Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1994

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Tallahassee, FL

April 21, 1994Escambia County, Santa Rosa County, Florida

NWS Tallahassee, FL issued this tornado warning at Apr 21, 1994, 5:07 PM CDT for Escambia County, Santa Rosa County, Florida. It was in force for 38 min.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Apr 21, 1994, 5:07 PM CDT (22:07 UTC)
Expired
Apr 21, 1994, 5:45 PM CDT
In force
38 min
Issued by
NWS Tallahassee, FL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Escambia County, FL, Santa Rosa County, FL

The nearest sounding before it

Eglin AFB/Valpar, FL (KVPS), launched 12:00Z, 10.1 hours before the alert went out and 68 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, Eglin AFB/Valpar, FL at 12:00Z on 1994-04-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 389 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Eglin AFB/Valpar, FL at 12:00Z on 1994-04-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 53 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
389 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-32 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
788 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
21 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
147 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.4

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KPNS 212208
TORPNS
FLC033-113-212245-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE PENSACOLA FL
507 PM CDT THU APR 21 1994
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN PENSACOLA HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  545 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONSS...
 
IN NORTHWEST FLORIDA
 
   ...ESCAMBIA COUNTY...SANTA ROSA COUNTY
 
 
 
 
A TORNADO WAS REPORTED AT 5 PM CDT 8 MILES NORTH OF PENSACOLA AND
A FUNNEL CLOUD WAS OVER ESCAMBIA BAY. BOTH WERE MOVING TO THE NORTH-
EAST  AROUND 20 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, Apr 21, 3:58 PM CDT, 1 hour 9 minutes before
FLZ016-017-026-212300-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
459 PM EDT THU APR 21 1994

...STRONG STORMS IN WESTERN LIBERTY AND WESTERN LEON COUNTY ARE
PRODUCING SMALL HAIL...

AT 455 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STORM
IN WESTERN LIBERTY COUNTY SOUTH OF BRISTOL AND A STORM IN LEON COUNTY
NEAR BLOXHAM. THESE STORMS ARE PRODUCING PEA SIZED HAIL. THESE STORMS
WERE MOVING SLOWLY TO THE NORTH.

RESIDENTS OF LIBERTY...GADSDEN AND WESTERN LEON COUNTY OF NORTH FLORIDA
CAN EXPECT GUSTY SURFACE WINDS...SMALL HAIL AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING
STRIKES AS THEY MOVE TOWARD SOUTHWEST GEORGIA.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATREMENTS OR POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.
Special weather statement, Apr 21, 5:06 PM CDT, 1 minute before
FLZ019-028-212315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
608 PM EDT THU APR 21 1994

...THIS STATEMENT IS FOR PERSONS IN NORTHERN TAYLOR AND MADISON
COUNTIES..

AT 605 PM EDT...WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG
THUNDERSTORM OVER NORTHERN TAYLOR.  THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS DRIFTING
SLOWLY NORTHWARD AT 5 MPH.  RESIDENTS IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM CAN
EXPECT LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL..FREQUENT LIGHTNING..GUSTY WINDS AND SOME
SMALL HAIL AS THIS STORM MOVES NORTH DURING THE NEXT HOUR.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR FURTHER STATEMENTS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 21, 4:24 PM CDTTornado WarningTAEEscambia36 min
Apr 21, 4:50 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAEGadsden, Leon25 min
Apr 21, 6:01 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTAELeon29 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 1994Every tornado warning in 1994Tornadoes in 1994

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.