Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 13, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Nov 5, 1988, 10:40 AM EST for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 35 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Nov 5, 1988, 10:40 AM EST (15:40 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 5, 1988, 11:15 AM EST
- In force
- 35 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tampa Bay, FL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Polk 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, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 74 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
- 1419 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 605 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 57 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 277 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 325 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 2.3
- Supercell composite
- 12.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000
TTAA00 KTBW 051540
TORTBW
FLC105-051615-
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
1040 AM EST SAT NOV 5 1988
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1115 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
...POLK
A TORNANDO HAS BEEN REPORTED ON THE GROUND BY THE POLK COUNTY
EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER. RADAR SHOWS A LINE OF SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS POLK COUNTY MOVING TOWARDS THE SOUTHEAST AROUND
17 MPH.
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO MOVE TO A REINFORCED SHELTER
TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. AVOID WINDOWS.
ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET
INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT.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, Nov 5, 6:13 AM EST, 4 hours 27 minutes before
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN 610 AM EST SAT NOV 05 1988 THE NATIONAL SEVERE STORMS FORECAST CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR MOST OF CENTRAL AND NORTH FLORIDA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS...FROM 630 AM UNTIL NOON TODAY. FOR WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA THIS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES... LEVY...CITRUS...HERNANDO...SUMTER...POLK...PACSO...PINELLAS... HILLSBOROUGH...MANATEE....AND SARASOTA. AND THE COASTAL WATERS...BAY AND INLAND WATERS FROM BIG SARASOTA PASS NORTHWESTWARD TO PINEY POINT...INCLUDING TAMPA BAY. TORNADOES AND DANGEROUS WATERSPOUTS....LARGE HAIL....FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS ARE POSSIBLE. REMEMBER....A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THIS AREA. EVERYBODY IN THIS AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS BETWEEN NOW AND NOON...AND MONITOR FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. RN
Special weather statement, Nov 5, 6:42 AM EST, 3 hours 58 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN 630 AM EST SAT NOV 05 1988 A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA UNTIL NOON. A LINE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WAS OVER NORTH FLORIDA AND THE NORTHEAST GULF FROM NEAR JACKSONVILLE OVER CROSS CITY AND SOUTHWEST OVER THE GULF FOR 150 MILES. OTHER SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WERE OCCURRING FROM NEAR CEDAR KEY TO SILVER SPRINGS. A FEW SHOWERS WERE OUT OVER THE GULF OFF THE SOUTHWEST FLORIDA COAST. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MILES AN HOUR. TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THIS AREA. EVERYBODY IN THIS AREA SHOULD BE ON THE LOO1KOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS BETWEEN NOW AND NOON...AND MONITOR FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. RN
Special weather statement, Nov 5, 7:43 AM EST, 2 hours 57 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN 830 AM EST SAT NOV 05 1988 A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA UNTIL NOON. A MARINE WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 915 AM THIS MORNING FOR THE COASTAL WATERS BETWEEN CEDAR KEY AND TAROPN SPRINGS. A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM ST AUGUSTINE TO CEDAR KEY AND OUT OVER THE GULF 100 MILES. ANOTHER LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXThENDED FROM NEAR CRYSTAL RIVER TO 150 MILES WEST OF FORT MYERS. MOVEMENT OF THESE TWO LINES WAS SOUTHEAST AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.
Local storm report, Nov 5, 8:55 AM EST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
845 AM EST SAT NOV 5 1988
LEVY COUNTY FLORIDA
1305Z GUST 62 KT AT CEDAR KEY DARDC
INVERNESS COUNTY FLORIDA
1330Z DOWNED TREES AND POWER LINES 3 LOCATIONS APPROX 3 MI N OF
INVERNESS FLORIDA.Local storm report, Nov 5, 9:35 AM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes before
STORM REPORT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL 935 AM EST SAT NOV 5 1988 PINELLAS COUNTY FLORIDA 1415Z FUNNEL CLOUD JUST OFFSHORE INDIAN ROCKS BEACH MOVING TOWARDS TAMPA
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 5, 8:19 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Citrus, Levy | 41 min |
| Nov 5, 9:05 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Citrus, Hernando, Sumter | 55 min |
| Nov 5, 9:05 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Levy | 55 min |
| Nov 5, 9:25 AM EST | Tornado Warning | TBW | Hillsborough, Pinellas | 35 min |
| Nov 5, 9:51 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas | 2 hr |
| Nov 5, 9:51 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Citrus, Hernando, Sumter | 2 hr |
| Nov 5, 9:51 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Manatee, Sarasota | 2 hr |
| Nov 5, 11:01 AM EST | Tornado Warning | TBW | Hernando, Pasco, Sumter | 59 min |
| Nov 5, 11:40 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Charlotte, Sarasota | 2 hr |
| Nov 5, 11:40 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hillsborough, Manatee, Polk | 2 hr |
| Nov 5, 11:40 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hernando, Pasco, Sumter | 2 hr |
| Nov 5, 11:40 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Pinellas | 2 hr |
| Nov 5, 11:46 AM EST | Tornado Warning | TBW | Polk | 44 min |
| Nov 5, 12:00 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hardee | 2 hr |
| Nov 5, 12:30 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Lee | 2 hr |
| Nov 5, 12:59 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Charlotte, Lee, Sarasota | 61 min |
| Nov 5, 12:59 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, Polk | 61 min |
| Nov 5, 12:59 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hernando, Pasco, Sumter | 61 min |
| Nov 5, 12:59 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Pinellas | 61 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Florida, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes in 1988
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.