Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1987
Tornado Warning 5, NWS Jacksonville, FL
NWS Jacksonville, FL issued this tornado warning at Jul 23, 1987, 7:58 PM EDT for Gilchrist County, Suwannee County, Florida. It was in force for 32 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Jul 23, 1987, 7:58 PM EDT (23:58 UTC)
- Expired
- Jul 23, 1987, 8:30 PM EDT
- In force
- 32 min
- Issued by
- NWS Jacksonville, FL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Gilchrist County, FL, Suwannee County, FL
The radar
The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.
The nearest sounding before it
Jacksonville, FL (KAYS), launched 12:00Z, 12.0 hours before the alert went out and 130 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
- 524 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -122 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1382 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 12 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 82 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 76 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KJAX 232358 RRA TORJAX FLC041-121-240030- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL 758 PM EDT THU JUL 23 1987 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 830 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA...GILCHRIST AND SUWANNEE AT 755 PM EDT..NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS REPORTED POSSIBLE TORNADO ACTIVITY IN SOUTHWEST SUWANEE COUNTY. GILCHTIST COUNTY SHERRIFS OFFICE HAS ALSO REPORTED TORNADO ACTIVITY WITHIN THE LAST 20 MINUTES NORTH OF FORT WHITE. THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS MOVING WEST AT 12 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR . IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE..SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED BUILDING.F AS A LAST RESORT..SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
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, Jul 23, 2:44 PM EDT, 5 hours 14 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL 243 PM EDT THU JUL 23 1987 ...OZONE ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR JACKSONVILLE UNTIL 500 PM EDT... DR. PATRICIA C. COWDERY...DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH... WELFARE...AND BIO ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES HAS ISSUED AN OZONE ADVISORY FOR JACKSONVILLE. AT 200 PM EDT THE AIR QUALITY INDEX READING WAS 134 WHICH IS IN THE UNHEALTHFUL CATEGORY. PERSONS WITH EXISTING HEART OR RESPIRATORY AILMENTS SHOULD REDUCE PHYSICAL EXERCISE AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITY. MOTORISTS SHOULD REFRAIN FROM UNNECESSARY DRIVING. AGAIN...THE OZONE ADVISORY FOR UNHEALTHFUL CONDITIONS IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM EDT. ...ALSO VERY HOT OVER NORTHEAST FLORIDA... AT 155 PM EDT THE TEMPERATURE AT JACKSONVILLE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT REACHED 99 DEGREES...TYING THE RECORD FOR THIS DATE SET IN 1952. THE COMBINATION OF 99 DEGREE HEAT WITH A RELATIVE HUMIDITY OF 42 PERCENT GIVES A HEAT INDEX TEMPERATURE OF 110 DEGREES. THIS IS IN THE VERY HOT CATEGORY. IF WORKING OUTDOORS SUNSTROKE...HEAT CRAMPS... OR HEAT EXHAUSTION IS LIKELY...AND HEATSTROKE POSSIBLE WITH PROLONGED EXPOSURE AND/OR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY. IF POSSIBLE GET RELIEF IN AN AIRCONDITIONED BUILDING OR WITH THE USE OF FANS AND SHADE. A CHECK SHOULD BE MADE ON THE ELDERLY... THE VERY YOUNG...AND THOSE WITH HEART OR RESPIRATORY AILMENTS... ESPECIALLY THOSE LIVING IN A NON AIRCONDITIONED RESIDENCE.
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 6:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL 640 PM EDT THU JUL 23 1987 ..VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO ALACHUA AND COLUMBIA COUNTIES.. AT 630 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN BETWEEN GAINESVILLE AND HIGH SPRINGS IN ALACHUA COUNTY...AND EAST OF LAKE CITY IN COLUMBIA COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING WINDS GREATER THAN 50 MILES WITHIN THE LAST HOUR AND COULD PRODUCE FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HAIL. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING WEST AT 12 MILES AN HOUR. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOS WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING. BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHE#R IS SIGHTED.
Special weather statement, Jul 23, 6:43 PM EDT, 1 hour 15 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL 640 PM EDT THU JUL 23 1987 ..VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO ALACHUA AND COLUMBIA COUNTIES.. AT 630 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADARS INDICATED VERY STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN BETWEEN GAINESVILLE AND HIGH SPRINGS IN ALACHUA COUNTY...AND EAST OF LAKE CITY IN COLUMBIA COUNTY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE BEEN PRODUCING WINDS GREATER THAN 50 MILES AN HOUR WITHIN THE LAST HOUR AND COULD PRODUCE FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND HAIL. THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING WEST AT 12 MILES AN HOUR. STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOS WITH LITTLE OR NO WARNING. BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER IF THREATENING WEA%THER IS SIGHTED.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Jacksonville, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 5:58 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAX | Baker, Union | 32 min |
| Jul 23, 6:11 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | JAX | Bradford | 49 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Florida, 1987Every tornado warning in 1987Tornadoes in 1987
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.