Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2012

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Sacramento, CA

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

NWS Sacramento, CA issued this tornado warning at Oct 22, 2012, 6:29 PM PDT for El Dorado County, Nevada County, Placer County, California. It was in force for 46 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
Oct 22, 2012, 6:29 PM PDT (01:29 UTC)
Expired
Oct 22, 2012, 7:15 PM PDT
In force
46 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), 73 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:31 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 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 177 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.

830 
WFUS56 KSTO 230129
TORSTO
CAC017-057-061-230215-
/O.NEW.KSTO.TO.W.0007.121023T0129Z-121023T0215Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN EL DORADO COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...
  SOUTHWESTERN NEVADA COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...
  CENTRAL PLACER COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITY OF AUBURN...

* UNTIL 715 PM PDT

* AT 626 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR NORTH
  AUBURN...OR NEAR AUBURN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

* OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO
  COOL...LAKE OF THE PINES...APPLEGATE...ALTA SIERRA...COLFAX...
  WEIMAR AND FORESTHILL

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 3919 12101 3895 12076 3886 12113 3897 12125
TIME...MOT...LOC 0128Z 238DEG 23KT 3892 12112

$$

CS
2 follow-up statements
777 
WWUS56 KSTO 230202
SVSSTO

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

CAC017-230211-
/O.CAN.KSTO.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-121023T0215Z/
EL DORADO CA-
702 PM PDT MON OCT 22 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR NORTHWESTERN EL DORADO COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

LAT...LON 3899 12095 3907 12108 3919 12101 3904 12086
TIME...MOT...LOC 0201Z 238DEG 23KT 3909 12096

$$

CAC057-061-230215-
/O.CON.KSTO.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-121023T0215Z/
NEVADA CA-PLACER CA-
702 PM PDT MON OCT 22 2012

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM PDT FOR CENTRAL
PLACER AND SOUTHWESTERN NEVADA COUNTIES...

AT 658 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR COLFAX...OR 11
MILES SOUTH OF GRASS VALLEY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO WEIMAR

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 3899 12095 3907 12108 3919 12101 3904 12086
TIME...MOT...LOC 0201Z 238DEG 23KT 3909 12096

$$

CS
415 
WWUS56 KSTO 230210
SVSSTO

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

CAC057-061-230220-
/O.EXP.KSTO.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-121023T0215Z/
NEVADA CA-PLACER CA-
710 PM PDT MON OCT 22 2012

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL PLACER AND SOUTHWESTERN NEVADA
COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 715 PM PDT...

LAT...LON 3899 12095 3907 12108 3919 12101 3904 12086
TIME...MOT...LOC 0210Z 238DEG 23KT 3912 12090

$$

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, 5:46 PM PDTTornado WarningSTOEl Dorado, Nevada, Placer44 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.