Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1991

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

April 18, 1991Polk County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Apr 18, 1991, 7:59 PM EDT for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 31 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 18, 1991, 7:59 PM EDT (23:59 UTC)
Expired
Apr 18, 1991, 8:30 PM EDT
In force
31 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, 12.0 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 1991-04-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1016 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, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 1991-04-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 85 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1016 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-7 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
647 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
29 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
85 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
146 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KTBW 190003
TORTBW
FLC105-190030-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
759 PM EDT THU APR 18 1991
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  830 PM EDT
FOR PEOPLE...
 
IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
 
   ...EASTERN POLK COUNTY
 
 
A WATERSPOUT WAS REPORTED BY THE POLK COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE OVER LAKE
KISSIMMEE. THE MOVEMENT WAS UNKNOWN. THE WATERSPOUT COULD MOVE ONSHORE
AND BECOME A TORNADO..
 
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.
 
MARINE INTERESTS IN THESE WATERS SHOULD AVOID THESE STORMS AND
SEEK SAFE HARBOR.
 
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, Apr 18, 7:55 PM EDT, 4 minutes before
FLZ014-190100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN FL
755 PM EDT THU APR 18 1991

...STRONG THUNDERSTORM CLUSTER OVER EASTERN POLK COUNTY...

THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE OVER POLK COUNTY. THE THUNDERSTORMS EXTEND
ALONG THE EXTREME EASTERN PORTION OF THE COUNTY. THE STRONGEST CELL IS
NEAR LAKE KISSIMMEE. THIS CLUSTER OF THUNDERSTORMS COULD PRODUCE HEAVY
RAIN... STRONG GUSTY WINDS... FREQUENT LIGHTNING... AND HAIL THIS
EVENING. IN AREAS OF HEAVIER RAIN LOCALIZED FLOODING COULD OCCUR. THE
THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING EAST AT 15 MPH.

RESIDENTS NEAR THE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD SECURE OUTDOOR ITEMS.
MOTORISTS DRIVING IN AREAS OF RAIN SHOULD DRIVE CAREFULLY. SLOW DOWN
AND TURN ON HEADLIGHTS.

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.