Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 2012

Flash Flood Warning 9, NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA

December 2, 2012Marin County, California

NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued this flash flood warning at Dec 2, 2012, 8:42 AM PST for Marin County, California. It was in force for 93 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, 8:42 AM PST (16:42 UTC)
Expired
Dec 2, 2012, 10:15 AM PST
In force
93 min
Issued by
NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Marin County, CA

The radar

The Sacramento radar (KDAX), 100 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:43 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, 4.7 hours before the alert went out and 55 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.

883 
WGUS56 KMTR 021642
FFWMTR
CAC041-021815-
/O.NEW.KMTR.FF.W.0009.121202T1642Z-121202T1815Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

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

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

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  MARIN COUNTY IN WESTERN CALIFORNIA...

* UNTIL 1015 AM PST.

* AT 837 AM PST...NWS DOPPLER RADAR AND AUTOMATED RAIN GAGES   
INDICATED RAINFALL UP TO 2 INCHES HAS FALLEN THIS MORNING. 
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL OF UP TO AN INCH IS POSSIBLE IN THE NEXT HOUR. 
SHARP RISES ON CORTE MADERA CREEK HAVE LEAD TO FLOODING NORTH OF 
KENTFIELD. ADDITIONAL FLOODING WILL OCCUR WITH HEAVY RAIN FALLING.

* 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.

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 3806 12283 3816 12279 3817 12276 3817 12268
      3814 12259 3805 12256 3797 12251 3791 12256
      3787 12259

$$

JOHNSON
1 follow-up statement
084 
WGUS76 KMTR 021809
FFSMTR

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO CA
1009 AM PST SUN DEC 2 2012

CAC041-021815-
/O.EXP.KMTR.FF.W.0009.000000T0000Z-121202T1815Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MARIN CA-
1009 AM PST SUN DEC 2 2012

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 1015 AM PST FOR MARIN
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 3806 12283 3816 12279 3817 12276 3817 12268
      3814 12259 3805 12256 3797 12251 3791 12256
      3787 12259

$$

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, 8:47 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.