Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Sacramento, CA

October 22, 2012Nevada County, Placer County, Yuba County, California

NWS Sacramento, CA issued this tornado warning at Oct 22, 2012, 5:00 PM PDT for Nevada County, Placer County, Yuba County, California. It was in force for 45 min. 2 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
Oct 22, 2012, 5:00 PM PDT (00:00 UTC)
Expired
Oct 22, 2012, 5:45 PM PDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Sacramento, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties Nevada County, CA, Placer County, CA, Yuba County, CA

The radar

The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 63 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:01 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
Oct 22, 5:19 PM PDTTORNADOHiggins Corner, CAFIRE DEPT REPORTS TORNADO TOUCH DOWN NEAR LAKE OF THE PINES AREA.
Oct 22, 5:30 PM PDTTORNADO 1Higgins Corner, CATHE NWS STORM SURVEY HAS RATED THE 10/22/2012 LAKE OF THE PINES STORM AS AN EF1 TORNADO. THIS TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN NEAR HIGHWAY 49 AT COMBIE ROAD AND TRAVELED A DISTANCE OF AROUND 4 MILES TO THE NORTHEAST. WINDS WERE ESTIMATED AT 90 TO 100 MPH. MOST OF THE DAM

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, 0.0 hours before the alert went out and 183 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 2012-10-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 123 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2012-10-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 93 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
123 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-6 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1132 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
93 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
106 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

002 
WFUS56 KSTO 230000
TORSTO
CAC057-061-115-230045-
/O.NEW.KSTO.TO.W.0005.121023T0000Z-121023T0045Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
500 PM PDT MON OCT 22 2012

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHWESTERN NEVADA COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF GRASS VALLEY...
  CENTRAL PLACER COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...
  SOUTH CENTRAL YUBA COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...

* UNTIL 545 PM PDT

* AT 457 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 7 MILES WEST OF
  LAKE OF THE PINES...OR 10 MILES NORTHWEST OF AUBURN...MOVING
  NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  LAKE OF THE PINES AND 8 MILES NORTHWEST OF APPLEGATE BY 515 PM
  PDT...
  ALTA SIERRA BY 525 PM PDT...
  COLFAX AND 8 MILES SOUTHEAST OF ROUGH AND READY BY 530 PM PDT...
  CEDAR RIDGE...GRASS VALLEY AND 9 MILES NORTHWEST OF IOWA HILL BY
  540 PM PDT...

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.

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 3933 12106 3911 12081 3884 12116 3902 12131
TIME...MOT...LOC 0000Z 219DEG 20KT 3902 12117

$$

JCLAPP
1 follow-up statement
725 
WWUS56 KSTO 230046
SVSSTO

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
546 PM PDT MON OCT 22 2012

CAC057-061-115-230056-
/O.EXP.KSTO.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-121023T0045Z/
NEVADA CA-PLACER CA-YUBA CA-
546 PM PDT MON OCT 22 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTH CENTRAL YUBA...CENTRAL PLACER AND
SOUTHWESTERN NEVADA COUNTIES HAS EXPIRED...

LAT...LON 3933 12106 3911 12081 3884 12116 3902 12131
TIME...MOT...LOC 0000Z 219DEG 20KT 3902 12117

$$

JCLAPP

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 22, 5:46 PM PDTTornado WarningSTOEl Dorado, Nevada, Placer44 min
Oct 22, 6:29 PM PDTTornado WarningSTOEl Dorado, Nevada, Placer46 min
Oct 23, 5:48 AM PDTWinter Weather AdvisorySTO35 hr

Nearby

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