Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 23, NWS Tallahassee, FL

July 16, 1989Escambia County, Florida

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this tornado warning at Jul 16, 1989, 7:32 PM CDT for Escambia County, Florida. It was in force for 28 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
Jul 16, 1989, 7:32 PM CDT (00:32 UTC)
Expired
Jul 16, 1989, 8:00 PM CDT
In force
28 min
Issued by
NWS Tallahassee, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Escambia County, FL

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Jul 16, 7:40 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 55Escambia, FL

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 0.5 hours before the alert went out and 230 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1989-07-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2961 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1989-07-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 55 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
2961 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-3 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1031 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
55 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
93 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 KPNS 170033
TORPNS
FLC033-170100-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
732 PM CDT SUN JUL 16 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PENSACOLA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  800 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA
          ...SOUTHERN ESCAMBIA
 
A TORNADO WAS REPORTED ON THE GROUND NEAR CANTONEMENT FLORIDA AT 729
PM CDT. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING TO THE SOUTHEAST TOWARD NORTH
PENSACOLA. IF YOU ARE IN THIS PATH TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
 
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.

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 16, 6:52 PM CDT, 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
745 EDT SUN JUL 16 1989

AT 740 PM RADAR SHOWED A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS THAT EXTENDED FROM NEAR
ALBANY GEORGIA SOUTHWEST THROUGH DOTHAN ALABAMA TO CRESTVIEW FLORIDA.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL PRODUCE STRONG GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN
AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AS THEY MOVE ACROSS THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND
SOUTHWEST GEORGIA DURING THE NEXT 1 TO 2 HOURS.

MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 25 MPH.

ELSEWHERE ISOLATED SHOWERS WERE OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND GULF.

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 1989Every tornado warning in 1989Tornadoes in 1989

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.