Alert archive / California / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2025
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 3, NWS Los Angeles, CA
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.
- 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
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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Special weather statement, Mar 12, 6:10 PM PDT, 1 hour 51 minutes before
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<h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
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The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
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</html>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/CohenThe office that day
Everything else NWS Los Angeles, CA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 5:12 PM PDT | Special Marine Warning | LOX | 48 min | |
| Mar 12, 5:57 PM PDT | Special Marine Warning | LOX | 63 min | |
| Mar 12, 6:10 PM PDT | Special Weather Statement | LOX | San Luis Obispo | 65 min |
| Mar 12, 6:23 PM PDT | Areal Flood Advisory | LOX | San Luis Obispo | 5 hr |
| Mar 12, 6:56 PM PDT | Special Marine Warning | LOX | 2 hr | |
| Mar 12, 7:14 PM PDT | Special Weather Statement | LOX | 46 min | |
| Mar 12, 7:40 PM PDT | Areal Flood Advisory | LOX | Santa Barbara | 7 hr |
| Mar 12, 8:55 PM PDT | Special Marine Warning | LOX | 65 min | |
| Mar 12, 10:01 PM PDT | Special Marine Warning | LOX | 92 min | |
| Mar 12, 10:39 PM PDT | Areal Flood Advisory | LOX | Ventura | 6 hr |
| Mar 13, 12:12 AM PDT | Areal Flood Advisory | LOX | Los Angeles | 6 hr |
| Mar 13, 12:23 AM PDT | Special Marine Warning | LOX | 97 min | |
| Mar 13, 12:26 AM PDT | Special Weather Statement | LOX | Ventura | 49 min |
| Mar 13, 12:29 AM PDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | LOX | Ventura | 31 min |
| Mar 13, 12:47 AM PDT | Flash Flood Warning | LOX | Ventura | 3 hr |
| Mar 13, 1:10 AM PDT | Areal Flood Advisory | LOX | Los Angeles | 5 hr |
| Mar 13, 1:40 AM PDT | Special Weather Statement | LOX | Los Angeles | 50 min |
| Mar 13, 1:53 AM PDT | Flash Flood Warning | LOX | Los Angeles | 97 min |
| Mar 13, 1:59 AM PDT | High Wind Warning | LOX | Los Angeles | 20 hr |
| Mar 13, 1:59 AM PDT | Wind Advisory | LOX | Los Angeles, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura | 25 hr |
| Mar 13, 2:03 AM PDT | Winter Weather Advisory | LOX | San Luis Obispo | 15 hr |
| Mar 13, 2:32 AM PDT | Flash Flood Warning | LOX | Los Angeles | 107 min |
| Mar 13, 2:38 AM PDT | Gale Warning | LOX | 18 hr | |
| Mar 13, 2:54 AM PDT | Special Marine Warning | LOX | 66 min | |
| Mar 13, 2:57 AM PDT | Special Weather Statement | LOX | Orange | 48 min |
| Mar 13, 3:51 AM PDT | Special Marine Warning | LOX | 54 min | |
| Mar 13, 12:11 PM PDT | Special Weather Statement | LOX | Los Angeles | 34 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.