Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2013

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Sacramento, CA

April 4, 2013Tehama County, California

NWS Sacramento, CA issued this tornado warning at Apr 4, 2013, 6:51 PM PDT for Tehama County, California. It was in force for 24 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
Apr 4, 2013, 6:51 PM PDT (01:51 UTC)
Expired
Apr 4, 2013, 7:15 PM PDT
In force
24 min
Issued by
NWS Sacramento, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Tehama County, CA

The radar

The Beale AFB radar (KBBX), 85 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 01:53 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

Medford/Jackson, OR (KMFR), launched 00:00Z, 1.9 hours before the alert went out and 253 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, Medford/Jackson, OR at 00:00Z on 2013-04-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 234 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, Medford/Jackson, OR at 00:00Z on 2013-04-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 106 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
234 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
767 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
52 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
106 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
195 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

670 
WFUS56 KSTO 050151
TORSTO
CAC103-050215-
/O.NEW.KSTO.TO.W.0002.130405T0151Z-130405T0215Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
651 PM PDT THU APR 4 2013

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SACRAMENTO HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL TEHAMA COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...

* UNTIL 715 PM PDT

* AT 648 PM PDT...LOCAL MEDIA REPORTED A FUNNEL CLOUD OVER CENTRAL 
  TEHAMA COUNTY...OR NEAR RED BLUFF...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL OTHERWISE REMAIN OVER MAINLY RURAL AREAS OF THE
  INDICATED COUNTY SOUTH OF RED BLUFF.

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 4021 12212 4012 12205 4008 12222 4012 12226
TIME...MOT...LOC 0150Z 236DEG 13KT 4011 12220

$$

DVC
2 follow-up statements
335 
WWUS56 KSTO 050159
SVSSTO

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
659 PM PDT THU APR 4 2013

CAC103-050215-
/O.CON.KSTO.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-130405T0215Z/
TEHAMA CA-
659 PM PDT THU APR 4 2013

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 715 PM PDT FOR CENTRAL
TEHAMA COUNTY...

AT 657 PM PDT...MEDIA AND THE PUBLIC REPORTED SEVERAL FUNNEL CLOUDS. 
THIS ACTIVITY WAS LOCATED OVER CENTRAL TEHAMA COUNTY...OR JUST SOUTH OF RED
BLUFF...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH...AND HAS MOVED EAST OF INTERSTATE 5.

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 4009 12219 4014 12221 4021 12212 4012 12205
TIME...MOT...LOC 0158Z 236DEG 13KT 4013 12217

$$

DVC
335 
WWUS56 KSTO 050216
SVSSTO

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SACRAMENTO CA
716 PM PDT THU APR 4 2013

CAC103-050226-
/O.EXP.KSTO.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-130405T0215Z/
TEHAMA CA-
716 PM PDT THU APR 4 2013

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR CENTRAL TEHAMA COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES ROTATION HAS WEAKENED WITHIN THE STORM. 
HOWEVER...ENOUGH ROTATION EXISTS TO MERIT CONTINUED CAUTION.  
CONTINUE TO MONITOR LATEST ALERTS. 

LAT...LON 4009 12219 4014 12221 4021 12212 4012 12205
TIME...MOT...LOC 0159Z 236DEG 13KT 4013 12217

$$

DVC

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 4, 6:17 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementSTOTehama28 min
Apr 4, 6:29 PM PDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSTOTehama31 min
Apr 4, 6:45 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementSTOShasta45 min
Apr 4, 8:09 PM PDTFlash Flood WarningSTOShasta67 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in California, 2013Every tornado warning in 2013Tornadoes in 2013

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.