Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Watches in 1997
Tornado Watch 18
The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jan 16, 1997, 3:45 AM EST for 20 counties in Florida. It was in force for 5 hr.
The area
The outline as issued.
The facts
- Issued
- Jan 16, 1997, 3:45 AM EST (08:45 UTC)
- Expired
- Jan 16, 1997, 9:00 AM EST
- In force
- 5 hr
- Issued by
- the Storm Prediction Center
Counties Alachua County, FL, Baker County, FL, Bradford County, FL, Clay County, FL, Columbia County, FL, Dixie County, FL, Duval County, FL, Flagler County, FL, Gilchrist County, FL, Hamilton County, FL, Lafayette County, FL, Levy County, FL, Madison County, FL, Marion County, FL, Nassau County, FL, Putnam County, FL, Saint Johns County, FL, Suwannee County, FL, Taylor County, FL, Union County, FL
Warnings issued inside it
4 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16, 4:33 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAX | Columbia | 57 min |
| Jan 16, 6:10 AM EST | Tornado Warning | JAX | Clay, Saint Johns | 65 min |
| Jan 16, 6:23 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | JAX | Duval | 67 min |
| Jan 16, 6:53 AM EST | Tornado Warning | JAX | Putnam | 52 min |
The nearest sounding before it
Jacksonville, FL (KJAX), launched 00:00Z, 8.8 hours before the alert went out and 143 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
- 2 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -99 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 721 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 33 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 79 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 281 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WWUS9 KMKC 160811 MKC WW 160811 FLZ000-161400- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 18 NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KANSAS CITY MO 311 AM EST THU JAN 16 1997 A...THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A TORNADO WATCH FOR MUCH OF OF NORTH FLORIDA AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS EFFECTIVE THIS THURSDAY MORNING UNTIL 900 AM EST. TORNADOES...LARGE HAIL...DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND DAMAGING THUNDERSTORM WINDS ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS. THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 90 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES SOUTH SOUTHEAST OF CROSS CITY FLORIDA TO 30 MILES WEST NORTHWEST OF JACKSONVILLE FLORIDA. REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA. PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS. B..OTHER WATCH INFORMATION.. THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 17. WATCH NUMBER 17 WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 345 AM EST. $$ C...TORNADOES AND A FEW SVR TSTMS WITH HAIL SFC AND ALF TO 1 1/4 INCHES. EXTRM TURBC AND SFC WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS. A FEW CBS WITH MAX TOPS TO 450. MEAN WIND VECTOR 24035. D...LN OF TSTMS CONTS MOVG EWD ACRS NRN FL. ACTVTY HAS EXHIBITED EMBEDDED BOW ECHO STRUCTURES THAT PERIODICALLY EVOLVE INTO ROTATING COMMA HEADS. INSTBY IS MRGL ACRS THE REGION WITH SFC LI/S AROUND 0. HOWEVER...STRENGTH OF SHEAR PROFILE AND DRY INTRUSION AT MID LVLS SUGGEST A CONTD THREAT FOR ISOLD DAMAGING WND GUSTS AND BRIEF TORNADOES. E...OTR TSTMS... THIS WATCH REPLACES..WW 17.. ...VESCIO
SPC that day
Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 16, 12:00 AM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Holmes and 8 more | 5 hr |
Nearby
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.