Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 14, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

November 5, 1988Hernando County, Pasco County, Sumter County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Nov 5, 1988, 11:01 AM EST for Hernando County, Pasco County, Sumter County, Florida. It was in force for 59 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Nov 5, 1988, 11:01 AM EST (16:01 UTC)
Expired
Nov 5, 1988, 12:00 PM EST
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Hernando County, FL, Pasco County, FL, Sumter 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, 4.0 hours before the alert went out and 91 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 1988-11-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1419 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 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 1988-11-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 277 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
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

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, Nov 5, 6:13 AM EST, 4 hours 48 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Nov 5, 6:42 AM EST, 4 hours 19 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, 3 hours 18 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, 2 hours 6 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 26 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.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 5, 8:19 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWCitrus, Levy41 min
Nov 5, 9:05 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWCitrus, Hernando, Sumter55 min
Nov 5, 9:05 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWLevy55 min
Nov 5, 9:25 AM ESTTornado WarningTBWHillsborough, Pinellas35 min
Nov 5, 9:51 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas2 hr
Nov 5, 9:51 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWCitrus, Hernando, Sumter2 hr
Nov 5, 9:51 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWManatee, Sarasota2 hr
Nov 5, 10:40 AM ESTTornado WarningTBWPolk35 min
Nov 5, 11:40 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWCharlotte, Sarasota2 hr
Nov 5, 11:40 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHillsborough, Manatee, Polk2 hr
Nov 5, 11:40 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHernando, Pasco, Sumter2 hr
Nov 5, 11:40 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWPinellas2 hr
Nov 5, 11:46 AM ESTTornado WarningTBWPolk44 min
Nov 5, 12:00 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHardee2 hr
Nov 5, 12:30 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWLee2 hr
Nov 5, 12:59 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWCharlotte, Lee, Sarasota61 min
Nov 5, 12:59 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, Polk61 min
Nov 5, 12:59 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHernando, Pasco, Sumter61 min
Nov 5, 12:59 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWPinellas61 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.