Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1988
Tornado Warning 15, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Nov 5, 1988, 11:46 AM EST for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 44 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Nov 5, 1988, 11:46 AM EST (16:46 UTC)
- Expired
- Nov 5, 1988, 12:30 PM EST
- In force
- 44 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, 4.8 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
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, 5 hours 33 minutes before
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</html>Special weather statement, Nov 5, 6:42 AM EST, 5 hours 4 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, 4 hours 3 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 51 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, 2 hours 11 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, 10:40 AM EST | Tornado Warning | TBW | Polk | 35 min |
| 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, 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.