Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 21, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

February 17, 1998Hillsborough County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 17, 1998, 3:58 AM EST for Hillsborough County, Florida. It was in force for 47 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, 3:58 AM EST (08:58 UTC)
Expired
Feb 17, 1998, 4:45 AM EST
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Hillsborough County, FL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 17, 4:15 AM ESTThunderstorm WindTemple Terrace, FLThunderstorm winds damaged several windows of a home in Temple Terrace.

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 17, 3:30 AM ESTTornado WatchSPC7 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 00:00Z, 9.0 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 00:00Z on 1998-02-17Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1385 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tampa Bay, FL at 00:00Z on 1998-02-17The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 408 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
1385 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-11 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
680 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
63 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
408 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
419 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
3.3
Supercell composite
13.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

828 
WUUS1 KTBW 170859 RRA
SVRTBW
FLC057-GMZ830-170945-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
358 AM EST TUE FEB 17 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 445 AM EST FOR

...HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY

...AND INCLUDING THE TAMPA BAY WATERS

AT 355 AM EST... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR IN RUSKIN
INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER OLD TAMPA BAY STRETCHING SOUTHWARD
INTO THE MIDDLE OF TAMPA BAY.

THIS THUNDERSTORM WAS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 50 MPH AND WILL AFFECT THE
MACDILL AFB AND SOUTH TAMPA AREAS BY 410 AM...AND THEN TOWARD CLAIR-
MEL AND THEN INTO EASTERN HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY THROUGH 445 AM. THIS STORM
HAS ALREADY PRODUCED WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 55 MPH IN PINELLAS COUNTY.

A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER...
SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH
LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. REMAIN CALM...BUT BE ALERT TO RAPIDLY
CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS.

NASH

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 17, 3:36 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWPinellas44 min
Feb 17, 4:03 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWSarasota47 min
Feb 17, 4:35 AM ESTTornado WarningTBWManatee35 min
Feb 17, 4:51 AM ESTTornado WarningTBWSarasota29 min
Feb 17, 4:59 AM ESTTornado WarningTBWHardee, Polk46 min
Feb 17, 5:04 AM ESTTornado WarningTBWManatee36 min
Feb 17, 5:34 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHardee46 min
Feb 17, 6:02 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHighlands48 min
Feb 17, 9:12 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWLee48 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.