Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1996

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

May 3, 1996Manatee County, Sarasota County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 3, 1996, 7:10 PM EDT for Manatee County, Sarasota County, Florida. It was in force for 35 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 3, 1996, 7:10 PM EDT (23:10 UTC)
Expired
May 3, 1996, 7:45 PM EDT
In force
35 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Manatee County, FL, Sarasota County, FL

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 42 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:10 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 3, 7:20 PM EDTHail 0.75Bradenton, FL

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The nearest sounding before it

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 42 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 1996-05-03Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1699 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 1996-05-03The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 49 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1699 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
599 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
22 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
49 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
65 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
2.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

The text of this product is not in the archive. The NWS text archive before 2002 is incomplete.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Tampa Bay, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 3, 2:03 PM EDT, 5 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 3, 2:03 PM EDT, 5 hours 7 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN, FL
202 PM EDT FRI MAY 03 1996

88D ALREADY SHOWING CONVEC BUILDING ALONG THE CST OVR S FA AND ALSO
NEAR BRADENTON ALONG WK SEABRZ BNDRY. SAT LOOP REVEALS EAST CST SEABRZ
AND OUTFLO BNDRYS MOVING WEST AND WILL ADD TO FUN LATER THIS AFTN AND
EVENING AS THEY COLLIDE WITH WEST CST SEABRZ. TPA HAS GONE OVR TO BAY
BRZ AND WILL GO OVR TO TRUE SEABRZ BEFORE 4PM. EXPECT A BUSY LATE AFTN
AND EVENING WITH HEAVY RAINFALL PROBABLY THE BIGGEST PROBLEM...
ESPECIALLY S OF TAP...SINCE VWP AND SNDG SHOWING NO FLOW UP TO 15KFT.
SFC RDG FCST TO STAY OVER N FL. GENERALLY EASTERLY FLOW WITH AFTN WEST
CST SEABRZS THROUGH THE PERIOD. WITH DEEP MOISTURE...MODERATE
INSTABILITY AND SEABRZ FORCING....EXPECT CHC OF AFTN SHWS/TSTMS
THROUGH THE WEEKEND. POPS CONTINUE TO LOOK TOO LOW IN THE
FWC...ESPECIALLY FOR FMY. SUGGEST CONTINUING TREND IN CURRENT FCST AND
KEEP 30-40% S FA AND 30% CENTRAL FA.

MOHRALES

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 3, 5:23 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWDeSoto52 min
May 3, 5:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWDeSoto54 min
May 3, 6:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHighlands52 min
May 3, 6:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHendry52 min
May 3, 6:37 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHillsborough38 min
May 3, 7:22 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHillsborough53 min
May 3, 7:36 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWPasco69 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Florida, 1996Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1996

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.