Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1986

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Jacksonville, FL

March 14, 1986Alachua County, Bradford County, Clay County, Florida

NWS Jacksonville, FL issued this tornado warning at Mar 14, 1986, 6:45 AM EST for Alachua County, Bradford County, Clay County, Florida. It was in force for 45 min. 3 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Mar 14, 1986, 6:45 AM EST (11:45 UTC)
Expired
Mar 14, 1986, 7:30 AM EST
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Jacksonville, FL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Alachua County, FL, Bradford County, FL, Clay County, FL

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Mar 14, 6:45 AM ESTThunderstorm Wind 0Bradford, FL
Mar 14, 7:00 AM ESTThunderstorm Wind 0Clay, FL
Mar 14, 7:00 AM ESTThunderstorm Wind 0Bradford, FL

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Jacksonville, FL (KAYS), launched 00:00Z, 11.8 hours before the alert went out and 81 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, Jacksonville, FL at 00:00Z on 1986-03-14Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 157 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, Jacksonville, FL at 00:00Z on 1986-03-14The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 88 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
157 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-99 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
910 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
53 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
88 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
87 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
1.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 14, 3:40 AM EST, 3 hours 5 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
335 AM EST FRI MAR 14 1986

 ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 35 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 AM...

AT 330 AM EST WEATHER SERVICE RADARS SHOWED A BAND OF THUNDERSTORMS
STRETCHING FROM 30 MILES WEST OF WAYCROSS SOUTHWEST THROUGH VALDOSTA
TO NEAR DEADMAN BAY...WEST OF CROSS CITY. THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS
SHOWN WERE WEST OF WAYCROSS GEORGIA WHERE SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WARNINGS
HAVE BEEN ISSUED. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE DEVELOPING WEST OF
JACKSONVILLE.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND SHOULD
MOVE OVER THE LIVE OAK AREA WITHIN THE HOUR. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL
BE ACCOMPANIED BY PERIODS OFj LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WINDS..FREQUENT
LIGHTNING STRIKES..AND POSSIBLY HAIL.
Special weather statement, Mar 14, 5:00 AM EST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
500 AM EST FRI MAR 14 1986

 ...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 35 CONTINUES IN EFFECT UNTIL 900 AM...

AT 455 AM EST WEATHER SERVICE RADARS SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
EXTENDING FORM CROSS CITY FLORIDA THROUGH LIVE OAK FLORIDA NORTH TO
WAYCROSS GEGORGIA. THE MOST INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS WERE SHOWN IN
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EAST NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR AND
WILL LIKELY BE ACCOMPANIED BY PERIODS OF LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN..GUSTY WINDS..
FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES..AND POSSIBLY HAIL IN THE LIVE OAK AND LAKE
CITY VICINITIES FOR THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS.

ALTHOUGH NO SEVERE WEATHER HAS OCCURRED IN NORTH FLORIDA STORMS HAVE
BEEN VERY ACTIVE IN SOUTHERN GEORGIA. PEOPLE IN THE WATCH AREA ARE
URGED TO STAY ALERT AS THE STORMS COULD MOVE RAPIDLY INTO YOUR AREA.
Special weather statement, Mar 14, 6:18 AM EST, 27 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
615 AM EST FRI MAR 14 1986

 ...A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNITL 900 AM EST...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR SHOWS THE LEADING EDGE OF A LINE
OF INTENSE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDS FROM CROSS CITY TO JUST WEST
OF GAINESVILLE NORTH TO BAKER COUNTY AND ON INTO SOUTHEAST GEORGIA.

THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS MOVING EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR. SOME OF
THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MILES AN HOUR. THESE
THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE HEAVY RAINFALL WITH SOME STREET
FLOODING AND FLOODING OF LOW AREAS AND UNDERPASSES..MOTORIST DRIVE
WITH CAUTION THIS MORNING. GUSTY WINDS..FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES AND
POSSIBLE HAIL ARE ALSO LIKELY WITH THESE STORMS.

PERSONS IN OR CLOSE TO THE TORNADO WATCH AREA ARE ADVISED TO BE ON THE
ALERT FOR LOCAL WEATHER DEVELOPMENTS AND FOR LATER STATEMENTS ON NOAA
WEATHER RADIO AND LOCAL NEWS MEDIA.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Jacksonville, FL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 14, 7:10 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXPutnam50 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 1986Every tornado warning in 1986Tornadoes in 1986

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.