California, 2001

Funnel Cloud in California, February 27, 2001

February 27, 2001 · NWS SGX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 funnel cloud, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS San Diego, CA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 27, 2:30 PM PST, 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 27, 2:30 PM PST, 13 minutes before
EXTREME SOUTHWESTERN CALIFORNIA AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN DIEGO CA
230 PM PST TUE FEB 27 2001

                             ...SYNOPSIS...

UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE OVER THE SOUTHWEST COMBINED WITH A MOIST
AIR MASS WILL CAUSE A GRADUALLY DECREASING CHANCE OF SHOWERS INTO
THURSDAY. THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME THUNDERSTORMS. GENERALLY DRY
FRIDAY AND SATURDAY AS THE STORM TRACK SHIFTS NORTH. ANOTHER
PACIFIC STORM COULD BRING MORE SHOWERS VERY LATE IN THE WEEKEND OR
EARLY NEXT WEEK.

                            ...DISCUSSION...
WITH AFTERNOON HEATING GOOD CONVECTION HAS DEVELOPED WITH ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS. MODELS SHOW UPPER LEVEL LOW SOUTHWEST OF
SAN DIEGO WILL DRIFT NORTHEAST OVER THE NEXT 12-18 HOURS BUT WILL BE
REPLACED BY ANOTHER COLD LOW DROPPING RAPIDLY SOUTH OFF THE COAST
WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND THURSDAY. GIVEN THE FACT THAT COLD AIR WILL
PRETTY MUCH STAY IN PLACE ALOFT OVER THE CWA THROUGH THE PERIOD
EXPECT SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE THROUGH
WEDNESDAY NIGHT. MAY STILL BE ENOUGH INSTABILITY AROUND THURSDAY
MORNING FOR A CHANCE OF SHOWERS BUT CONDITIONS SHOULD BE IMPROVING
THURSDAY. ENOUGH SNOW AT HIGHER ELEVATIONS IN SAN BERNARDINO AND
RIVERSIDE COUNTIES TO RAISE WINTER STORM WARNINGS THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
SNOW LEVELS WILL REMAIN AROUND 4000 TO 5000FT THROUGH THE PERIOD.

NEW AVN FASTER AND THUS MORE PROGRESSIVE BUT NOT QUITE AS DEEP WITH SYSTEM
SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. SO AM INCLINED TO GO WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN OR
SNOW UNTIL IT BECOMES CLEARER AS TO HOW THE MODELS WILL HANDLE IT.
IN ANY CASE SYSTEM SHOULD BE GONE BY TUESDAY WITH A DRY DAY EXPECTED.

SAN 9743

ECC

The radar

The San Diego radar (KNKX), 28 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:41 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, San Diego

When
February 27, 2:43 PM PST to 2:44 PM PST
Where
San Diego County, Escondido
Reported by
AIRPLANE PILOT
Coordinates
33.028, -116.770 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several funnel clouds were sighted.

What these are

Funnel Cloud
A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in California in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in California, February 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5229861.