Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1997

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 44, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

April 28, 1997Hillsborough County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 28, 1997, 11:42 AM EDT for Hillsborough County, Florida. It was in force for 48 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
Apr 28, 1997, 11:42 AM EDT (15:42 UTC)
Expired
Apr 28, 1997, 12:30 PM EDT
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Hillsborough County, FL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 28, 11:55 AM EDTTornado F0Tampa, FLA tornado touched down on 10th Street and Martin Luther King Blvd and downed several trees and power lines. The tornado continued northeast across a residential area where it caused minor roof and garage damage and downed a few trees and power lines. A small

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, 3.7 hours before the alert went out and 23 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 1997-04-28Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1286 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 1997-04-28The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 209 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1286 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
576 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
209 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
217 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.8
Supercell composite
8.2

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 Apr 28, 10:00 AM EDT, 1 hour 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 28, 10:00 AM EDT, 1 hour 42 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN, FL
955 AM EDT MON APR 28 1997

TEMPERATURES ALOFT RELATIVELY WARM THEREFORE ATMOSPHERE
IS NOT AS UNSTABLE AS IT COULD BE. LARGE AREA OF RAIN AND EMBEDDED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER GULF AND WEST COAST CONTINUES MOVING EASTERLY.
MAIN THREAT TODAY IS HEAVY RAIN WITH ANOTHER 2 TO 3 INCHES EXPECTED.
MINOR COASTAL FLOODING IS EXPECTED FROM STRONG ONSHORE WINDS. THE
GREATEST COASTAL FLOOD THREAT IS THROUGH HIGH TIDE WHICH WILL BE
AROUND 6 PM. STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR KEEPS THREAT OF ORGANIZED CONVECTION
BUT STRONG INSTABILITY IS LACKING.

03

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Apr 28, 6:14 AM EDT, 5 hours 28 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Apr 28, 6:15 AM EDT, 5 hours 27 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Apr 28, 8:35 AM EDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before
FLZ039-042-048-049-050-051-055-060-062-065-504-505-281830-

SPECIAL WEATHER AND MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
835 AM EDT MON APR 28 1997

...THREAT FOR MINOR COASTAL FLOODING EXISTS AT TIME OF HIGH TIDE...

STRONG SOUTH WINDS WILL VEER AROUND TO SOUTHWEST TODAY ALLOWING WATER TO
PILE UP ALONG THE COAST.  EXPECT TIDES TO BE ABOUT 2 FEET ABOVE WHAT YOU
WOULD EXPECT FOR A NORMAL HIGH TIDE.  HIGH TIDE WILL BE AT ...

        FT MYERS...     806 PM
        ST PETE PIER... 558 PM
        CLEARWATER...   337 PM
        OZELLO...      1107 AM
        CEDAR KEY...    528 PM

EXPECT WATER LEVELS TO REACH AT THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE...

        FT MYERS...      2 FEET ABOVE MSL
        ST PETE PIER...  3 1/2 FEET ABOVE MSL
        CLEARWATER...    3 1/2 FEET ABOVE MSL
        OZELLO...        2 1/2 FEET ABOVE MSL
        CEDAR KEY...     3 1/2 FEET ABOVE MSL

THE COMBINATION OF HIGHER WATER LEVELS AND WAVE ACTION WILL PRODUCE
SOME FLOODING OF IMMEDIATE COASTAL FLOOD PRONE AREAS.  THERE MAY BE SOME
WAVES OVER SEA WALLS AND FLOODING OF LOW LYING COASTAL ROADS.

THOSE PERSONS IN AREAS PRONE TO COASTAL FLOODING WILL NEED TO PAY CLOSE
ATTENTION TO THE RISING WATERS.  ANOTHER STATEMENT WILL BE ISSUED LATER
TODAY IF THE SITUATION WARRANTS.

SOBIEN
Special weather statement, Apr 28, 8:57 AM EDT, 2 hours 45 minutes before
FLZ039-042-048-049-050-051-055-060-062-065-504-505-281830-

SPECIAL WEATHER AND MARINE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA RUSKIN FL
250 PM EDT MON APR 28 1997

...THREAT FOR MINOR COASTAL FLOODING CONTINUES...

STRONG SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE PUSHING GULF WATERS TOWARDS THE COAST.
TIDES ARE RUNNING ABOUT 2 FEET ABOVE NORMAL THIS AFTERNOON.

HIGH TIDE WILL BE AT ...

        FT MYERS...     806 PM
        ST PETE PIER... 558 PM
        CLEARWATER...   337 PM
        FLORIDA POWER...522 PM
        CEDAR KEY...    528 PM

EXPECT WATER LEVELS AT THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE TO REACH...

        FT MYERS...      2.5 FEET ABOVE MSL
        ST PETE PIER...  3.5 FEET ABOVE MSL
        CLEARWATER...    3.5 FEET ABOVE MSL
        FLORIDA POWER... 4.0 FEET ABOVE MSL
        CEDAR KEY...     4.0 FEET ABOVE MSL

THE COMBINATION OF HIGHER WATER LEVELS AND WAVE ACTION WILL PRODUCE
SOME FLOODING OF IMMEDIATE COAST.AL FLOOD PRONE AREAS. SOME
WAVES WILL SPLASH OVER SEA WALLS AND FLOODING OF LOW LYING COASTAL
ROADS MAY OCCUR.

PEOPLE IN AREAS PRONE TO COASTAL FLOODING SHOULD PAY CLOSE
ATTENTION TO THE RISING WATERS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 28, 11:50 AM EDTTornado WarningTBWHillsborough25 min
Apr 28, 12:11 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWPasco34 min
Apr 28, 12:20 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWPolk40 min
Apr 28, 1:02 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWHardee, Polk43 min
Apr 28, 1:15 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWDeSoto, Hardee45 min
Apr 28, 1:37 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWCharlotte, Lee53 min
Apr 28, 1:39 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWHighlands66 min
Apr 28, 1:46 PM EDTTornado WarningTBWPolk59 min
Apr 28, 2:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWLee63 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.