Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1994
Tornado Warning 8, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at May 18, 1994, 5:37 PM EDT for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 68 min.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- May 18, 1994, 5:37 PM EDT (21:37 UTC)
- Expired
- May 18, 1994, 6:45 PM EDT
- In force
- 68 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, 9.6 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 1963 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -9 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 711 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 11 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- -18 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 42 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KTBW 182139 TORTBW FLC105-182245- BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL 537 PM EDT WED MAY 18 1994 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 645 PM EDT FOR PEOPLE...... IN CENTRAL FLORIDA ...WESTERN POLK COUNTY A TORNADO WAS REPORTED BY POLK EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT WEST OF LAKELAND. THTORNADO WAS MOVING TO THE EAST AT 20 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. IF YOU SEE A TORNADO... WATERSPOUT... HAIL OR DAMAGING nWIND... CALL YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF OFFICE AND ASK THEM TO RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. &
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, May 18, 2:30 PM EDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048-049-050-051-052-055-056-057-060-061-062-065-
504-505-181930-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
230 PM EDT WED MAY 18 1994
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM TONIGHT
FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...
AT 230 PM... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED OVER THE AREA
FROM TAMPA BAY EAST TO LAKE KISSIMMEE AND VERO BEACH...THEN SOUTH
OVER LAKE OKEECHOBEE TO THE NORTHERN EVERGLADES.
SOME SHOWER ACTIVITY WAS OVER THE GULF STRETCHING FROM 40 MILES
WEST OF THE MOUTH OF TAMPA BAY SOUTH TO THE COASTAL WATERS OFF VENICE.
MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.Special weather statement, May 18, 2:31 PM EDT, 3 hours 6 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048-049-050-051-052-055-056-057-060-061-062-065-
504-505-181930-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
230 PM EDT WED MAY 18 1994
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM TONIGHT
FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...
AT 230 PM... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED OVER THE AREA
FROM TAMPA BAY EAST TO LAKE KISSIMMEE AND VERO BEACH...THEN SOUTH
OVER LAKE OKEECHOBEE TO THE NORTHERN EVERGLADES.
SOME SHOWER ACTIVITY WAS OVER THE GULF STRETCHING FROM 40 MILES
WEST OF THE MOUTH OF TAMPA BAY SOUTH TO THE COASTAL WATERS OFF VENICE.
MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.Special weather statement, May 18, 3:26 PM EDT, 2 hours 11 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048-049-050-051-052-055-056-057-060-061-062-065-
504-505-182030-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
330 PM EDT WED MAY 18 1994
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM TONIGHT
FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...
AT 330 PM... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED OVER THE AREA
FROM EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AND THE LAKELAND AREA SOUTHEAST TO
NEAR AVON PARK...THEN IN AND AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE.
MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEASTERLY AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR.Special weather statement, May 18, 3:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048-049-050-051-052-055-056-057-060-061-062-065-
504-505-182030-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
330 PM EDT WED MAY 18 1994
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM TONIGHT
FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...
AT 330 PM... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WERE SCATTERED OVER THE AREA
FROM EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY AND THE LAKELAND AREA SOUTHEAST TO
NEAR AVON PARK...THEN IN AND AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE.
MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEASTERLY AT 10 TO 15 MILES AN HOUR.Special weather statement, May 18, 5:30 PM EDT, 7 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048-049-050-051-052-055-056-057-060-061-062-065-
504-505-182230-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
530 PM EDT WED MAY 18 1994
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM TONIGHT
FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...
AT 530 PM... STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING WERE SCATTERED OVER THE INTERIOR OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA
MAINLY FROM POLK COUNTY SOUTH TO THE NORTHERN EVERGLADES IN HENDRY COUNTY.
OTHER ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED BETWEEN SANFORD AND ORLANDO...
AND AROUND INVERNESS ION NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA.
MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEASTERLY AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.Special weather statement, May 18, 5:31 PM EDT, 6 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048-049-050-051-052-055-056-057-060-061-062-065-
504-505-182230-
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT AND RADAR SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
530 PM EDT WED MAY 18 1994
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM TONIGHT
FOR MUCH OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...
AT 530 PM... STRONG THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING VERY HEAVY RAIN AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING WERE SCATTERED OVER THE INTERIOR OF CENTRAL AND SOUTH FLORIDA
MAINLY FROM POLK COUNTY SOUTH TO THE NORTHERN EVERGLADES IN HENDRY COUNTY.
OTHER ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WERE LOCATED BETWEEN SANFORD AND ORLANDO...
AND AROUND INVERNESS ION NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA.
MOVEMENT WAS SOUTHEASTERLY AlT 15 MILES AN HOUR.The office that day
Everything else NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 9:53 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Manatee, Sarasota | 67 min |
| May 18, 12:55 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hillsborough | 65 min |
| May 18, 3:43 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hardee, Highlands | 62 min |
| May 18, 4:17 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Polk | 58 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.