Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 2014

Flash Flood Warning 4, NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA

December 11, 2014Marin County, Sonoma County, California

NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued this flash flood warning at Dec 11, 2014, 7:15 AM PST for Marin County, Sonoma County, California. It was in force for 3 hr. 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
Dec 11, 2014, 7:15 AM PST (15:15 UTC)
Expired
Dec 11, 2014, 10:15 AM PST
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Marin County, CA, Sonoma County, CA

The radar

The Sacramento radar (KDAX), 91 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 15:18 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
Dec 11, 8:33 AM PSTFLASH FLOODEse Olema Valley Raws, CALOTS OF WATER FROM PT REYES TO OLEMA ON RT 1. CAMPGROUND FLOODED.
Dec 11, 10:24 AM PSTHEAVY RAIN 4.052 Wnw Rohnert Park, CA24 HOUR RAINFALL TOTAL

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 12:00Z, 3.3 hours before the alert went out and 62 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 2014-12-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Oakland, CA at 12:00Z on 2014-12-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 308 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
893 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
308 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
555 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

063 
WGUS56 KMTR 111515
FFWMTR
CAC041-097-111815-
/O.NEW.KMTR.FF.W.0004.141211T1515Z-141211T1815Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN FRANCISCO CA
715 AM PST THU DEC 11 2014

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

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR FLASH FLOODING AND DEBRIS FLOWS FOR...
  MARIN COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...SAN RAFAEL...NOVATO...
  SONOMA COUNTY IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...ROHNERT PARK...PETALUMA...

* UNTIL 1015 AM PST

* AT 712 AM PST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  HEAVY RAIN AND FLOODING...FROM AN AREA OF HEAVY RAIN OVER THE
  WARNED AREA.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

MUD SLIDES AND ROCK SLIDES CAN POTENTIALLY TRAP AND KILL PEOPLE
CAUGHT IN THEIR PATH.

EXCESSIVE RUNOFF FROM HEAVY RAINFALL WILL CAUSE FLOODING OF SMALL
CREEKS AND STREAMS...HIGHWAYS AND UNDERPASSES. ADDITIONALLY...COUNTRY
ROADS AND FARMLANDS ALONG THE BANKS OF CREEKS...STREAMS AND OTHER LOW
LYING AREAS ARE SUBJECT TO FLOODING.

MOST FLOOD DEATHS OCCUR IN AUTOMOBILES. NEVER DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO
AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THE ROADWAY. WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED
ROADS MAKE THE SMART CHOICE...TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN.

&&

LAT...LON 3845 12272 3841 12261 3827 12240 3818 12236
      3816 12237 3816 12240 3814 12239 3810 12248
      3782 12248 3790 12265 3790 12273 3802 12286
      3823 12301 3825 12298 3831 12303
TIME...MOT...LOC 1515Z 180DEG 0KT 3847 12277

$$

JOHNSON

The office that day

Everything else NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 11, 3:31 AM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRMarin, Napa, Sonoma8 hr
Dec 11, 6:50 AM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRAlameda, Contra Costa, Marin, City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo3 hr
Dec 11, 7:48 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRNapa, Sonoma3 hr
Dec 11, 8:00 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRCity and County of San Francisco, San Mateo90 min
Dec 11, 8:16 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRAlameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz3 hr
Dec 11, 8:45 AM PSTSmall Craft Advisory for Hazardous SeasMTR31 hr
Dec 11, 9:00 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRNapa, Sonoma7 hr
Dec 11, 9:22 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRAlameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz3 hr
Dec 11, 9:24 AM PSTRiver Flood WarningMTRNapa20 hr
Dec 11, 9:24 AM PSTRiver Flood WarningMTRSonoma53 hr
Dec 11, 10:15 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRMarin, Napa, Sonoma90 min
Dec 11, 10:41 AM PSTCoastal Flood WarningMTRAlameda, Contra Costa, City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara8 hr
Dec 11, 10:42 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRMonterey, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz3 hr
Dec 11, 10:43 AM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRNapa, Sonoma92 min
Dec 11, 11:22 AM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRAlameda, Contra Costa, City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz3 hr
Dec 11, 11:46 AM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRMonterey3 hr
Dec 11, 12:00 PM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRAlameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz3 hr
Dec 11, 1:52 PM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRMarin, Napa, Sonoma5 hr
Dec 11, 2:21 PM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRSan Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz54 min
Dec 11, 2:23 PM PSTFlash Flood WarningMTRMonterey3 hr
Dec 11, 2:59 PM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRAlameda, Contra Costa, City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara3 hr
Dec 11, 3:11 PM PSTAreal Flood AdvisoryMTRSan Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in California, 2014Every flash flood warning in 2014

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.