Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1993

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Tallahassee, FL

March 12, 1993Calhoun County, Florida

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this tornado warning at Mar 12, 1993, 9:43 PM CST for Calhoun County, Florida. It was in force for 32 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 12, 1993, 9:43 PM CST (03:43 UTC)
Expired
Mar 12, 1993, 10:15 PM CST
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Tallahassee, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Calhoun County, FL

The nearest sounding before it

Tallahassee Rgnl, FL (KTLH), launched 00:00Z, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 86 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, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 00:00Z on 1993-03-13Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 0 joules per kilogram.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tallahassee Rgnl, FL at 00:00Z on 1993-03-13The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 184 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
No buoyant parcel
Mixed-layer LCL
1441 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
65 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
184 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
276 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 KTLH 130344
TORTLH
FLC013-130415-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
1043 PM EST (943 PM CST) FRI MAR 12 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TALLAHASSEE HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 1115 PM EST (1015 PM CST)
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS......
 
IN NORTH FLORIDA
 
   ...NORTHERN CALHOUN COUNTY
 
AT 940 PM CST NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED A POSSIBLE
TORNADO ABOUT 10 MILES WEST OF ROLLINS CORNER MOVING NORTHEAST AT
40 MPH.
 
 
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, Mar 12, 6:24 PM CST, 3 hours 19 minutes before
FLZ003-005-006-007-GAZ011-012-130230-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
722 PM EST (622 PM CST) FRI MAR 12 1993

...STRONG STORM SYSTEM MOVING CLOSER TO NORTH FLORIDA AND SOUTHWEST
GEORGIA...
...A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR WAKULLA...JEFFERSON...TAYLOR
...AND DIXIE COUNTIES...
...A HIGH WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF NORTH FLORIDA TONIGHT...

A DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IN THE GULF OF MEXICO CONTINUES TO MOVE
TOWARD THE BIG BEND REGION OF NORTH FLORIDA AND EXTREME SOUTHWEST
GEORGIA. THE GREATEST THREAT FROM THIS SYSTEM TONIGHT LIES IN THE
POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS...SOME PERHAPS WITH TORNADOES...
STRONG WINDS BEGINNING LATER TONIGHT...AND COASTAL FLOODING BEGINNING
JUST BEFORE SUNRISE.

NO WARNINGS FOR SEVERE WEATHER ARE CURRENTLY IN EFFECT. NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE RADARS ARE INDICATING A LARGE AREA OF LIGHT TO MODERATE
PRECIPITATION COVERING MOST OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND THE GULF MOVING
NORTHEASTWARD.

HOWEVER...PERSONS IN NORTH FLORIDA AND SOUTHWEST GEORGIA SHOULD CONTINUE
TO MONITOR THE SITUATION THIS EVENING AS WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED TO WORSEN DRAMATICALLY LATER TONIGHT.

STAY TUNED TO: NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 8:06 PM CST, 1 hour 37 minutes before
FLC037-045-130615-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
906 PM EST FRI MAR 12 1993

...A TORNADO WATCH FOR GULF AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES HAS BEEN ISSUED
UNTIL 400 AM EST...

A VERY STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS IN THE GULF SOUTHWEST OF
APALACHICOLA. THIS SYSTEM IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHEAST.

WITH THIS WE CAN EXPECT VERY STRONG WINDS VERY HEAVY RAIN DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES.

PERSONS SHOULD BE PERPARED TO TAKE SHELTER IN STRONG BUILDINGS.

NNNN
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 9:00 PM CST, 43 minutes before
FLZ003-005-006-007-GAZ011-012-130400-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
959 PM EST (859 PM CST) FRI MAR 12 1993

...TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTI 4 AM EST...
...COASTAL FLOOD WATCH TONIGHT...
...HIGH WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT...

AT 950 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR INDICATED MODERATE TO
HEAVY RAIN OVER MOST OF THE BIG BEND AREA OF FLORIDA AND THE ADJACENT
COASTAL WATERS AND OVER MUCH OF SOUTHWEST GEORGIA.

THE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING THE HEAVIEST RAINS WERE LOCATED ALONG THE
COASTAL WATERS OF FRANKLIN AND GULF COUNTIES AND OUT OVER THE GULF SOUTH
OF APALACHICOLA.

RAIN AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING RAPIDLY NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

<
Special weather statement, Mar 12, 9:43 PM CST, 0 minutes before
FLC037-045-130445-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE APALACHICOLA FL
1025 PM EST FRI MAR 12 1993

...A TORANDO WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR GULF AND FRANKLIN COUNTIES
UNTIL 4AM SATURDAY MORNING...COASTAL FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH
SATURDAY...HIGH WIND ADVISORY THROUGH SATURDAY.

AT...1025 PM EST...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WITH...VERY HEAVY RAIN...VERY
STRONG WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING WERE OCCURRING OVER THE FLORIDA
PANHANDLE AND THE GULF.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WERE OCCURRING 10 MILES NORTHEAST THROUGH EAST
OF APALACHICOLA.

ALSO LARGE AREAS OF RAIN COVERED MOST OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...SOUTH
ALABAMA...SOUTHWEST GEORGIA AND THE GULF TO BEYOND 12z5 MILES SOUTH THROU
WEST OF APALACHICOLA.

NNNN

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.