Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1987

Tornado Warning 6, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

August 21, 1987Charlotte County, Sarasota County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Aug 21, 1987, 7:11 PM EDT for Charlotte County, Sarasota County, Florida. It was in force for 49 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Aug 21, 1987, 7:11 PM EDT (23:11 UTC)
Expired
Aug 21, 1987, 8:00 PM EDT
In force
49 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Charlotte County, FL, Sarasota 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

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 78 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, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 1987-08-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1375 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, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 1987-08-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 0 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
1375 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
968 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
3 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
0 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KTBW 212311
TORTBW
FLC015-115-212345-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
711 PM EDT FRI AUG 21 1987
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL  8 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
          ...WESTERN CHARLOTTE
IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
          ...WESTERN SARASOTA
 
SEVERAL CONFIRMED REPORTS OF TORNADO TOUCHDOWNS HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN
THE TOWN OF ENGLEWOOD AND NORTHWESTERN CHARLOTTE COUNTY THUNDERSTORMS
PRODUCING THESE TORNADOES ARE MOVING TOWARD THE WEST AT 10 MILES AN
HOUR. PERSONS IN THE PATHES OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD TAKE COVER
IMMEDIATELY.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 20, 8:41 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWLee64 min
Aug 21, 5:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHillsborough, Pinellas30 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.