Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 23, NWS Jacksonville, FL

February 17, 1998Columbia County, Gilchrist County, Suwannee County, Florida

NWS Jacksonville, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 17, 1998, 12:38 AM EST for Columbia County, Gilchrist County, Suwannee County, Florida. It was in force for 32 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
Feb 17, 1998, 12:38 AM EST (05:38 UTC)
Expired
Feb 17, 1998, 1:10 AM EST
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Jacksonville, FL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Columbia County, FL, Gilchrist County, FL, Suwannee County, FL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 17, 12:45 AM ESTThunderstorm WindLive Oak, FLMore than 15 semi-trailers were overturned. Chicken processing plant damaged. One mobile home was distroyed. Large trees and power lines were blown down.

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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Feb 16, 6:15 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC7 hr
Feb 16, 11:30 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Jacksonville, FL (KJAX), launched 00:00Z, 5.6 hours before the alert went out and 117 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, Jacksonville, FL at 00:00Z on 1998-02-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 21 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, Jacksonville, FL at 00:00Z on 1998-02-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 155 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
21 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-263 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
859 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
155 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
244 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.1

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 Jacksonville, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Feb 16, 2:55 PM EST, 9 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 16, 2:55 PM EST, 9 hours 43 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
255 PM EST MON FEB 16 1998

DISORGANIZED COMPLEX OF SFC LOWS BCM MR ORGANIZED VCNTY SRN LA TNGT
THEN RPDLY LIFTS NWE TO THE TN VALLEY TUE MRNG. WARM FNT HAS MOVED TO
THE N OF THE AREA WITH FA NOW UNDER WARM SECTOR. ASSOCD COLD FNT TO
MOVE OVR FA LTR TNGT WITH PSBL PREFNTL SQUALL TRACKING  EWD OVR AREA
IN ADVANCE OF ACTUAL FNTL PASSAGE.  LTST SATL LOOP INDICATING TOPS
COOLING ATTM IN NRN GLFMEX JUST S OF MS/LA.
U/L DIFFLUENCE CONTS ITS HOLD OVR FA AND AREA COMES UNDER FAVORABLE
QUAD OF U/L JTSTRM WNDS FOR EHNANCED UVV WITH MAJORITY OF FA UNDER MDT
RISK.
U/L PATTERN DEAMPLIFIES LATE TUE AS CUTOFF LO NOW OVR THE SRN PLAINS
LIFTS NE AND FLO OVR SRN TIER STATES BCMG ZONAL.

PRELIM
SSI WB 058/065 053/073 03851
JAX WB 060/071 052/072 03850
GNV WB 060/075 051/073 03850
.
MOBBS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 16, 7:10 PM EST, 5 hours 28 minutes before
AMZ435-450-452-454-470-472-474-FLZ020>025-030>033-035>038-040-
GAZ132>136-149>154-162>166-170500-

NORTHEAST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
710 PM EST MON FEB 16 1998

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR COFFEE...ATKINSON...ECHOLS...CLINCH...
JEFF DAVIS...CHARLTON...BACON...WARE...APPLING...PIERCE...WAYNE...
AND BRANTLEY COUNTIES OF SOUTHEAST GEORGIA UNTIL 1 AM EST...
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALACHUA...BAKER...BRADFORD...CLAY...
COLUMBIA...DUVAL...GILCHRIST...HAMILTON...MARION...NASSAU...PUTNAM...
SUWANNEE...AND UNION COUNTIES IN NORTH AND NORTHEAST FLORIDA UNTIL
1 AM EST...
...RIVER FLOODING CONTINUES ON SEVERAL RIVERS...
...FLOOD WARNINGS FOR MARION...PUTNAM...ST JOHNS AND FLAGLER
COUNTIES...
...FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA...
...GALE WARNING AND HEAVY SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT ALONG THE COAST...

TORRENTIAL RAINFALL OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE DAY HAVE PRODUCED
AMOUNTS BETWEEN 2 AND 3 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS AS HIGH
AS 6 INCHES IN HASTINGS. REPORTS FROM MARION AND PUTNAM COUNTIES
INDICATES NUMEROUS ROADS ARE CLOSED DUE TO LOCALIZED FLOODING. REPORTS
FROM SOUTHWEST ST JOHNS COUNTY INCLUDE FLOODING IN HASTINGS.

A DEVELOPING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO
WILL SPREAD ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE AREA AGAIN
DURING THE MID TO LATE EVENING. DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS
IN THE GULF OF MEXICO SOUTH OF TALLAHASSEE MOVING NORTHEAST. THESE
STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTH FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA.
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 INCHES WILL LIKLEY CAUSE ADDITIONAL
FLOODING.

SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE
AND COULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES.

SEVERAL RIVERS ACROSS SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND NORTHEAST FLORIDA
REMAIN AT OR ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL ONLY
FURTHER AGGRAVATE THE FLOODING PROBLEMS. RESIDENTS AND INTERESTS
ALONG FLOOD PRONE RIVERS SHOULD PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO FLOOD
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. DETAILS ON
THE RIVERS CURRENTLY IN FLOOD ARE CONTAINED IN RIVER FLOOD
STATEMENTS.

ON THE COASTAL WATERS... A GALE WARNING AND HEAVY SURF ADVISORY IS
IN EFFECT FROM SAVANNAH TO ST AUGUSTINE WITH A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY
IN EFFECT SOUTH OF ST AUGUSTINE.

SPOTTERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THROUGHOUT
THE EVENING.

PETERSON/MOBBS
Special weather statement, Feb 16, 7:10 PM EST, 5 hours 28 minutes before
AMZ435-450-452-454-470-472-474-FLZ020>025-030>033-035>038-040-
GAZ132>136-149>154-162>166-170500-

NORTHEAST FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSONVILLE FL
710 PM EST MON FEB 16 1998

...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR COFFEE...ATKINSON...ECHOLS...CLINCH...
JEFF DAVIS...CHARLTON...BACON...WARE...APPLING...PIERCE...WAYNE...
AND BRANTLEY COUNTIES OF SOUTHEAST GEORGIA UNTIL 1 AM EST...
...TORNADO WATCH IN EFFECT FOR ALACHUA...BAKER...BRADFORD...CLAY...
COLUMBIA...DUVAL...GILCHRIST...HAMILTON...MARION...NASSAU...PUTNAM...
SUWANNEE...AND UNION COUNTIES IN NORTH AND NORTHEAST FLORIDA UNTIL
1 AM EST...
...RIVER FLOODING CONTINUES ON SEVERAL RIVERS...
...FLOOD WARNINGS FOR MARION...PUTNAM...ST JOHNS AND FLAGLER
COUNTIES...
...FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA...
...GALE WARNING AND HEAVY SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT ALONG THE COAST...

TORRENTIAL RAINFALL OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE DAY HAVE PRODUCED
AMOUNTS BETWEEN 2 AND 3 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HEAVIER AMOUNTS AS HIGH
AS 6 INCHES IN HASTINGS. REPORTS FROM MARION AND PUTNAM COUNTIES
INDICATES NUMEROUS ROADS ARE CLOSED DUE TO LOCALIZED FLOODING. REPORTS
FROM SOUTHWEST ST JOHNS COUNTY INCLUDE FLOODING IN HASTINGS.

A DEVELOPING AREA OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO
WILL SPREAD ADDITIONAL SHOWERS AND STRONG THUNDERSTORMS INTO THE AREA AGAIN
DURING THE MID TO LATE EVENING. DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THUNDERSTORMS
IN THE GULF OF MEXICO SOUTH OF TALLAHASSEE MOVING NORTHEAST. THESE
STORMS WILL BE MOVING INTO NORTH FLORIDA AND SOUTHEAST GEORGIA.
ADDITIONAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 INCHES WILL LIKLEY CAUSE ADDITIONAL
FLOODING.

SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE
AND COULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE HAIL AND TORNADOES.

SEVERAL RIVERS ACROSS SOUTHEAST GEORGIA AND NORTHEAST FLORIDA
REMAIN AT OR ABOVE FLOOD STAGE. ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL ONLY
FURTHER AGGRAVATE THE FLOODING PROBLEMS. RESIDENTS AND INTERESTS
ALONG FLOOD PRONE RIVERS SHOULD PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO FLOOD
STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. DETAILS ON
THE RIVERS CURRENTLY IN FLOOD ARE CONTAINED IN RIVER FLOOD
STATEMENTS.

ON THE COASTAL WATERS... A GALE WARNING AND HEAVY SURF ADVISORY IS
IN EFFECT FROM SAVANNAH TO ST AUGUSTINE WITH A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY
IN EFFECT SOUTH OF ST AUGUSTINE.

SPOTTERS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE ACTIVATION THROUGHOUT
THE EVENING.

PETERSON/MOBBS
Special weather statement, Feb 17, 12:10 AM EST, 28 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Feb 17, 12:10 AM EST, 28 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
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The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 16, 7:47 PM ESTTornado WarningJAXAlachua43 min
Feb 16, 8:06 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXUnion29 min
Feb 16, 8:18 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXBaker42 min
Feb 16, 8:31 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXNassau44 min
Feb 16, 8:55 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXSuwannee45 min
Feb 16, 9:23 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXColumbia, Hamilton42 min
Feb 16, 10:57 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXColumbia, Hamilton, Suwannee48 min
Feb 16, 11:32 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXBaker48 min
Feb 16, 11:52 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXNassau48 min
Feb 17, 12:54 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXBaker, Union31 min
Feb 17, 1:18 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXDuval, Nassau47 min
Feb 17, 8:16 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXColumbia, Hamilton, Suwannee6 hr
Feb 17, 8:16 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXBaker, Duval, Nassau6 hr
Feb 17, 8:16 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXUnion6 hr
Feb 17, 8:16 AM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXClay6 hr
Feb 17, 2:25 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXAlachua, Columbia, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Suwannee, Union6 hr
Feb 17, 2:25 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXBradford, Clay, Flagler, Putnam, Saint Johns6 hr
Feb 17, 2:25 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXBaker, Duval, Nassau6 hr
Feb 17, 4:15 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXBaker, Clay, Duval, Nassau, Saint Johns6 hr
Feb 17, 4:15 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXColumbia, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Suwannee6 hr
Feb 17, 4:15 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXAlachua, Bradford, Putnam, Union6 hr
Feb 17, 4:15 PM ESTFlash Flood WarningJAXFlagler6 hr
Feb 16, 9:06 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXCamden, Glynn44 min
Feb 16, 11:13 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningJAXClinch, Echols32 min
Feb 17, 12:12 AM ESTTornado WarningJAXCamden, Charlton33 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Florida, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998

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.