Alert archive / California / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2025

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 3, NWS Los Angeles, CA

March 12, 2025Santa Barbara County, California

NWS Los Angeles, CA issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 12, 2025, 8:01 PM PDT for Santa Barbara County, California. It was in force for 89 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 12, 2025, 8:01 PM PDT (03:01 UTC)
Expired
Mar 12, 2025, 9:30 PM PDT
In force
89 min
Issued by
NWS Los Angeles, CA
Area
Storm-based polygon
Tornado
Possible
Hail
0.75 in
Wind
60.0 mph

County Santa Barbara County, CA

The radar

The Vandenberg AFB radar (KVBX), 47 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:03 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 00:00Z, 3.0 hours before the alert went out and 48 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 00:00Z on 2025-03-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 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 00:00Z on 2025-03-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 99 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
781 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
58 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
99 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
153 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Los Angeles, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 12, 4:10 PM PDT, 3 hours 51 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 12, 4:10 PM PDT, 3 hours 51 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 12, 6:10 PM PDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
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</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
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        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
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Special weather statement, Mar 12, 7:14 PM PDT, 47 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service OXNARD CA
714 PM PDT Wed Mar 12 2025

CAZ340>342-346-347-349-130300-
Santa Barbara County Central Coast Beaches CA-
Santa Barbara County Southwestern Coast CA-
San Luis Obispo County Inland Central Coast CA-
Santa Lucia Mountains CA-San Luis Obispo County Beaches CA-
Santa Barbara County Inland Central Coast CA-
714 PM PDT Wed Mar 12 2025

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT NORTHWESTERN SANTA BARBARA AND
SOUTH CENTRAL SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTIES THROUGH 800 PM PDT...

At 712 PM PDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from Pismo Beach to 32 miles southwest of Point
Conception. Movement was east at 25 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and pea size hail. Doppler radar
         has indicated some weak rotation with this activity. While
         not immediately likely, a small weak brief tornado may
         still develop.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Oceano...
Guadalupe...
Lompoc...
Nipomo...
Pismo Beach...
Grover Beach...
Santa Maria...
Vandenberg Village...
Mission Hills...
Vandenberg Space Force Base...
Shell Beach...
Arroyo Grande...
Lake Lopez...
and Orcutt.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms and may lead
to localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.

These storms may intensify, so be certain to monitor local radio
stations and available television stations for additional information
and possible warnings from the National Weather Service.

&&

LAT...LON 3522 12070 3520 12043 3445 12043 3445 12045
      3453 12052 3456 12058 3455 12062 3457 12064
      3469 12061 3469 12059 3475 12063 3486 12061
      3491 12067 3503 12063 3512 12063 3518 12071
TIME...MOT...LOC 0212Z 276DEG 22KT 3515 12064 3417 12094

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH

Phillips/Cohen

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 12, 5:12 PM PDTSpecial Marine WarningLOX48 min
Mar 12, 5:57 PM PDTSpecial Marine WarningLOX63 min
Mar 12, 6:10 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementLOXSan Luis Obispo65 min
Mar 12, 6:23 PM PDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLOXSan Luis Obispo5 hr
Mar 12, 6:56 PM PDTSpecial Marine WarningLOX2 hr
Mar 12, 7:14 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementLOX46 min
Mar 12, 7:40 PM PDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLOXSanta Barbara7 hr
Mar 12, 8:55 PM PDTSpecial Marine WarningLOX65 min
Mar 12, 10:01 PM PDTSpecial Marine WarningLOX92 min
Mar 12, 10:39 PM PDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLOXVentura6 hr
Mar 13, 12:12 AM PDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLOXLos Angeles6 hr
Mar 13, 12:23 AM PDTSpecial Marine WarningLOX97 min
Mar 13, 12:26 AM PDTSpecial Weather StatementLOXVentura49 min
Mar 13, 12:29 AM PDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningLOXVentura31 min
Mar 13, 12:47 AM PDTFlash Flood WarningLOXVentura3 hr
Mar 13, 1:10 AM PDTAreal Flood AdvisoryLOXLos Angeles5 hr
Mar 13, 1:40 AM PDTSpecial Weather StatementLOXLos Angeles50 min
Mar 13, 1:53 AM PDTFlash Flood WarningLOXLos Angeles97 min
Mar 13, 1:59 AM PDTHigh Wind WarningLOXLos Angeles20 hr
Mar 13, 1:59 AM PDTWind AdvisoryLOXLos Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura25 hr
Mar 13, 2:03 AM PDTWinter Weather AdvisoryLOXSan Luis Obispo15 hr
Mar 13, 2:32 AM PDTFlash Flood WarningLOXLos Angeles107 min
Mar 13, 2:38 AM PDTGale WarningLOX18 hr
Mar 13, 2:54 AM PDTSpecial Marine WarningLOX66 min
Mar 13, 2:57 AM PDTSpecial Weather StatementLOXOrange48 min
Mar 13, 3:51 AM PDTSpecial Marine WarningLOX54 min
Mar 13, 12:11 PM PDTSpecial Weather StatementLOXLos Angeles34 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in California, 2025Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2025

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.