Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 2015

Flash Flood Warning 21, NWS Hanford, CA

October 16, 2015Fresno County, Madera County, California

NWS Hanford, CA issued this flash flood warning at Oct 16, 2015, 11:46 AM PDT for Fresno County, Madera County, California. It was in force for 3 hr. 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 16, 2015, 11:46 AM PDT (18:46 UTC)
Expired
Oct 16, 2015, 2:45 PM PDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Hanford, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

Counties Fresno County, CA, Madera County, CA

The radar

The San Joaquin Valley radar (KHNX), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:48 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Oakland, CA (KOAK), launched 12:00Z, 6.8 hours before the alert went out and 189 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 2015-10-16Temperature 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°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Oakland, CA at 12:00Z on 2015-10-16The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -10 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1379 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
53 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.

158 
WGUS56 KHNX 161846
FFWHNX
CAC019-039-162145-
/O.NEW.KHNX.FF.W.0021.151016T1846Z-151016T2145Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
FLASH FLOOD WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
1146 AM PDT FRI OCT 16 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN HANFORD CA HAS ISSUED A

* FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR...
  WEST CENTRAL FRESNO COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...
  SOUTHWESTERN MADERA COUNTY IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...

* UNTIL 245 PM PDT

* AT 1143 AM PDT...REPORTS FLASH FLOODING ACROSS THE WARNED AREA. 
  FLASH FLOODING IS ALREADY OCCURRING. WATER SPILLING OVER PANOCHE 
  CREEK...THIS WATER WILL MOVE INTO THE MENDOTA AREA. CHECK ROAD 
  CLOSURES INFORMATION BEFORE TRAVELING.

* SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE...
  MENDOTA...FIREBAUGH AND PANOCHE ROAD. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES. 

&&

LAT...LON 3682 12031 3671 12033 3663 12059 3676 12066
      3683 12044

$$
1 follow-up statement
698 
WGUS76 KHNX 162017
FFSHNX

FLASH FLOOD STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY CA
117 PM PDT FRI OCT 16 2015

CAC039-162014-
/O.CAN.KHNX.FF.W.0021.000000T0000Z-151016T2145Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
MADERA CA-
117 PM PDT FRI OCT 16 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN MADERA COUNTY IS
CANCELLED...

FLASH FLOOD WARNING FOR THIS AREA HAS BEEN CANCELLED.

LAT...LON 3678 12036 3671 12037 3665 12060 3666 12061
      3670 12063 3678 12047

$$

CAC019-162145-
/O.CON.KHNX.FF.W.0021.000000T0000Z-151016T2145Z/
/00000.0.ER.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.000000T0000Z.OO/
FRESNO CA-
117 PM PDT FRI OCT 16 2015

...THE FLASH FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 245 PM PDT FOR
WEST CENTRAL FRESNO COUNTY...

AT 104 PM PDT...THE FLASH FLOODING OCCURRING ALONG PANOCHE CREEK 
WILL CONTINUE FOR THE NEXT HOUR OR SO...THOUGH THREAT WILL CONTINUE 
TO DIMINISH. SOME LOCATIONS THAT WILL EXPERIENCE FLOODING INCLUDE... 
BELMONT AVE AND PANOCHE ROAD. 

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TURN AROUND...DONT DROWN WHEN ENCOUNTERING FLOODED ROADS. MOST FLOOD
DEATHS OCCUR IN VEHICLES.

&&

LAT...LON 3678 12036 3671 12037 3665 12060 3666 12061
      3670 12063 3678 12047

$$

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Oct 15, 5:05 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNXKings25 min
Oct 15, 5:08 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNXKern52 min
Oct 15, 6:11 PM PDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningHNXKern34 min
Oct 15, 6:23 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNXKings52 min
Oct 15, 6:44 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNX46 min
Oct 15, 6:49 PM PDTAreal Flood WarningHNXTulare3 hr
Oct 15, 6:58 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNXFresno47 min
Oct 16, 4:51 AM PDTFlash Flood WatchHNX15 hr
Oct 16, 11:17 AM PDTFlash Flood WarningHNXKern4 hr
Oct 16, 4:16 PM PDTFlash Flood WarningHNXFresno3 hr

Nearby

Flash Flood Warnings in California, 2015Every flash flood warning in 2015

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.