Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Sacramento, CA

October 22, 2012El Dorado County, Nevada County, Placer County, California

NWS Sacramento, CA issued this tornado warning at Oct 22, 2012, 5:46 PM PDT for El Dorado County, Nevada County, Placer County, California. It was in force for 44 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
Oct 22, 2012, 5:46 PM PDT (00:46 UTC)
Expired
Oct 22, 2012, 6:30 PM PDT
In force
44 min
Issued by
NWS Sacramento, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon

Counties El Dorado County, CA, Nevada County, CA, Placer County, CA

The radar

The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 66 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:48 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, 6:09 PM PDTHAIL 0.5Colfax, CALARGEST HAIL DIME SIZE

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, 0.8 hours before the alert went out and 186 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.

667 
WFUS56 KSTO 230046
TORSTO
CAC017-057-061-230130-
/O.NEW.KSTO.TO.W.0006.121023T0046Z-121023T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
546 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...
  EXTREME NORTHWESTERN EL DORADO COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...
  WESTERN PLACER COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF AUBURN...

* UNTIL 630 PM PDT

* AT 544 PM PDT...WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATES AND THE PUBLIC    
REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR LAKE OF THE PINES...OR 8 MILES NORTH OF 
AUBURN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  APPLEGATE...ALTA SIERRA...WEIMAR...COLFAX...CEDAR RIDGE...IOWA HILL
  AND SUGAR PINE

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 3933 12099 3911 12076 3886 12111 3901 12128
TIME...MOT...LOC 0045Z 219DEG 20KT 3901 12111

$$

JCLAPP
1 follow-up statement
117 
WWUS56 KSTO 230113
SVSSTO

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

CAC017-057-061-230130-
/O.CON.KSTO.TO.W.0006.000000T0000Z-121023T0130Z/
NEVADA CA-EL DORADO CA-PLACER CA-
613 PM PDT MON OCT 22 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 630 PM PDT FOR WESTERN
PLACER...EXTREME NORTHWESTERN EL DORADO AND SOUTHWESTERN NEVADA
COUNTIES...

AT 610 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR ALTA SIERRA...OR 9
MILES SOUTH OF GRASS VALLEY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
WEIMAR...COLFAX...CEDAR RIDGE...IOWA HILL...SUGAR PINE AND NEVADA
CITY

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 3933 12099 3911 12076 3886 12110 3901 12128
TIME...MOT...LOC 0112Z 219DEG 20KT 3911 12102

$$

CS

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 22, 5:00 PM PDTTornado WarningSTONevada, Placer, Yuba45 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.