Alert archive / California / Flash Flood Warnings in 2015

Flash Flood Warning 6, NWS Hanford, CA

July 19, 2015Kern County, California

NWS Hanford, CA issued this flash flood warning at Jul 19, 2015, 1:49 PM PDT for Kern 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 counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jul 19, 2015, 1:49 PM PDT (20:49 UTC)
Expired
Jul 19, 2015, 4:45 PM PDT
In force
3 hr
Issued by
NWS Hanford, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Flood severity
None

County Kern County, CA

The radar

The Edwards AFB radar (KEYX), 110 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:52 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

Vandenberg AFB, CA (KVBG), launched 12:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 175 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, Vandenberg AFB, CA at 12:00Z on 2015-07-19Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 150 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Vandenberg AFB, CA at 12:00Z on 2015-07-19The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 34 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
150 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-393 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1124 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
34 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
74 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this flash flood warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Hanford, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this flash flood warning went out at Jul 19, 2:30 AM PDT, 11 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 19, 2:30 AM PDT, 11 hours 19 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
230 AM PDT SUN JUL 19 2015

.SYNOPSIS...
TROPICAL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE FLOWING INTO THE REGION FROM THE
SOUTH. THERE WILL REMAIN A THREAT OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
TODAY AND CONTINUING INTO EARLY THIS WEEK.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
TROPICAL MOISTURE MOVED INTO INTERIOR CENTRAL CALIFORNIA WITH A
VENGEANCE SATURDAY...TRIGGERING THUNDERSTORMS THAT PRODUCED LOCALLY
HEAVY RAIN. IN JUST 34 MINUTES...FROM 0219-0253Z SUNDAY /1919-1953
PDT SATURDAY EVENING/...FRESNO RECEIVED MORE RAIN /0.34 INCH/ THAN
ITS ENTIRE PREVIOUS WETTEST JULY ON RECORD /0.33 INCH IN 1913/.

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUED OVERNIGHT IN SAN LUIS OBISPO AND KERN
COUNTIES AS THE WARM...MOIST AIRMASS CONTINUED TO STREAM INTO
CENTRAL CALIFORNIA. THE 06Z NAM-12 HAS TWO MOISTURE SOURCES FEEDING
INTO THE TROPICAL AIRMASS. THE FIRST IS MONSOONAL MOISTURE WRAPPING
AROUND THE UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES. THIS
MOISTURE IS THE CAUSE OF THE CURRENT THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY. THE
SECOND PUSH OF TROPICAL MOISTURE IS THE REMNANTS OF FORMER HURRICANE
DOLORES...WHICH THE NAM-12 HAS ARRIVING INTO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY AND INTO MONDAY EVENING.

HAVE ALREADY SEEN SOME STATIONS IN THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS
RECEIVING OVER AN INCH OF RAIN...WITH FRAZIER PARK RECORDING OVER 2
INCHES. THERE WERE SOME MUD SLIDES IN THE MOUNTAINS SATURDAY...AND
WITH TROPICAL MOISTURE CONTINUING TO STREAM INTO THE REGION EXPECT
MORE HEAVY RAIN FROM THUNDERSTORMS THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. THE
MOISTURE IS FORECAST TO SPREAD NORTHWARD TODAY...SO HAVE EXPANDED
THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH TO INCLUDE ALL OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA
AS WELL AS THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS AND DESERT.

TUESDAY WILL BE A TRANSITION DAY AS THE MODELS BEGIN DRYING OUT THE
MID LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE. EXPECT THAT ORGANIZED CONVECTION WILL
BE CONFINED TO THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA.

AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH IS FORECAST TO DROP THROUGH THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST INTO NORTHERN CALIFORNIA WEDNESDAY. THIS WILL BRING A
DRYING NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT TO CENTRAL CALIFORNIA...ENDING THE
THREAT FOR CONVECTION.

TROUGHINESS IS FORECAST TO CONTINUE OVER CALIFORNIA FOR THE LATTER
HALF OF THE WEEK INTO THE WEEKEND. TEMPERATURES WILL BE A COUPLE OF
DEGREES BELOW NORMAL THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD WITH DRY WEATHER
FOR THE EXTENDED FORECAST.

&&

.AVIATION...
SCATTERED THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL PERSIST ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN AND
DESERT AREAS OF CENTRAL CALIFORNIA TODAY...WITH ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS ALSO POSSIBLE IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY. THESE STORMS
WILL BRING AREAS OF MVFR AND LOCAL IFR/VLIFR CONDITIONS ALONG WITH
WITH SOME POSSIBLE MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN.
GUSTY AND ERRATIC WINDS AROUND 40 KTS CAN ALSO ACCOMPANY THE STORMS.
OTHERWISE...VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL OVER THE CENTRAL CALIFORNIA
INTERIOR DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS.

&&

.AIR QUALITY ISSUES...
NONE.

&&

.CERTAINTY...

THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 1 AND 2 IS MEDIUM.
THE LEVEL OF CERTAINTY FOR DAYS 3 THROUGH 7 IS MEDIUM.

