Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 49, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

February 28, 1998Hernando County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 28, 1998, 9:07 PM EST for Hernando 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
Feb 28, 1998, 9:07 PM EST (02:07 UTC)
Expired
Feb 28, 1998, 9:55 PM EST
In force
48 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Hernando County, FL

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 95 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:08 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

TimeReportWhereRemark
Feb 28, 9:13 PM ESTHail 0.75Spring Hill, FLDime sized hail was reported near Cortez Boulevard in Spring Hill.

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 28, 8:30 PM ESTTornado WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 00:00Z, 2.1 hours before the alert went out and 95 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 1998-03-01Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1852 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 00:00Z on 1998-03-01The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 104 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 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
1852 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-8 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
516 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
56 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
104 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
136 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.9
Supercell composite
3.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
TTAA00 KTBW 010207 RRA
SVRTBW
FLC053-010255-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
907 PM EST SAT FEB 28 1998

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
EFFECTIVE UNTIL 955 PM EST FOR

...SOUTHERN AND EASTERN HERNANDO COUNTY



AT 905 PM DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IN WESTERN
PASCO AND SOUTHERN HERNANDO COUNTY. SEVERAL REPORTS OF HAIL HAVE BEEN
RECEIVED WITH THIS STORM...INCLUDING 1/2 INCH HAIL IN SPRING HILL AND
DIME SIZE HAIL IN NEW PORT RICHEY. THE STORM IS MOVING TO THE EAST
NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.


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.

BY DEFINITION...SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE WINDS OF 58 MPH OR GREATER
AND/OR DIME SIZE HAIL OR LARGER. IF THIS STORM APPROACHES YOUR
AREA...GO INDOORS AND STAY UNTIL THE STORM PASSES.

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 Feb 28, 7:48 PM EST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 7:48 PM EST, 1 hour 19 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN, FL
748 PM EST SAT FEB 28 1998

AIR MASS STILL JUICY THIS EVENING AND TSTORMS HAVE REFIRED IN THE
EASTERN GULF. WATER VAPOR SHOWS NEXT UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE
ENTERING THE WESTERN GULF WHICH SHOULD PRODUCE ENOUGH LIFT OVERNIGHT
TO CONTINUE THE ACTIVITY. I WILL UP THE POPS SHORTLY AS THE
WEATHER APPROACHES THE COAST...ESPECIALLY TAMPA NORTHWARD.

UNFORTUANTELY...THIS MEANS MORE RAIN. URBAN FLOOD ADVISORIES
MAY AGAIN BE NEEDED...ESPECIALLY IN PASCO COUNTY WHERE OVER 2 INCHES
OF RAIN FELL IN SOME PARTS EARLIER TODAY.

SEVERE WEATHER MAY ALSO BECOME A THREAT AS THE ATMOSPHERE IS QUITE
UNSTABLE WITH AFOS 00Z MODIFIED SWEAT AT 609. WINDS ARE NOT
SPECTACULAR BUT ARE VEERING NONETHELESS AND PERSISTENCE DEMANDS
CAUTION. THIS WILL BE WATCHED CLOSELY.

THANKS FOR THE DISC SPC.

ALSHEIMER

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Feb 28, 3:35 PM EST, 5 hours 32 minutes before
FLZ052-055>057-060>062-282100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
335 PM EST SAT FEB 28 1998

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR POLK...HARDEE...DESOTO...HIGHLANDS...
   MANATEE...SARASOTA...AND CHARLOTTE COUNTIES HAS BEEN CANCELLED...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ISSUED AT 1040 AM EST HAS BEEN CANCELLED
FOR POLK...HARDEE...DESOTO...HIGHLANDS...MANATEE...SARASOTA...AND
CHARLOTTE COUNTIES.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED OUT OF THE AREA AND ARE NOT EXPECTED
TO REDEVELOP THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON HOURS.

MCMICHAEL
Local storm report, Feb 28, 3:37 PM EST, 5 hours 30 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
337 PM EST SAT FEB 28 1998

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

824  AM    CRYSTAL RIVER             FL   0.75 IN HAIL
2/28/98    CITRUS                         DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
                                          SKYWARN STORM SPOTTER.

930  AM    PORT RICHEY               FL   0.75 IN HAIL
2/28/98    PASCO                          DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
                                          SKYWARN STORM SPOTTER.

939  AM    PORT RICHEY               FL   0.88 IN HAIL
2/28/98    PASCO                          NICKLE SIZE HAIL REPORTED
                                          SKYWARN STORM SPOTTER.

1157 AM    WINTER HAVEN              FL   WIND DAMAGE
2/28/98    POLK                           2 TREES BLOWN DOWN ON
                                          14TH STREET AND LAKE LINK
                                          ROAD S.E. IN WINTER HAVEN.
                                          REPORTED BY WINTER HAVEN
                                          SHERIFFS OFFICE.

MCMICHAEL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 28, 8:24 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWPasco51 min
Feb 28, 9:14 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWPasco46 min
Feb 28, 11:35 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHillsborough45 min
Mar 1, 12:28 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHillsborough47 min
Mar 1, 12:42 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWPolk63 min
Mar 1, 12:53 AM ESTTornado WarningTBWPolk47 min
Mar 1, 1:01 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHardee49 min
Mar 1, 3:49 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWCitrus31 min
Mar 1, 5:04 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWManatee, Sarasota61 min
Mar 1, 5:29 AM ESTTornado WarningTBWManatee31 min
Mar 1, 5:36 AM ESTTornado WarningTBWManatee, Sarasota34 min
Mar 1, 6:11 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWManatee, Sarasota44 min
Mar 1, 7:12 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWCharlotte48 min
Mar 1, 8:23 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWLee47 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; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.