Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1993

Tornado Warning 9, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

March 25, 1993Polk County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Mar 25, 1993, 5:41 PM EST for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 34 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 25, 1993, 5:41 PM EST (22:41 UTC)
Expired
Mar 25, 1993, 6:15 PM EST
In force
34 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, 10.7 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 1993-03-25Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 364 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 1993-03-25The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 29 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
364 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-49 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
924 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
23 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
29 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
61 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 252244
TORTBW
FLC105-252315-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
541 PM EST THU MAR 25 1993
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  615 PM EST
FOR PEOPLE......
 
IN CENTRAL FLORIDA
 
   ...NORTHERN POLK COUNTY
 
A TORNADO TOUCHDOWN WAS REPORTED AT 520PM NEAR HWY 33 WEST OF POLK
CITY IN NORTHERN POLK COUNTY.  THIS TORNADO DESTROYED A BARN AND IS
MOVING NORTH AT 10 TO 15 MPH.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF APPROACHING TORNADO...SEEK SHELTER IN A
REINFORCED BUILDING IMMEDIATELY

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 25, 1:52 PM EST, 3 hours 49 minutes before
FLZ010-251945-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
150 PM EST THU MAR 25 1993

...SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORM IN SOUTHERN CITRUS COUNTY...

AT 145 PM A SLOW MOVING THUNDERSTORM WAS CROSSING SOUTHERN CIRTUS COUNTY
AND PRODUCING LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THIS STORM AT
THIS TIME IS THE POSSIBILITY FOR PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS DUE TO THE
HEAVY RAINS.

THIS STORM WILL BE CROSSING THE FLORAL CITY AREA WITHIN THE HALF HOUR
AND APPROACH CENTRAL SUMTER COUNTY SHORTLY THEREAFTER.

RESIDENTS IN SOUTHERN CITRUS COUNTY SHOULD MONITOR LOCAL WEATHER CLOSELY
AND BE PREPARED TO TAKE COVER SHOULD THREATENING WEATHER DEVELOP.
Special weather statement, Mar 25, 5:04 PM EST, 37 minutes before
FLZ010-251945-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
455 PM EST THU MAR 25 1993

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA...

CLUSTERS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
FLORIDA FROM EASTERN PASCO AND HERNANDO COUNTIES TO CENTRAL POLK COUNTY.

SEVERAL REPORTS OF SMALL SIZED HAIL HAVE BEEN RECEIVED...INCLUDING
ONE OF PEA SIZED HAIL AT HAINES CITY IN POLK COUNTY AT 452 PM. A CITIZEN
ALSO REPORTED A SHORT LIVED TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN AN EMPTY FIELD NEAR
RIVERVIEW FLORIDA WITHIN THE PAST HOUR.

CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO PERSIST FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.  RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
ARE URGED TO EXERCISE CAUTION AROUND DEVELOPING STORMS AND BE AWARE OF THE
POTETIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
Special weather statement, Mar 25, 5:07 PM EST, 34 minutes before
FLZ010-250045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT   ...CORRECTION FOR DTG ONLY...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
455 PM EST THU MAR 25 1993

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA...

CLUSTERS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
FLORIDA FROM EASTERN PASCO AND HERNANDO COUNTIES TO CENTRAL POLK COUNTY.

SEVERAL REPORTS OF SMALL SIZED HAIL HAVE BEEN RECEIVED...INCLUDING
ONE OF PEA SIZED HAIL AT HAINES CITY IN POLK COUNTY AT 452 PM. A CITIZEN
ALSO REPORTED A SHORT LIVED TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN AN EMPTY FIELD NEAR
RIVERVIEW FLORIDA WITHIN THE PAST HOUR.

CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO PERSIST FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.  RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
ARE URGED TO EXERCISE CAUTION AROUND DEVELOPING STORMS AND BE AWARE OF THE
POTETIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.
Special weather statement, Mar 25, 5:10 PM EST, 31 minutes before
FLZ010-13-14-15-18-250045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT   ...CORRECTION FOR DTG ONLY...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
455 PM EST THU MAR 25 1993

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA...

CLUSTERS OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE DEVELOPING OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
FLORIDA FROM EASTERN PASCO AND HERNANDO COUNTIES TO CENTRAL POLK COUNTY.

SEVERAL REPORTS OF SMALL SIZED HAIL HAVE BEEN RECEIVED...INCLUDING
ONE OF PEA SIZED HAIL AT HAINES CITY IN POLK COUNTY AT 452 PM. A CITIZEN
ALSO REPORTED A SHORT LIVED TORNADO TOUCHDOWN IN AN EMPTY FIELD NEAR
RIVERVIEW FLORIDA WITHIN THE PAST HOUR.

CONDITIONS FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED
TO PERSIST FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HOURS.  RESIDENTS OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
ARE URGED TO EXERCISE CAUTION AROUND DEVELOPING STORMS AND BE AWARE OF THE
POTETIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 25, 5:26 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWDeSoto, Hardee, Manatee79 min
Mar 25, 5:26 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHillsborough, Polk59 min
Mar 25, 6:26 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWDeSoto, Hardee64 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.