Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 17, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 23, 1997, 11:59 AM EDT for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 61 min. 9 reports 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
- Apr 23, 1997, 11:59 AM EDT (15:59 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 23, 1997, 1:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 61 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tampa Bay, FL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Polk County, FL
The radar
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 74 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:02 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 12:00 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Winter Haven, FL | Thunderstorm winds damaged the door of a hanger at the Winter Haven Airport and downed numerous trees and power lines in the city of Winter Haven. |
| Apr 23, 12:10 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Lakeland, FL | Thunderstorm winds severely damaged an aluminum roof of a barbershop on South Lake Shore Way near U.S. Highway 92 in Lake Alfred. Four mobile homes suffered moderate roof damage, crumpled carports and screened porches at the Cypress Greens and Lake Alfred Mob |
| Apr 23, 12:10 PM EDT | Hail 0.75 | Lakeland, FL | |
| Apr 23, 12:45 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Winter Haven, FL | Thunderstorm winds damaged a commercial building and downed several large trees in Winter Haven. |
| Apr 23, 12:55 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Ft Meade, FL | Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and power lines along U.S. Highway 41. |
| Apr 23, 12:58 PM EDT | Hail 0.75 | Mulberry, FL | |
| Apr 23, 1:00 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Lakeland, FL | Thunderstorm winds damaged carports, knocked over signs, downed trees and power lines over southern Lakeland. |
| Apr 23, 1:05 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Lake Wales, FL | Thunderstorm winds blew down the wall of an automobile dealership under construction. |
| Apr 23, 1:05 PM EDT | Thunderstorm Wind | Frostproof, FL | Thunderstorm winds downed several trees and power lines along U.S. Highway Alternate 27. |
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 watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 8:00 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
| Apr 23, 11:45 AM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 4.0 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
- 2247 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -1 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 587 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 32 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 190 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 250 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 1.8
- Supercell composite
- 9.4
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 Apr 23, 9:52 AM EDT, 2 hours 7 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 23, 9:52 AM EDT, 2 hours 7 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY - RUSKIN, FL 948 AM EDT WED APR 23 1997 ...SHORT DISCUSSION... U/L TROF TO SWING THRU SE STATES TODAY AS COLD FRONT WEST OF TLH MOVES TO THE SE. SQUALL LINE AHEAD OF FRONT ACROSS NORTH HALF CWA WILL COVER WC FL BY NOON AND REACH SOUTH END CWA BY EARLY AFTERNOON. COLD FRONT LAGS BEHIND AND WILL BE MOVING INTO WC FL THIS AFTERNOON. ATMOS SOUTH OF FRONT UNSTABLE WITH MOISTURE EXPECTED TOl INCREASE. RKR
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 23, 6:00 AM EDT, 5 hours 59 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-504-505-231600-
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THUNDERSTORM OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
600 AM EDT WED APR 23 1997
...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY...
A LINE OF STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDED FROM JACKSONVILLE TO
25 MILES NORTHWEST OF CROSS CITY AND INTO THE NORTHEAST GULF OF
MEXICO. THE THUNDERSTORMS WERE IN ADVANCE OF A STRONG COLD FRONT
MOVING ACROSS THE PANHANDLE OF FLORIDA. THIS LINE OF STORMS WILL PUSH
SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE DAY AND WILL PUSH INTO LEVY COUNTY EARLY THIS
MORNING. THE LINE WILL MOVE INTO WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA BY LATE
MORNING...AND INTO THE FT MYERS AREA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.
THE ATMOSPHERE OVER THE PENINSULA IS VERY UNSTABLE. DOPPLER RADAR
INDICATES A STRONG LOW LEVEL JET WITH WINDS AT 1000 FT FROM THE
SOUTHWEST AT 40 TO 50 MPH FEEDING DEEP TROPICAL AIR INTO THE LINE OF
STORMS. THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY
WINDS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH...LARGE HAIL...POSSIBLE TORNADOES...VERY
HEAVY RAIN...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING.
ALL RESIDENTS AND MARINERS PLANNING OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES SHOULD STAY
ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. MARINERS MUST REACT
QUICKLY AND RETURN TO SAFE HARBOR WHEN THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES.
ALL SKYWARN STORM SPOTTERS AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICIALS ARE
ASKED TO RELAY ANY REPORTS OF ADVERSE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE IN RUSKIN.
STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS AND
POSSIBLE WARNINGS AS THE DAY PROGRESSES.
OGLESBYThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 8:08 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Levy | 52 min |
| Apr 23, 8:55 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hernando, Pasco | 65 min |
| Apr 23, 8:55 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Citrus, Levy | 65 min |
| Apr 23, 9:30 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Hernando | 45 min |
| Apr 23, 9:34 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Citrus | 41 min |
| Apr 23, 9:50 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Sumter | 40 min |
| Apr 23, 9:57 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Pasco | 63 min |
| Apr 23, 10:10 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hernando | 65 min |
| Apr 23, 10:28 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Sumter | 62 min |
| Apr 23, 10:59 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Pasco, Pinellas | 61 min |
| Apr 23, 11:03 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Pasco, Pinellas | 42 min |
| Apr 23, 11:23 AM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hillsborough | 67 min |
| Apr 23, 11:35 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Hillsborough | 40 min |
| Apr 23, 12:04 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Pinellas | 56 min |
| Apr 23, 12:26 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Hillsborough | 49 min |
| Apr 23, 12:33 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Manatee | 57 min |
| Apr 23, 12:59 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Polk | 61 min |
| Apr 23, 1:20 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hillsborough, Pinellas | 55 min |
| Apr 23, 2:05 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hardee | 55 min |
| Apr 23, 2:22 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Manatee | 53 min |
| Apr 23, 2:30 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Highlands | 60 min |
| Apr 23, 2:33 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Sarasota | 42 min |
| Apr 23, 3:12 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Manatee, Sarasota | 63 min |
| Apr 23, 3:45 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands | 60 min |
| Apr 23, 4:11 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Charlotte, Sarasota | 64 min |
| Apr 23, 4:52 PM EDT | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | DeSoto, Highlands | 68 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Florida, 1997Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1997
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.