2012 Summary

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January

Happy New Year! 

No chases this month.

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February

February 11 - Short local chase around Ontario, CA. Non-severe thunderstorm, no hail.

February 27 - Cold core low moves through Southern California during afternoon and evening. Chased along Pacific Coast Hwy from Huntington Beach to Dana Point. Sighted brief funnel cloud 2 miles offshore HB @ 1:30pm PST. Hail .25" @ 1:45pm south HB. Phone interview with Dallas Raines (KABC7) and Evelyn Taft (KCAL9).

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March

March 17 - Strong cold core low moving into SLO County during afternoon. Vigorous cold front with decent low level shear sets up potential for waterspouts along LA/OC coast during day, and extreme low snow levels by night-time. Waited at my usual waterspout viewing location at the Huntington Beach Pier, 10am to 2pm. Frontal passage too strong. At 3:30pm PDT cold core is over western Fresno County and drops a tornado near the town Tranquility: 

By nightfall, cold core begins sliding southward towards SoCal bring a deep, vertically stacked pool of extremely cold air. Temps begin to plunge into the upper 30's at my house while it is still raining, and mixed snow and graupel begins to fall by midnight. Snow levels are hovering around 2,000 ft all across SoCal.

March 18 - Cold core over SoCal, snow levels 2,000 ft. Graupel falls periodically throughout day at my house. No mobile chase.

March  25 - Deep cold core aimed at SoCal. LLJ, generous helicities,  upper jet divergence, positive vort advection, and surface CAPE of 500 from Santa Barbara to OC. SPC upgrades to 2% tor risk, and issues MCD 360.

I head to Huntington Beach in anticipation of a waterspout, setting up around 2pm. Frontal passage a bit strong, and low stalls over Santa Barbara. I abandon chase and head home about 6pm. Low begins to move onshore Ventura County by 9pm, cells firing off around 9:30pm. Weak rotation over HB observed.

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April

April 13 - Deep cold core low moves through SoCal. Strong LLJ ahead of low sets up during morning.

Parameters sufficent for SPC to issue a Slight Risk of severe weather which included 2% tor, 5% hail, and 5% wind.

I target Huntington Beach again, arriving 12:30 PM. Front arrives 1:30pm and several areas of rotation occurs between HB and Oceanside. Meso forms overhead with lowering about 1 mile west ofshore. Not enough time for a waterspout to develop, but rotation continues onshore and inland until Santa Ana. I call NWS to confirm rotation, and a severe thunderstorm warning is issued. At about same time as line moves ashore, waterspouts are reported at Corona Del Mar, San Clemente, and Oceanside. Strong thunderstorms erupt as front encounters Santa Ana Mtns.

Rotating thunderstorm and associated meso approaches shore at Huntington Beach:

Radar signature of velocity couplet nearly overhead of my position:

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