Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1991
Tornado Warning 2, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Mar 18, 1991, 10:21 AM EST for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 54 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Mar 18, 1991, 10:21 AM EST (15:21 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 18, 1991, 11:15 AM EST
- In force
- 54 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tampa Bay, FL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Polk County, FL
The nearest sounding before it
Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 3.4 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
- 463 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -6 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 565 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 69 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 338 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 350 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.0
- Supercell composite
- 7.1
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KTBW 181523 RRA TORTBW FLC105-181615- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL 1021 AM EST MON MAR 18 1991 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1115 AM EST FOR PEOPLE... IN CENTRAL FLORIDA ...POLK COUNTY TORNADO DAMAGE WAS REPORTED BY LAKELAND POLICE IN SEVERAL LOCATIONS. T MOVEMENT WAS TO THE EAST AT 30 TO 40 MPH. IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO MOVE TO A REINFORCED SHELTER TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. AVOID WINDOWS. ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVERT. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY! IF YOU SEE A TORNADO... WATERSPOUT... HAIL OR DAMAGING WIND... CALL THE WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA SEVERE WEATHER LINE AT 1-800-282-5584.
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, Mar 18, 6:11 AM EST, 4 hours 10 minutes before
FLZ-013-181400- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL 615 AM EST MON MAR 18 1991 ... DENSE FOG DEVELOPING OVER PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA... LOCALLY DENSE FOG HAS FORMED OVER WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA. VISIBILITIES HAVE BEEN REPORTED AT ZERO AT MAC DILL AIR FORCE BASE AND 1/8 MILE AT TAMPA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. COMMUTERS ON THIS MONDAY MORNING ARE URGED TO EXERCISE CAUTION... ALLOW ADDITIONAL TRAVEL TIME TO REACH DESTINATIONS. USE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS AND BE PREPARED FOR SUDDEN CHANGES IN VISIBILITIES. WATCH OUT FOR SCHOOL BUSSES AND CHILDREN. THE FOG WILL LIFT BY 9 AM THIS MORNING.
Special weather statement, Mar 18, 6:44 AM EST, 3 hours 37 minutes before
FLZ006-008>022-102040- SPECIAL WEATHER AND MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN FL 630 AM EST MON MAR 18 1991 ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ONSHORE BETWEEN BAYPORT AND CRYSTAL RIVER... RAIN WITH EMBEDDED SHOWERS AND SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS WERE DEVELOPING FROM 10 TO 75 MILES OUT IN THE EAST GULF WATERS BETWEEN BAYPORT AND CRYSTAL RIVER. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER THE PENINSULA BETWEEN BAYPORT AND OCALA... AND PATCHES OF RAIN AND SHOWERS EXTENDED FROM ST AUGUSTINE TO CROSS CITY AND SOUTH TO THE TAMPA BAY AND VERO BEACH AREAS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. RESIDENTS AS WELL AS BOATERS IN THE GULF AND BAY WATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR HEAVY RAIN... STRONG GUSTY WINDS... FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND THE POSSIBILITY FOR A WATERSPOUT THIS MORNING. BOATERS IN PARTICULAR SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY AND SHIFTING WIND AND ROUGH SEAS NEAR THE THUNDERSTORMS.
Special weather statement, Mar 18, 6:52 AM EST, 3 hours 29 minutes before
FLZ006-008>022-181240- SPECIAL WEATHER AND MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN FL 630 AM EST MON MAR 18 1991 ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING ONSHORE BETWEEN BAYPORT AND CRYSTAL RIVER... RAIN WITH EMBEDDED SHOWERS AND SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS WERE DEVELOPING FROM 10 TO 75 MILES OUT IN THE EAST GULF WATERS BETWEEN BAYPORT AND CRYSTAL RIVER. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN WERE OVER THE PENINSULA BETWEEN BAYPORT AND OCALA... AND PATCHES OF RAIN AND SHOWERS EXTENDED FROM ST AUGUSTINE TO CROSS CITY AND SOUTH TO THE TAMPA BAY AND VERO BEACH AREAS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. RESIDENTS AS WELL AS BOATERS IN THE GULF AND BAY WATERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR HEAVY RAIN... STRONG GUSTY WINDS... FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND THE POSSIBILITY FOR A WATERSPOUT THIS MORNING. BOATERS IN PARTICULAR SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY AND SHIFTING WIND AND ROUGH SEAS NEAR THE THUNDERSTORMS.
Special weather statement, Mar 18, 7:48 AM EST, 2 hours 33 minutes before
FLZ006-008>022-181340- SPECIAL WEATHER AND MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN FL 730 AM EST MON MAR 18 1991 ...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE MOVING ONSHORE BETWEEN BAYPORT AND CRYSTAL RIVER... A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS MANY CONTAINING STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND VERY HEAVY RAINFALL HAD DEVELOPED FROM 15 TO 75 MILES OFFSHORE BETWEEN BAYPORT AND CRYSTAL RIVER. OTHER THUNDERSTORMS CONTAINING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS WERE BETWEEN BAYPORT AND OCALA... AND PATCHES OF RAIN AND SHOWERS EXTENDED FROM ST AUGUSTINE TO CROSS CITY AND SOUTH TO THE TAMPA BAY AND MELBOURNE AREAS. RESIDENTS AND BOATERS ALONG THE GULF SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS STATION AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE HARBOR AND OR SHELTER IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES. THESE THUNDERSTORMS DO CONTAIN STRONG GUSTY WINDS... FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND THE POSSIBILITY FOR A WATERSPOUT THIS MORNING. BOATERS IN PARTICULAR SHOULD BE0 ALERT FOR GUSTY AND SHIFTING WIND AND ROUGH SEAS NEAR THE THUNDERSTORMS. THESE STORMS MAY ALSO CAUSE STREET FLOODING IN LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 45 TO 50 MILES AN HOUR.
Special weather statement, Mar 18, 8:35 AM EST, 1 hour 46 minutes before
FLZ006-008>022-181445- SPECIAL WEATHER AND MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN FL 830 AM EST MON MAR 18 1991 ...THUNDERSTORMS MOVING INTO THE TAMPA BAY AREA... A LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED THUNDERSTORMS IS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS. THE AREA EXTENDED ACROSS THE STATE FROM DAYTONA BEACH AND CAPE CANAVERAL ON THE EAST COAST TO CITRUS COUNTY AND PINELLAS COUNTY EXTENDING OVER THE GULF FOR 150 MILES. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT 40 MILES AN HOUR. RESIDENTS AND ANY MARINERS SHOULD BE ALERT FOR HEAVY RAIN... STRONG GUSTY WINDS... LIGHTNING AND THE POSSIBILITY FOR A WATERSPOUT THIS MORNING. HEAVY RAIN COULD CAUSE FLOODING OF nLOW LYING AREAS. BOATERS IN PARTICULAR SHOULD BE ALERT FOR GUSTY AND SHIFTING WIND AND ROUGH SEAS NEAR THE THUNDERSTORMS.
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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.