Alert archive / Washington / Tornado Warnings in 2020

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Seattle, WA

January 21, 2020Grays Harbor County, Washington

NWS Seattle, WA issued this tornado warning at Jan 21, 2020, 4:57 PM PST for Grays Harbor County, Washington. It was in force for 33 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: Jan 21, 2020, 4:57 PM PST (00:57 UTC)
Expired: Jan 21, 2020, 5:30 PM PST
In force: 33 min
Issued by: NWS Seattle, WA
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 0.75 in

County Grays Harbor County, WA

The radar

The Langley Hill radar (KLGX), 23 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:57 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

Quillayute State, WA (KUIL), launched 00:00Z, 1.0 hours before the alert went out and 77 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 135 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: 0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 516 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 36 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 165 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 167 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 0.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

552 
WFUS56 KSEW 220057
TORSEW
WAC027-220130-
/O.NEW.KSEW.TO.W.0002.200122T0057Z-200122T0130Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Seattle WA
457 PM PST Tue Jan 21 2020

The National Weather Service in Seattle has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Northwestern Grays Harbor County in northwestern Washington...

* Until 530 PM PST
    
* At 457 PM PST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located near Moclips, moving northeast at 45 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado. 

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation. 

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught 
           without shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or 
           destroyed. Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will 
           occur.  Tree damage is likely. 

* This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
  northwestern Grays Harbor County.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors or in
a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect
yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 4739 12402 4734 12397 4727 12395 4723 12421
      4730 12424
TIME...MOT...LOC 0057Z 245DEG 44KT 4725 12426 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$
Pullin

1 follow-up statement

888 
WWUS56 KSEW 220112
SVSSEW

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Seattle WA
512 PM PST Tue Jan 21 2020

WAC027-220130-
/O.CON.KSEW.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-200122T0130Z/
Grays Harbor-
512 PM PST Tue Jan 21 2020

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 530 PM PST FOR
NORTHWESTERN GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY...
    
At 512 PM PST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado 
was located 10 miles southwest of Amanda Park, moving northeast at 
45 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado. 

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation. 

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
         Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
         damage is likely. 

This tornadic thunderstorm will remain over mainly rural areas of
northwestern Grays Harbor County.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors or in
a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect
yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 4739 12402 4734 12397 4727 12395 4728 12410
      4732 12413
TIME...MOT...LOC 0112Z 245DEG 44KT 4733 12401 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...<.75IN

$$
Pullin

The office that day

Everything else NWS Seattle, WA issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jan 21, 4:06 PM PST	River Flood Warning	SEW	Mason	21 days
Jan 21, 4:09 PM PST	Special Marine Warning	SEW		36 min
Jan 21, 4:19 PM PST	Special Marine Warning	SEW		26 min
Jan 21, 4:40 PM PST	Special Marine Warning	SEW		35 min
Jan 21, 4:43 PM PST	Special Marine Warning	SEW		18 min
Jan 21, 4:47 PM PST	Tornado Warning	SEW	Grays Harbor	28 min
Jan 21, 4:59 PM PST	Tornado Warning	SEW	Grays Harbor	11 min
Jan 21, 5:18 PM PST	Tornado Warning	SEW	Grays Harbor	13 min
Jan 21, 5:26 PM PST	Gale Warning	SEW		3 hr
Jan 21, 5:26 PM PST	Small Craft Advisory	SEW		22 hr
Jan 22, 3:10 PM PST	Gale Warning	SEW		21 hr
Jan 22, 3:10 PM PST	Small Craft Advisory	SEW		29 hr
Jan 22, 3:18 PM PST	Coastal Flood Advisory	SEW		17 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Washington, 2020 Every tornado warning in 2020 Tornadoes in 2020

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.