Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1993

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Melbourne, FL

March 13, 1993Flagler County, Volusia County, Florida

NWS Melbourne, FL issued this tornado warning at Mar 13, 1993, 1:15 AM EST for Flagler County, Volusia County, Florida. It was in force for 75 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 13, 1993, 1:15 AM EST (06:15 UTC)
Expired
Mar 13, 1993, 2:30 AM EST
In force
75 min
Issued by
NWS Melbourne, FL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Flagler County, FL, Volusia County, FL

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 140 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 06:17 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Cape Canaveral, FL (KXMR), launched 00:00Z, 6.3 hours before the alert went out and 113 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, Cape Canaveral, FL at 00:00Z on 1993-03-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 701 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, Cape Canaveral, FL at 00:00Z on 1993-03-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 145 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
701 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-9 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
721 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
48 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
145 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
175 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.4
Supercell composite
2.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KDAB 130616
TORDAB
FLC127-035-FLZ000-130730-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAYTONA BEACH FL
115 AM EST SAT MAR 13 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN DAYTONA BEACH HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  230 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS...
 
IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA
 
   ...VOLUSIA COUNTY
IN NORTHEAST FLORIDA
 
   ...FLAGLER COUNTY
A TORNADO WARNING IS IN EFECT FOR VOLUSIA AND FLAGLER COUNTIES UNTIL
200 AM EST...
 
AT 108 AM EST VOLUSIA COUNTY SHERIFFS OFFICE RECEIVED REPORTS OF A
TORNADO TOUCHDOWN NEAR DELAND. RADAR INDICATED A VERY STRONG STORM
NEAR DELAND AND THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO MOVE RAPDILY INTO DAYTONA
BEACH PASSING FROM NEAR THE AIRPORT NORTH.
 
A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM AND SPECIAL MARINE WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT
FOR BOTH FLAGLER AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES AND TORNADO WATCH ALSO REMAINS
IN EFFECT.
 
THE STORMS...AND POSSIBLY ACCOMPANYING TORNADOS...WERE MOVING EAST
AT 50 MPH AND WILL LIKELY REACH THE DAYTONA AREA WIHTIN THE NEXT
FIFTEEN MINUTES.
 
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.
 
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING.  AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A CULVERT...DITCH
OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.
 
AS THIS DANGEROUS STORM MOVES OUT OVER THE COASTAL WATERS...
BOATERS IN THE THREATENED AREA SHOULD TAKE ACTION TO AVOID
THE HAZARDOUS WEATHERz.

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 12, 10:36 PM EST, 2 hours 39 minutes before
FLZ006>017-020-130425-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAYTONA BEACH FL
1030 PM EST FRI MAR 12 1993

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA PENINSULA UNTIL 700 AM
EST AND INCLUDES MARION COUNTY AS WELL AS FLAGLER AND VOLUSIA COUNTIES
AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS...

AT 1025 PM EST...DAYTONA BEACH RADAR SHOWED A LARGE AREA OF RAIN OVER
THE WESTERN THIRD OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA AND THE GULF OF MEXICO<.
THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS RAIN EXTENDED FROM GAINESVILLE TO DUNNELLON TO
ST PETERSBURG AND WAS MOVING RAPIDLY EAST AT 60 MPH.
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 10:52 PM EST, 2 hours 23 minutes before
FLZ009-011>012-016>017-130340-

SPECIAL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA WEATHER UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
1050 PM EST FRI MAR 12 1993

...LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT TO MOVE ONSHORE THE WEST COAST...

AT 1050 PM...A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS ABOUT 25 MILES OFFSHORE ST
PETERSBURG. THE LINE OF STORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT BETTER THAN 50 MPH AND
WILL BE MOVING ONSHORE THE WEST COAST SHORTLY. THIS LINE WAS ABOUT 110 MILES
AWAY FROM THE ORLANDO AREA.

THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BEGIN TO AFFECT LAKE COUNTY AROUND MIDNIGHT AND ORLANDO
BY ABOUT 1 AM. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE FLORIDA PENINSULA.
THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER
OfUTBREAK. PEOPLE ACROSS ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST
WEATHER STATEMENTS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SHELTER AS WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.

