Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 8, NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA

December 2, 2012Santa Clara County, Santa Cruz County, California

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

Counties Santa Clara County, CA, Santa Cruz County, CA

The radar

The San Francisco radar (KMUX), 12 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:16 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, 4.3 hours before the alert went out and 70 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.

931 
WGUS56 KMTR 021615
FFWMTR
CAC085-087-021815-
/O.NEW.KMTR.FF.W.0008.121202T1615Z-121202T1815Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

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

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  SANTA CLARA COUNTY IN WESTERN CALIFORNIA...
  SANTA CRUZ COUNTY IN WESTERN CALIFORNIA...

* UNTIL 1015 AM PST.

* AT 811 AM PST...NWS DOPPLER RADAR AND AUTOMATED RAIN GAGES   
INDICATED CURRENT HOURLY RAINFALL OF ONE INCH PER HOUR ACROSS THE 
SANTA CRUZ MOUNTAINS. A BAND OF HEAVIETR RAINFALL IS APPROACHIN FROM 
THE NORTHWEST AND WILL ARRIVE IN THE NEXT HOUR. THE RISK OF MUD AND 
ROCK SLIDES WILL INCREASE WITH THE HEAVIER RAIN AS WELL.

* LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO BOULDER
  CREEK AND BEN LOMOND

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.

IT IS IMPORTANT FOR CAMPERS AND HIKERS TO KNOW WHERE THEY ARE
RELATIVE TO CREEKS...STREAMS...OR RIVERS WHICH CAN BECOME DANGEROUS
IN HEAVY RAINS. BE PARTICULARLY AWARE IN HILLY TERRAIN WHERE MANY LOW
WATER CROSSINGS CAN QUICKLY BECOME KILLERS.

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 3718 12230 3722 12212 3720 12195 3717 12173
      3705 12178 3703 12184 3705 12201 3703 12209
      3706 12217

$$

JOHNSON

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, 8:42 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRMarin93 min
Dec 2, 8:47 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRSonoma88 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.