Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 10, NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA

December 2, 2012Sonoma County, California

NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued this flash flood warning at Dec 2, 2012, 8:47 AM PST for Sonoma County, California. It was in force for 88 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
Dec 2, 2012, 8:47 AM PST (16:47 UTC)
Expired
Dec 2, 2012, 10:15 AM PST
In force
88 min
Issued by
NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Sonoma County, CA

The radar

The Sacramento radar (KDAX), 87 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:47 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, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 69 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 12:00Z on 2012-12-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 58 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 12:00Z on 2012-12-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 203 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
58 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
529 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
203 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
348 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

596 
WGUS56 KMTR 021647
FFWMTR
CAC097-021815-
/O.NEW.KMTR.FF.W.0010.121202T1647Z-121202T1815Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO CA
847 AM PST SUN DEC 2 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA HAS
ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SONOMA COUNTY IN WESTERN CALIFORNIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF PETALUMA...

* UNTIL 1015 AM PST.

* AT 842 AM PST...NWS DOPPLER RADAR AND AUTOMATED RAIN GAGES   
INDICATED HEAVY RAIN CONTINUING OVER PETALUMA. WILLOW BROOK NEAR 
PENNGROVE PARK CONTINUES TO FLOOD.  FLOODING IS LIKELY TO INCREASE 
WITH THE CONTINUED HEAVY RAIN.

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

A FLASH FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS OCCURRING OR IS
IMMINENT.

RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS AS WELL AS ROADWAYS...UNDERPASSES AND OTHER LOW
LYING SPOTS. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO CROSS SWIFTLY FLOWING WATER OR WATER
OF UNKNOWN DEPTH. TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

IF FLASH FLOODING IS OBSERVED ACT QUICKLY. MOVE UP TO HIGHER GROUND 
TO ESCAPE FLOOD WATERS. DO NOT STAY IN AREAS SUBJECT TO FLOODING 
WHEN WATER BEGINS RISING.

TO REPORT FLOODING...HAVE THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY RELAY
YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE.

LAT...LON 3828 12267 3829 12261 3822 12253 3819 12263

$$

JOHNSON
1 follow-up statement
535 
WGUS76 KMTR 021812
FFSMTR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO CA
1012 AM PST SUN DEC 2 2012

CAC097-021819-
/O.EXP.KMTR.FF.W.0010.000000T0000Z-121202T1815Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
SONOMA CA-
1012 AM PST SUN DEC 2 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 1015 AM PST FOR SONOMA
COUNTY...

HEAVY RAIN HAS DIMINISHED AND THE IMMEDIATE THREAT FOR FLASH 
FLOODING HAS ENDED. ADDITIONAL RISES IN CREEKS AND STREAMS ARE NO 
LONGER EXPECTED TODAY. PEOPLE NEAR STREAMS ARE STILL URGED TO USE 
CAUTION AS THEY MAY BE MUCH HIGHER THAN NORMAL.

LAT...LON 3828 12267 3829 12261 3822 12253 3819 12263

$$

MM

The office that day

Everything else NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 1, 4:44 PM PSTRiver Flood WatchMTRSonoma6 days
Dec 2, 1:28 AM PSTGale WarningMTR11 hr
Dec 2, 6:35 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRNapa, Sonoma85 min
Dec 2, 6:54 AM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRMarin, Napa, Sonoma3 hr
Dec 2, 7:19 AM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRAlameda, Contra Costa, Marin, City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara and 1 more3 hr
Dec 2, 7:41 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRSonoma64 min
Dec 2, 8:15 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRSanta Clara, Santa Cruz2 hr
Dec 2, 8:42 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRMarin93 min
Dec 2, 9:20 AM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRMonterey, San Benito, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz3 hr
Dec 2, 10:21 AM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRAlameda, Santa Clara54 min

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in California, 2012Every flash flood warning 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.