Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1993

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

March 13, 1993Sarasota County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Mar 13, 1993, 3:56 AM EST for Sarasota County, Florida. It was in force for 34 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Mar 13, 1993, 3:56 AM EST (08:56 UTC)
Expired: Mar 13, 1993, 4:30 AM EST
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area: Whole counties

County Sarasota County, FL

The nearest sounding before it

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 00:00Z, 8.9 hours before the alert went out and 58 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 645 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1480 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 51 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 56 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 192 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.3
Supercell composite: 3.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTBW 130856
TORTBW
FLC115-130930-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
356 AM EST SAT MAR 13 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  430 AM EST
FOR PEOPLE......
 
IN WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA
 
   ...SARASOTA COUNTY
 
AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS
INCLUDING THE BAY AND INLAND WATERS
 
A TORNADO WAS REPORTED IN THE SARASOTA AREA. THE TORNADO WAS LIKELY MOVI
 EAST AT 40 TO 50 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.
IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE OPEN...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

Local storm report, Mar 13, 1:39 AM EST, 2 hours 17 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN, FL
138 AM EST SAT MAR 13 1993

DATE   TIME       LOCATION/EVENT
3/13   0110 EST   POLK COUNTY, BARTOW TO WAHNETA
                  QUARTER SIZE HdAIL OBSERVED.
                  REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

Local storm report, Mar 13, 2:07 AM EST, 1 hour 49 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN, FL
157 AM EST SAT MAR 13 1993

DATE   TIME       LOCATION/EVENT
3/13   0115 EST   POLK COUNTY, HIGHLANDS CITY
                  TWO TORNADOES... HIGHLANDS CITY ALG HWY 98 POWER LINES
                  DOWN, EATON PARK 3 BUILDINGS DAMAGED.
                  REPORTED BY SKYWARN SPOTTER.

3/13   0140 EST   POLK COUNTY, VARIOUS LOCATIONS
                  WIND DAMAGE, CARPORT DESTROYED IN WINTERHAVEN
                  ROOF DAMAGE IN S. LAKELAND
                  REPORTED BY OWNERS.

3/13   0155 EST   MANATEE COUNTY, EAST PART OF COUNTY
                  WIND DAMAGE LINES DOWN, TREES DOWN
                  REPORTED BY COUNTY EM.

3/12   2340 EST   CITRUS COUNTY, SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT
                  WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH CRYSTAL RIVER NO INJURIES
                   NUMEROUS TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN IN INVERNESS

Local storm report, Mar 13, 2:21 AM EST, 1 hour 35 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN, FL
220 AM EST SAT MAR 13 1993

DATE   TIME       LOCATION/EVENT
3/13   0100 EST   SARASOTA COUNTY, SARASOTA
                  17TH STREET 1/2 MILE W OF I75
                  WIND DAMAGE.. TREE FELL ON HOUSE.
                  REPORTED BY CITIZEN

Local storm report, Mar 13, 2:51 AM EST, 1 hour 5 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN, FL
251 AM EST SAT MAR 13 1993

DATE   TIME       LOCATION/EVENT
3/13   0220 EST   CHARLOTTE COUNTY, BOCA GRANDE
                  MEASURED WIND GUST TO 75 MPH. REPORTED BY SPOTTER.

Local storm report, Mar 13, 3:19 AM EST, 37 minutes before

STORM REPORT... SUPPLEMENT/DELAYED REPORTS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN, FL
318 AM EST SAT MAR 13 1993

DATE   TIME       LOCATION/EVENT
3/13   0025 EST   HERNANDO COUNTY, NE OF BROOKSVILLE
                  TORNADO. ROOF BLOWN OFF HOUSE. NO INJURIES. EXTENSIVE
                  TREES BLOWN DOWN THROUGHOUT COUNTY. REPORTED BY EOC.

3/12   2340 EST   CITRUS COUNTY, CRYSTAL RIVER
                  TORANDO WEST OF CRYSTAL RIVER SEVERAL MINOR INJURIES
                  DAMAGE AMOUNT $750000 TO $1 MILLION, 15 PRIVATE HOMES
                  AND CONDOMINIUMS. REPORTED BY COUNTY EOC.

3/13   0000 EST   PINELLAS COUNTY, MADEIRA BEACH/TREASURE ISLAND
                  TORNADO, RESIDENCES AND BOATS DAMAGED, NO INJURIES
                  KNOWN ATTM. 38 PEOPLE IN AMERICAN RED CROSS SHELTER.
                  REPORTED BY COUNTY EOC.

3/13   0014 EST   PINELLAS COUNTY, TARPON SPRINGS/DUNEDIN
                  TORNADO. RESIDENCES DAMAGED. NO INJURIES KNOWN
                  ATTM. 15 PEOPLE IN AMREICAN RED CROSS SHELTERS.
                  REPORTED BY COUNTY EOC.

3/13   0015 EST   PASCO COUNTY, LAND OF LAKES
                  WIND DAMAGE, SEVERAL POWER LINES BLOWN DOWN.
  V                REPORTED BY CITIZEN.

3/13   0113 EST   MANATEE COUNTY, PALMETTO
                  MEASURED WIND GUST 57 MPH. REPORTED BY WTVT-TV
                  SPOTTER.

Local storm report, Mar 13, 3:30 AM EST, 26 minutes before

STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN, FL
326 AM EST SAT MAR 13 1993

DATE   TIME       LOCATION/EVENT
3/13   0302 EST   LEE COUNTY, FORT MYERS (FMY)
                  WIND GUST TO 51 KTS (59 MPH)

       0303 EST   LEE COUNTY, FORT MYERS (RSW)
                  WIND GUST TO 60 KTS (69 MPH)

       0311 EST   LEE COUNTY, ESTERO NR US41
                  WIND DAMAGE, 3 TRAILERS WITH MODERATE DAMAGE
                  REPORTED BY CIbTIZEN.

       0322 EST   COLLIER COUNTY, NAPLES
                  WATERSPOUT 1/2 MILE OFFSHORE MOVG NE
                  REPORTED BY CITIZEN.

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 12, 10:50 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Citrus, Hernando, Levy	115 min
Mar 12, 10:50 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas	115 min
Mar 12, 10:50 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Manatee	115 min
Mar 12, 11:22 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Sarasota	101 min
Mar 12, 11:38 PM EST	Tornado Warning	TBW	Pasco, Pinellas	37 min
Mar 12, 11:54 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Sumter	61 min
Mar 12, 11:54 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Polk	2 hr
Mar 13, 12:08 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TBW	Hillsborough	52 min
Mar 13, 12:23 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Charlotte, DeSoto, Lee	2 hr
Mar 13, 12:23 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Hardee	2 hr
Mar 13, 12:43 AM EST	Tornado Warning	TBW	Manatee	47 min
Mar 13, 1:34 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Highlands	116 min
Mar 13, 1:37 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Sarasota	2 hr
Mar 13, 1:52 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Polk	2 hr
Mar 13, 2:31 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Charlotte, DeSoto, Lee	119 min
Mar 13, 3:30 AM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Highlands	60 min

Nearby

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