULARE CA-
252 PM PDT WED APR 11 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 315 PM PDT FOR WEST
CENTRAL TULARE COUNTY...

AT 245 PM PDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS RECENTLY REPORTED A FUNNEL 
CLOUD AND RADAR INDICATED STRONG ROTATION. THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 
OVER WEST CENTRAL TULARE COUNTY...OR 8 MILES NORTH OF 
VISALIA...MOVING EAST AT 10 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  RURAL NORTHWESTERN TULARE COUNTY AT 310 PM PDT
  STATE ROUTE 63 BETWEEN VISALIA AND ORANGE COVE

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

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.

&&

LAT...LON 3652 11926 3640 11922 3638 11936 3640 11939
      3645 11941 3647 11939
TIME...MOT...LOC 2151Z 252DEG 11KT 3644 11935

$$

INIGUEZ

574 
WWUS56 KHNX 112210
SVSHNX

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
310 PM PDT WED APR 11 2012

CAC107-112218-
/O.EXP.KHNX.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-120411T2215Z/
TULARE CA-
310 PM PDT WED APR 11 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR WEST CENTRAL TULARE COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
315 PM PDT...

RADAR CONTINUES TO INDICATE ROTATION WITH THE THUNDERSTORM NORTH OF 
VISALIA...THOUGH THE ROTATION IS BEGINNING TO WEAKEN. THE WARNING 
WILL NOT BE EXTENDED.

LAT...LON 3652 11926 3640 11922 3638 11936 3640 11939
      3645 11941 3647 11939
TIME...MOT...LOC 2208Z 252DEG 11KT 3646 11929

$$

INIGUEZ

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 11, 11:39 AM PDT	Special Weather Statement	HNX	Kings	66 min
Apr 11, 12:45 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	HNX	Fresno	45 min
Apr 11, 1:02 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HNX	Fresno, Kings, Tulare	43 min
Apr 11, 1:44 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HNX	Fresno, Kings, Tulare	31 min
Apr 11, 2:13 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HNX	Fresno, Kings, Tulare	47 min
Apr 11, 2:24 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	HNX	Kings	51 min
Apr 11, 2:49 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	HNX	Kern	56 min
Apr 11, 3:04 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	HNX	Tulare	86 min
Apr 11, 3:26 PM PDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	HNX	Fresno, Tulare	34 min
Apr 11, 3:30 PM PDT	Special Weather Statement	HNX	Tulare	45 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in California, 2012 Every tornado warning in 2012 Tornadoes in 2012

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.