Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Watches in 1998

Tornado Watch 882

November 4, 199815 counties in Florida

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Nov 4, 1998, 12:30 PM EST for 15 counties in Florida. It was in force for 12 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Nov 4, 1998, 12:30 PM EST (17:30 UTC)
Expired
Nov 5, 1998, 12:00 AM EST
In force
12 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center

Counties Broward County, FL, Charlotte County, FL, Collier County, FL, DeSoto County, FL, Glades County, FL, Hendry County, FL, Highlands County, FL, Indian River County, FL, Lee County, FL, Martin County, FL, Miami-Dade County, FL, Monroe County, FL, Okeechobee County, FL, Palm Beach County, FL, Saint Lucie County, FL

Warnings issued inside it

10 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Nov 4, 3:51 PM ESTTornado WarningMFLPalm Beach59 min
Nov 4, 4:39 PM ESTTornado WarningMFLMonroe46 min
Nov 4, 5:24 PM ESTTornado WarningMFLMonroe46 min
Nov 4, 6:08 PM ESTTornado WarningMFLMonroe32 min
Nov 4, 6:41 PM ESTTornado WarningMFLMonroe34 min
Nov 4, 6:53 PM ESTTornado WarningMFLMiami-Dade47 min
Nov 4, 9:31 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMFLCollier44 min
Nov 4, 10:16 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMFLCollier44 min
Nov 4, 10:58 PM ESTTornado WarningMFLCollier32 min
Nov 4, 11:43 PM ESTTornado WarningMFLBroward32 min

The nearest sounding before it

Miami, FL (KMFL), launched 12:00Z, 5.5 hours before the alert went out and 129 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, Miami, FL at 12:00Z on 1998-11-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 715 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, Miami, FL at 12:00Z on 1998-11-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 43 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
715 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-4 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
738 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
46 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
43 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
53 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.3

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

641 
WWUS9 KMKC 041654
SEL2  
MKC WW 041654
FLZ000-050500-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 882
STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
1154 AM EST WED NOV 4 1998

THE STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF

   SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA                            
   AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS

EFFECTIVE THIS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND NIGHT...FROM 1230 PM UNTIL
MIDNIGHT EST.

TORNADOES...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS TO 80 MPH...AND DANGEROUS
LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 95 STATUTE MILES EITHER SIDE OF
A LINE FROM 65 MILES SOUTH SOUTHWEST OF FORT MEYERS FLORIDA TO 15
MILES EAST OF WEST PALM BEACH 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.

DISCUSSION...THREAT FOR SUPERCELLS AND TORNADOES EXPECTED TO
INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT AS CIRCULATION OF MITCH
APPROACHES REGION FROM THE SW.  GREATEST POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT
SHOULD FOCUS IN VICINITY OF WSW/ENE-ORIENTED WARM FRONT NOW OVER
THE FAR SRN PART OF THE PENINSULA.  THIS FEATURE SHOULD MOVE SLOWLY
N THROUGH TONIGHT....WHILE UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE INCREASES AHEAD
OF MITCH.   

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH EXTREME
TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND GUSTS TO 70 KNOTS.  A FEW CUMULONIMBI
WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 500.  MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 19035.

...CORFIDI

265,0825 275,0802 252,0791 242,0813

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Florida, 1998Every tornado watch 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.