RL
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 10:56 PM EST, 2 hours 19 minutes before
FLZ009-011>012-016>017-130450-

SPECIAL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA WEATHER UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
1050 PM EST FRI MAR 12 1993

...LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ABOUT TO MOVE ONSHORE THE WEST COAST...

AT 1050 PM...A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS ABOUT 25 MILES OFFSHORE ST
PETERSBURG. THE LINE OF STORMS WAS MOVING EAST AT BETTER THAN 50 MPH AND
WILL BE MOVING ONSHORE THE WEST COAST SHORTLY. THIS LINE WAS ABOUT 110 MILES
AWAY FROM THE ORLANDO AREA.

THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BEGIN TO AFFECT LAKE COUNTY AROUND MIDNIGHT AND ORLANDO
BY ABOUT 1 AM. A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ENTIRE FLORIDA PENINSULA.
THESE STORMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE A SIGNIFICANT SEVERE WEATHER
OUrTBREAK. PEOPLE ACROSS ALL OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST
WEATHER STATEMENTS AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO SHELTER AS WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.

RL
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 11:41 PM EST, 1 hour 34 minutes before
FLZ006>017-020-130525-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DAYTONA BEACH FL
1130 PM EST FRI MAR 12 1993

...A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR THE FLORIDA PENINSULA UNTIL 700 AM
EST SATURDAY AND INCLUDES MARION COUNTY AS WELL AS FLAGLER AND VOLUSIA
COUNTIES AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS...

AT 1125 PM EST...DAYTONA BEACH RADAR DETECTED A LINE OF VERY STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE GULF COASTAL WATERS FROM JUST OFFSHORE ST PETERSBURG
TO CEDAR KEY.  THIS LINE WAS MOVING EAST AT 50 MPH.

MEANWHILE...RAIN BLANKETED MUCH OF NORTH AND WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA.
THE LEADING EDGE OF THIS AREA OF RAIN EXTENDED FROM LAKELAND TO ASTOR PARK
TO JACKSONVILLE AND WAS MOVING EAS*T AT 50 MPH.

ISOLATED SHOWERS HAD RECENTLY DEVELOPED BETWEEN SANFORD AND MELBOURNE.
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 11:51 PM EST, 1 hour 24 minutes before
FLZ017-011-016-012-009-130545-

SPECIAL EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA WEATHER UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
1150 PM EST FRI MAR 12 1993

...LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ONSHORE THE WEST COAST...

AT 1150 PM...A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WAS JUST MOVING ONSHORE
THE WEST COAST. THERE ARE PRELIMINARY REPORTS OF DAMAGE IN LEVY
COUNTY AROUND THE CHIEFLAND AREA. THE LINE OF STORMS WAS ABOUT
45 MILES WEST OF LEESBURG AND MOVING EAST AT BETTER THAN
50 MPH.

STORMS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN AFFECTING LAKE COUNTY BETWEEN
1215 AND 1245 AM.

A TORNADO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF THE FLORIDA PENINSULA.
PEOPLE ACROSS EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITINONS AND BE PREPARED TO SEEK SHELTER AS
THE STORMS APPROACH AND WARNINGS ARE ISSUED.
Local storm report, Mar 13, 1:00 AM EST, 15 minutes before
STORM REPORT...PRELIMINARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
100 AM EST SAT MAR 13 1993

TIME         LOCATION         REPORT

1230 AM      LAKE COUNTY      TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN IN MT DORA

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 13, 12:08 AM ESTTornado WarningMLBLake67 min
Mar 13, 12:37 AM ESTTornado WarningMLBOrange68 min
Mar 13, 12:48 AM ESTTornado WarningMLBSeminole57 min
Mar 13, 1:05 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBMarion85 min
Mar 13, 1:05 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBFlagler, Volusia10 min
Mar 13, 1:05 AM ESTTornado WarningMLBOsceola55 min
Mar 13, 1:42 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBOrange63 min
Mar 13, 1:58 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBBrevard62 min
Mar 13, 2:00 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBOsceola60 min
Mar 13, 4:05 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBIndian River55 min
Mar 13, 4:31 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBPalm Beach59 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 1993Every tornado warning in 1993Tornadoes in 1993

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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.