Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1989

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

June 18, 1989Charlotte County, Sarasota County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jun 18, 1989, 5:51 PM EDT for Charlotte County, Sarasota County, Florida. It was in force for 39 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
Jun 18, 1989, 5:51 PM EDT (21:51 UTC)
Expired
Jun 18, 1989, 6:30 PM EDT
In force
39 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Charlotte County, FL, Sarasota 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
Jun 18, 6:15 PM EDTThunderstorm Wind 50Sarasota, 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

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 9.9 hours before the alert went out and 78 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 1989-06-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1021 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 1989-06-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -3 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
1021 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-73 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1015 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
10 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-3 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
21 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 KTBW 182149
SVRTBW
FLC057-103-115-015-182230-
 
BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
551 PM EDT SUN JUN 18 1989
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING AND
SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  630 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
          ...NORTHERN HILLSBOROUGH...NORTHERN PINELLAS
          ...WESTERN SARASOTA
IN SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
          ...WESTERN CHARLOTTE
 
AND ADJOINING COASTAL WATERS.
 
 
REPORTS FROM LOCAL CITIZENS IN NORTHPORT IN SARASOTA COUNTY AND IN
TAMPA INDICATE NICKEL SIZE HAIL AT EACH OF THESE LOCATIONS. STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ALSO EXIST IN NORTH HILLSBOROUGH...NORTHWESTWARD FROM
NORTHPORT IN SARASOTA COUNTY...AND SOUTH INTO CHARLOTTE COUNTY.
 
THESE STORMS ARE SHOWING MOVEMENT TOWARD THE WEST AT NEAR 10 MILES
AN HOUR. THESE ARE DANGEROUS STORMS WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND
FREQUENT LIGHTNING LIKELY. LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN MAY CAUSE SOME MINOR
STREET FLOODING.
 
RESIDENTS AND BOATERS IN THE AFFECTED AREA SHOULD SEEK SHELTER
IMMEDIATELY.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 18, 3:45 PM EDT, 2 hours 6 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
340 PM EDT SUN JUN 18 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE HIGHLANDS/POLK COUNTY BORDER...

A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS DEVELOPED THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE
KISSIMMEE RIVER VALLEY. MOVEMENT WAS UNCERTAIN WITH PERHAPS A
SLIGHT MOVEMENT TO THE WEST.

THE AREA OF HEAVIEST RAINFALL WAS ALONG THE POLK/HIGHLANDS COUNTY
BORDER NEAR AVON PARK. RESIDENTS THROUGHOUT POLK AND NORTH HUIGHLANDS
COUNTY CAN EXPECT LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND SOME
GUSTY WINDS.

RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO STAY AWARE OF LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 4:40 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
430 PM EDT SUN JUN 18 1989

         ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED TO DEVELOP OVER
CENTRAL FLORIDA...AT THIS HOUR THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE OVER POLK
AND HARDEE COUNTYS.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA IN SOUTHERN MARION
COUNTY JUST SOUTH OF OCALA.  STILL OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSHOWERS
WERE SCATTERED OVER THE PENINSULA...INCLUDING THE TAMPA BAY AREA.

LITTLE MOVEMENT WAS DETECTED OF THOSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTH FLORIDA
WHILE THOSE OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA WERE MOVING WEST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.

RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO BE ALERT FOR CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 5:21 PM EDT, 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN, FL
520 PM EDT SUN JUN 18 1989

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS IN WEST CHARLOTTE COUNTY...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE PRESENTLY LOCATED IN WEST CHARLOTTE COUNTY.
THESE STORMS ARE SHOWING LITTLE MOVEMENT BUT APPEAR TO BE DRIFTING
WEST TOWARD THE GULF.

RADAR INDICATES HEAVY RAIN ASSOCIATED WITH THESE STORMS AND POSSIBILITY
FOR SMALL HAIL. FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS ARE LIKELY.

RESIDENTS IN THE VICINITY OF THESE STORMS SHOULD STAY ALERT TO THE
LOCAL WEATHER CONDITIONS. BOATERS NEAR THE SHORE SHOULD CONSIDER
SEEKING PORT.
Special weather statement, Jun 18, 5:40 PM EDT, 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
530 PM EDT SUN JUN 18 1989

         ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA...

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN CONTINUED OVER PORTIONS OF
CENTRAL FLORIDA...AT THIS HOUR THE HEAVIEST STORMS WERE OVER CHARLOTTE
COUNTY AT PUNTA GORDA. THE STORMS EXTENDED NORTH UP INTO EASTERN
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY.

OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WERE OVER NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA APPEAR TO BE
LESS DEVELOPED DURING THE PAST HOUR AND SHOW SIGNS OF WEAKENING.

LITTLE MOVEMENT WAS DETECTED OF THOSE THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTH FLORIDA
WHILE THOSE OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA WERE MOVING WEST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.

RESIDENTS ARE URGED TO BE ALERT FOR CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 18, 5:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHillsborough, Pinellas39 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Florida, 1989Every severe thunderstorm warning 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.