THIS INFORMATION IS PROVIDED AS PART OF A TRIAL PROJECT CONDUCTED
BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD.
CERTAINTY LEVELS INCLUDE LOW...MEDIUM...AND HIGH. PLEASE VISIT
WWW.WEATHER.GOV/HNX/CERTAINTY.PHP /ALL LOWER CASE/ FOR ADDITIONAL
INFORMATION AND/OR TO PROVIDE FEEDBACK.

&&

.CLIMATE...
             RECORDS
SITE DATE    HI_MAX:YEAR LO_MAX:YEAR HI_MIN:YEAR LO_MIN:YEAR

KFAT 07-19      112:2009     86:1983     79:2006     54:1932
KFAT 07-20      111:1908     81:1973     78:1938     54:1903
KFAT 07-21      112:1908     79:1987     82:2006     56:1973

KBFL 07-19      111:2009     82:1983     85:1907     52:1906
KBFL 07-20      112:1938     84:1973     82:1979     49:1906
KBFL 07-21      112:1938     81:1987     83:1969     50:1906
&&

.HNX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA
NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK TO THE KERN COUNTY LINE
/CAZ096-097/.

FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH MONDAY EVENING FOR THE KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS AND DESERT AND THE INDIAN WELLS VALLEY /CAZ095-098-099/.

&&

PUBLIC...SANGER
AVN/FW...DURFEE/SANGER
SYNOPSIS...ANDERSEN

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 19, 4:45 AM PDT, 9 hours 4 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY - HANFORD CA
445 AM PDT SUN JUL 19 2015

CAZ095-098-099-201200-
KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS-INDIAN WELLS VALLEY-
SOUTHEASTERN KERN COUNTY DESERT-
445 AM PDT SUN JUL 19 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE KERN COUNTY MOUNTAINS
AND DESERT.

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING...

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE WILL BE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS...THE KERN COUNTY DESERT AND THE INDIAN WELLS VALLEY
TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT.

* TIMING: TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT.

* IMPACTS: DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND ERRATIC GUSTY WINDS. BRIEF
  HEAVY RAIN CAN CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN
  AND IN DRY WASHES AND ARROYOS AND ON DESERT ROADS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THERE WILL BE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE KERN COUNTY
MOUNTAINS...THE KERN COUNTY DESERT AND THE INDIAN WELLS VALLEY
INTO MONDAY.

* TIMING: MONDAY THROUGH MONDAY EVENING.

* IMPACTS: DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND ERRATIC GUSTY WINDS. BRIEF
  HEAVY RAIN CAN CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING IN THE HIGHER TERRAIN
  AND IN DRY WASHES AND ARROYOS AND ON DESERT ROADS.

* STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS
  SOURCE...FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

CAZ096-097-201200-
SIERRA NEVADA FROM YOSEMITE TO KINGS CANYON-
TULARE COUNTY MOUNTAINS-
445 AM PDT SUN JUL 19 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF
THE SOUTHERN SIERRA NEVADA.

...FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING...

...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE WILL BE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA
NEVADA TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT.

* TIMING: TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT.

* IMPACTS: DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND ERRATIC GUSTY WINDS. BRIEF
  HEAVY RAIN CAN CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING IN THE HIGHER SIERRA
  TERRAIN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THERE WILL BE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE SOUTHERN SIERRA
NEVADA CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY EVENING.

* TIMING: MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING.

* IMPACTS: DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND ERRATIC GUSTY WINDS. BRIEF
  HEAVY RAIN CAN CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING IN THE HIGHER SIERRA
  TERRAIN.

* STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS
  SOURCE...FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

CAZ089>094-201200-
WEST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-EAST CENTRAL SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
SOUTHWESTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-SOUTHEASTERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY-
MARIPOSA MADERA AND FRESNO COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
TULARE COUNTY FOOTHILLS-
445 AM PDT SUN JUL 19 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND ADJACENT FOOTHILLS OF THE SOUTHERN SIERRA
NEVADA.

...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS...

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

THERE WILL BE ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS THROUGH TONIGHT.

* TIMING: TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT.

* IMPACTS: DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND ERRATIC GUSTY WINDS. BRIEF
  HEAVY RAIN CAN CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF ROADS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

THERE WILL BE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY AND THE SIERRA FOOTHILLS EARLY THIS
WEEK.

* TIMING: MONDAY...CONTINUING OVER THE FOOTHILLS TUESDAY.

* IMPACTS: DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND ERRATIC GUSTY WINDS. BRIEF
  HEAVY RAIN CAN CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF ROADS.

* STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO...OR YOUR FAVORITE NEWS
  SOURCE...FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT ANY SIGNIFICANT OR
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

SANGER

WEATHER.GOV/HANFORD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 18, 5:18 PM PDTFlash Flood WarningHNXKern3 hr
Jul 18, 5:32 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNXKern, Tulare58 min
Jul 18, 6:53 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNXFresno37 min
Jul 18, 6:56 PM PDTAreal Flood AdvisoryHNXKern3 hr
Jul 18, 7:39 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNXFresno81 min
Jul 18, 9:10 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNXFresno80 min
Jul 18, 10:26 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNXMerced49 min
Jul 19, 1:09 AM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNX36 min
Jul 19, 2:28 AM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNX92 min
Jul 19, 2:45 PM PDTFlash Flood WarningHNXKern3 hr
Jul 19, 4:14 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementHNXTulare46 min

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.