Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1989

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Tallahassee, FL

June 8, 1989Escambia County, Florida

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this tornado warning at Jun 8, 1989, 6:16 AM CDT for Escambia County, Florida. It was in force for 59 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Jun 8, 1989, 6:16 AM CDT (11:16 UTC)
Expired
Jun 8, 1989, 7:15 AM CDT
In force
59 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Slidell Radar S, LA (KSIL), launched 00:00Z, 11.3 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 1989-06-08Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1274 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, Slidell Radar S, LA at 00:00Z on 1989-06-08The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 10 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
1274 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-44 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
739 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
17 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
31 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 081116
TORPNS
FLC033-081215-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
616 AM CDT THU JUN 8 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PENSACOLA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  715 AM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTY...
 
IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA
          ...SOUTHERN ESCAMBIA
 
A POSSIBLE TORNADO WAS REPORTED IN THE INNERARITY POINT AREA OF
SOUTHWEST ESCAMBIA COUNTY. A SUSPICIOUS LOOKING THUNDERSTORM WAS
INDICATED BY RADAR IN THAT AREA AND WAS MOVING TOWARD THE EAST
25 TO 30 MILES AN HOUR.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
 
DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO.  CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS.  IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF
A TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING.  IF NO
STRUCTURE IS NEA]RBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A DITCH OR LOW SPOT.

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, Jun 8, 12:37 AM CDT, 5 hours 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
137 AM EDT THU JUN 8 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUE OVER THE COASTAL WATERS
   OF GULF AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES THIS MORNING...

AT 130 AM EDT...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER THE GULF
15 TO 55 MILES SOUTHEAST THROUGH SOUTHWEST OF APALACHICOLA.

MARINE INTERESTS SHOULD MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
HIGH SEAS AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES
AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ALONG WITH SHOWERS CONTINUED
OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND PARTS OF SOUTHWEST GEORGIA.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 30 MILES A/N HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 1:37 AM CDT, 4 hours 39 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
238 AM EDT THU JUN 8 1989

...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUE OVER THE COASTAL WATERS
   OF GULF AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES THIS MORNING...

AT 229 AM EDT...THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER THE GULF
15 TO 55 MILES SOUTHEAST THROUGH SOUTHWEST OF APALACHICOLA.

MARINE INTERESTS SHOULD MAKE PREPARATIONS FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
HIGH SEAS AS THESE THUNDERSTORMS MOVE TOWARDS THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MILES
AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE...WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ALONG WITH SHOWERS CONTINUED
OVER THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE..FROM PENSACOLA AROUND TO WEST OF CROSS CITY.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT {30 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 4:50 AM CDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
540 AM EDT THU JUN 8 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR COUNTIES OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
   INCLUDING..GULF COUNTY UNTIL 9 AM EDT..

AT 529 AM EDT A LINE OF NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN..
WAS LOCATED FROM EAST POINT AND EXTENDED TO 80 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
APALACHICOLA. MARINE INTEST IN THIS AREA SHOULD EXPECT VERY STRONG WINDS..
HEAVY SEAS..ALONG WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING AS THIS LINE MOVES THROUGH.
MOVEMENT OF THIS LINE WAS TO THE EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE ..A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS ALONG WITH SHOWERS WAS LOCATED
OVER THE NORTHEAST GULF..FROM PENSACOLA TO WEST OF CEDAR KEY AND OUT 110
MILES. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO NOTED OVER A LARGE AREA OF
NORTH FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE WITH SEVERAL SHOWERS EXTENDING
INTO SOUTHWEST GEORGIA.

MOVEVENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 5:13 AM CDT, 1 hour 3 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
615 AM EDT THU JUN 8 1989

...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 436 REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR JACKSON AND CALHOUN
COUNTIES UNTIL 800 AM CDT THIS THURSDAY MORNING...

AT 605 AM EDT RADAR SHOWED A VERY LARGE AREA OF MOSTLY LIGHT RAIN AND
SHOWERS OVER MUCH OF THE BIG BEND AREA AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE.
THIS AREA OF RAIN ALSO EXTENDED OUT INTO THE GULF FOR 75 TO 80 MILES
EAST THROUGH WEST OF APALACHICOLA FLORIDA. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS
WAS OVER THE GULF WITHIN THE AREA OF RAIN FROM JUST OFFSHORE FRANKLIN
COUNTY TO 75 MILES SOUTHWEST OF APALACHICOLA.

AT 605 AM ONLY LIGHT RAIN WAS FALLING IN JACKSON AND CALHOUN COUNTIES.
STAY TUNED TyO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Jun 8, 5:36 AM CDT, 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
636 AM EDT THU JUN 8 1989

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR COUNTIES OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE
   INCLUDING..GULF COUNTY UNTIL 9 AM EDT..

AT 625 AM EDT A LINE OF NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN..
WAS LOCATED FROM CARRABELLE AND EXTENDED TO 80 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
APALACHICOLA. MARINE INTEST IN THIS AREA SHOULD EXPECT VERY STRONG WINDS..
HEAVY SEAS..ALONG WITH FREQUENT LIGHTNING AS THIS LINE MOVES THROUGH.
MOVEMENT OF THIS LINE WAS TO THE EAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

ELSEWHERE ..A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS ALONG WITH SHOWERS WAS LOCATED
OVER THE NORTHEAST GULF..FROM PENSACOLA TO WEST OF CEDAR KEY AND OUT 110
MILES. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE ALSO NOTED OVER A LARGE AREA OF
NORTH FLORIDA AND THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE WITH SEVERAL SHOWERS EXTENDING
INTO SOUTHWEST GEORGIA AND SOUTHEAST ALABAMA.

MOVEVENT WAS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 20 MILES AN HOUR.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 7, 8:35 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEOkaloosa, Santa Rosa55 min
Jun 8, 4:51 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEEscambia, Santa Rosa69 min
Jun 8, 5:44 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEOkaloosa, Santa Rosa61 min
Jun 8, 9:26 AM CDTTornado WarningTAEEscambia, Santa Rosa49 min
Jun 8, 10:13 AM CDTTornado WarningTAEEscambia, Santa Rosa47 min
Jun 8, 11:01 AM CDTTornado WarningTAEEscambia, Santa Rosa44 min
Jun 8, 12:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEEscambia, Santa Rosa48 min
Jun 8, 1:10 PM CDTTornado WarningTAEOkaloosa, Walton50 min
Jun 8, 2:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEEscambia44 min
Jun 8, 2:21 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTAESanta Rosa2 hr
Jun 8, 4:22 PM CDTTornado WarningTAEFranklin38 min
Jun 8, 4:29 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningTAEEscambia, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa3 hr
Jun 8, 5:10 PM CDTTornado WarningTAEFranklin50 min
Jun 8, 5:28 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEEscambia, Santa Rosa47 min

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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.