Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Tallahassee, FL

May 12, 1991Okaloosa County, Florida

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this tornado warning at May 12, 1991, 5:10 PM CDT for Okaloosa County, Florida. It was in force for 50 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
May 12, 1991, 5:10 PM CDT (22:10 UTC)
Expired
May 12, 1991, 6:00 PM CDT
In force
50 min
Issued by
NWS Tallahassee, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Okaloosa County, FL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 12, 5:20 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Okaloosa, 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

Apalachicola Mun, FL (KAQQ), launched 12:00Z, 10.2 hours before the alert went out and 185 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, Apalachicola Mun, FL at 12:00Z on 1991-05-12Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 406 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, Apalachicola Mun, FL at 12:00Z on 1991-05-12The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 6 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
406 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-30 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
749 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
9 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
6 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
36 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 122213
TORPNS
FLC091-122300-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
510 PM CDT SUN MAY 12 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PENSACOLA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  600 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA
 
   ...OKALOOSA COUNTY
 
 
 
 
A TORNADO HAS BEEN SPOTTED AROUND 510 PM CDT NEAR CRESTVIEW AND WAS
MOVING SOUTH AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.
 
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, May 12, 1:42 PM CDT, 3 hours 28 minutes before
FLZ003-004-121940-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
235 PM EDT SUN MAY 12 1991

AT 225 PM EDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE
IN GULF AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES AND ADJACENT COASTAL  WATERS.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTING.  PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF
THESE STORMS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IF NECESSARY.

MARINE INTERESTS TAKE SPECIAL NOTE AND MOVE TO SAFETY FROM THESE STORMS.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 5 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 12, 2:40 PM CDT, 2 hours 30 minutes before
FLZ003-004-122040-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
335 PM EDT SUN MAY 12 1991

AT 325 PM EDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE
IN GULF AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES AND ADJACENT COASTAL  WATERS.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTING.  PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF
THESE STORMS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IF NECESSARY.

MARINE INTERESTS TAKE SPECIAL NO!TE AND MOVE TO SAFETY FROM THESE STORMS.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 5 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 12, 3:37 PM CDT, 1 hour 33 minutes before
FLZ003-004-122140-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
435 PM EDT SUN MAY 12 1991

AT 425 PM EDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE
IN GULF AND WEST FRANKLIN COUNTIES AND ADJACENT COASTAL  WATERS.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTING.  PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF
THESE STORMS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IF NECESSARY.

MARINE INTERESTS TAKE SPECIlAL NOTE AND MOVE TO SAFETY FROM THESE STORMS.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTHEAST AT 5 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, May 12, 4:36 PM CDT, 34 minutes before
FLZ003-004-122240-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
535 PM EDT SUN MAY 12 1991

AT 525 PM EDT...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE
IN GULF AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES AND ADJACENT COASTAL  WATERS.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...STRONG
GUSTY WINDS AND FREQUENT LIGHTING.  PERSONS IN THE VICINITY OF
THESE STORMS SHOULD SEEK SHELTER IF NECESSARY.

MARINE INTERESTS TAKE SPECIAL NOTE AND MOVE TO SAFETY FROM THESE STORMS.

MOVEMENT WAS TO THE SOUTH AT 3 MILES AN HOUR.

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 1991Every tornado warning in 1991Tornadoes in 1991

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.