Alert archive / California / Tornado Warnings in 2026
Tornado Warning 1, NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA
NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued this tornado warning at Jan 5, 2026, 3:56 PM PST for San Mateo County, Santa Cruz County, California. It was in force for 19 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 5, 2026, 3:56 PM PST (23:56 UTC)
- Expired
- Jan 5, 2026, 4:15 PM PST
- In force
- 19 min
- Issued by
- NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA
- Area
- Storm-based polygon
- Tornado
- Radar indicated
- Hail
- 0.0 in
Counties San Mateo County, CA, Santa Cruz County, CA
The radar
The San Francisco radar (KMUX), 36 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:58 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, 11.9 hours before the alert went out and 66 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
- 0 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- No buoyant parcel
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 895 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 39 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 199 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 243 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted.
076
WFUS56 KMTR 052356
TORMTR
CAC081-087-060015-
/O.NEW.KMTR.TO.W.0001.260105T2356Z-260106T0015Z/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service San Francisco CA
356 PM PST Mon Jan 5 2026
The National Weather Service in San Francisco has issued a
* Tornado Warning for...
South Central San Mateo County in northern California...
West Central Santa Cruz County in northern California...
* Until 415 PM PST.
* At 356 PM PST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located 10 miles west of Boulder Creek, or 17 miles northwest
of Santa Cruz, moving north at 35 mph.
HAZARD...Tornado.
SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.
IMPACT...Expect damage to mobile homes, roofs, and vehicles.
* Locations impacted include...
Mainly rural areas of South Central San Mateo and West Central
Santa Cruz Counties.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
Highway overpasses are not safe shelters. If you cannot safely drive
away from the tornado, as a last resort, abandon your vehicle and lie
down in a low lying area and protect yourself from flying debris.
&&
LAT...LON 3723 12235 3722 12222 3708 12226 3708 12227
3709 12227 3710 12228 3712 12231 3712 12234
3714 12234
TIME...MOT...LOC 2356Z 186DEG 31KT 3710 12230
TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
$$
Behringer2 follow-up statements
782 WWUS56 KMTR 060005 SVSMTR Severe Weather Statement National Weather Service San Francisco CA 405 PM PST Mon Jan 5 2026 CAC081-087-060015- /O.CON.KMTR.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-260106T0015Z/ San Mateo CA-Santa Cruz CA- 405 PM PST Mon Jan 5 2026 ...TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 415 PM PST FOR SOUTH CENTRAL SAN MATEO AND NORTHWESTERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES... At 405 PM PST, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was located 10 miles west of Boulder Creek, or 16 miles southwest of Saratoga, moving north at 35 mph. HAZARD...Tornado. SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation. IMPACT...Expect damage to mobile homes, roofs, and vehicles. Locations impacted include... Mainly rural areas of South Central San Mateo and Northwestern Santa Cruz Counties. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Highway overpasses are not safe shelters. If you cannot safely drive away from the tornado, as a last resort, abandon your vehicle and lie down in a low lying area and protect yourself from flying debris. && LAT...LON 3723 12235 3722 12222 3714 12225 3715 12233 TIME...MOT...LOC 2356Z 186DEG 31KT 3711 12230 TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN $$ Behringer
305 WWUS56 KMTR 060012 SVSMTR Severe Weather Statement National Weather Service San Francisco CA 412 PM PST Mon Jan 5 2026 CAC081-087-060022- /O.EXP.KMTR.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-260106T0015Z/ San Mateo CA-Santa Cruz CA- 412 PM PST Mon Jan 5 2026 ...TORNADO WARNING WILL EXPIRE AT 415 PM PST FOR SOUTH CENTRAL SAN MATEO AND NORTHWESTERN SANTA CRUZ COUNTIES... The storm which prompted the warning has weakened below severe limits, and has exited the warned area. Therefore, the warning will be allowed to expire. However, gusty winds are still possible with this thunderstorm. To report severe weather, contact your nearest law enforcement agency. They will send your report to the National Weather Service office. && LAT...LON 3723 12235 3722 12222 3714 12225 3715 12233 TIME...MOT...LOC 0005Z 186DEG 31KT 3718 12229 $$ Behringer
The office that day
Everything else NWS San Francisco Bay Area, CA issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 5, 11:44 AM PST | Special Marine Warning | MTR | 31 min | |
| Jan 5, 12:35 PM PST | Areal Flood Advisory | MTR | Marin, Sonoma | 36 hr |
| Jan 5, 12:56 PM PST | Areal Flood Advisory | MTR | Marin, Sonoma | 12 hr |
| Jan 5, 1:22 PM PST | Special Marine Warning | MTR | 38 min | |
| Jan 5, 2:18 PM PST | Special Marine Warning | MTR | 57 min | |
| Jan 5, 2:35 PM PST | Areal Flood Advisory | MTR | Santa Cruz | 10 hr |
| Jan 5, 2:50 PM PST | Areal Flood Advisory | MTR | Napa | 5 hr |
| Jan 5, 3:13 PM PST | Areal Flood Warning | MTR | Sonoma | 54 hr |
| Jan 5, 3:17 PM PST | Special Marine Warning | MTR | 28 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in California, 2026Every tornado warning in 2026Tornadoes in 2026
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.