Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1992

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

February 25, 1992Polk County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Feb 25, 1992, 3:22 PM EST for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 53 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
Feb 25, 1992, 3:22 PM EST (20:22 UTC)
Expired
Feb 25, 1992, 4:15 PM EST
In force
53 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Polk County, FL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 25, 4:19 PM ESTThunderstorm Wind 0Polk, 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, 8.4 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 1992-02-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 56 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 1992-02-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 189 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
56 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-96 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
934 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
189 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
296 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 252025
TORTBW
FLC105-252115-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
322 PM EST TUE FEB 25 1992
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  415 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE...
 
IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
 
   ...POLK COUNTY
 
 
 
TWO TORNADOS WERE REPORTED BY THE PUBLIC NEAR LAKELAND AND MULBERRY . 
TORNADO WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 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, Feb 25, 12:05 PM EST, 3 hours 17 minutes before
FLZ013-261900-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
1205 PM EST FEB 25 1992

AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...
CONTINUES TO DEVELOP JUST OFF THE WEST COAST FORM THE TAMPA BAY AREA
SOUTH TO SARASOTA. THESE VERY HEAVY SHOWERS WILL BE MOVING ONSHORE AND
INLAND FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. RESIDENTS AND MOTORISTS IN HILLSBOROUGH...
MANATEE AND SARASOTA COUNTIES SHOULD BE ON THE ALERT FOR LOCAL FLOODING
AND USE CAUTION WHEN DRIVING.
Special weather statement, Feb 25, 12:14 PM EST, 3 hours 8 minutes before
FLZ013-261900-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
1205 PM EST FEB 25 1992

AN AREA OF SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS...WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...
CONTINUES TO DEVELOP JUST OFF THE WEST COAST FORM THE TAMPA BAY AREA
SOUTH TO SARASOTA. THESE VERY HEAVY SHOWERS WILL BE MOVING ONSHORE AND
INLAND FOR THE NEXT FEW HOURS. RESIDENTS AND MOTORISTS IN HILLSBOROUGH...
...PINELLAS...MANATEE AND SARASOTA COUNTIES SHOULD &BE ON THE ALERT FOR
LOCAL FLOODING AND USE CAUTION WHEN DRIVING.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 25, 4:30 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWPolk60 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 1992Every tornado warning in 1992Tornadoes in 1992

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.