Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 76, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 20, 1998, 12:54 PM EST for Manatee County, Sarasota County, Florida. It was in force for 61 min. 2 reports 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
- Mar 20, 1998, 12:54 PM EST (17:54 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 20, 1998, 1:55 PM EST
- In force
- 61 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tampa Bay, FL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Manatee County, FL, Sarasota County, FL
The radar
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 42 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:55 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
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 1:03 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Sarasota, FL | Thunderstorm winds damaged pool cages of six homes near the intersection of State Road 72 and County Road 773 (Beneva Road). |
| Mar 20, 1:12 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Myakka City, FL | Thunderstorm winds downed several power lines two miles east of the intersection of State Road 70 and County Road 675. |
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.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 12:30 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Watch | SPC | 7 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 42 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 750 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -84 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 659 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 46 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 245 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 277 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 5.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
862 WUUS1 KTBW 201755 RRA SVRTBW FLC081-115-201855- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1254 PM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 155 PM EST FOR ...SOUTHERN MANATEE COUNTY ...NORTHERN SARASOTA COUNTY AT 1252 PM EST... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR IN RUSKIN INDICATED A DEVELOPING SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES WEST OF MYAKKA CITY MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH. THIS SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... MYAKKA CITY AROUND 1255 PM EST MYAKKA HEAD AROUND 110 PM EST 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 Mar 20, 9:15 AM EST, 3 hours 39 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 9:15 AM EST, 3 hours 39 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN, FL 915 AM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 DRIER ATMOSPHERIC AIR ALOFT HAS ENTERED THE REGION AS EXPECTED. AS STATED BY SPC...CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR THE RISK FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TODAY DUE TO PRESENCE OF LEFT FRONT QUADRANT OF UPPER JET ALONG WITH SUFFICIENT INSTABILITY...AND DRY AIR AT MID AND UPPER LEVELS. BECAUSE OF THE DRIER AIR ALOFT AND LOWER PRECIPITABLE WATER LEVELS...WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAIN NOT EXPECTED. BUT DUE TO THE CONVECTIVE POTENTIAL...LOCALLY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE. THEREFORE... FLOOD WATCH IN ORDER ESPECIALLY CONSIDERING THE PRESENT FLOODING SITUATION IN SOME OF OUR COUNTIES. NOT PLANNING ANY UPDATES TO THE CURRENT PUBLIC ZONE FORECAST PACKAGE. MILLER
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 12:40 PM EST, 14 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-210000- WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1240 PM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM THIS EVENING FOR MOST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INCLUDING PASCO... PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...POLK...MANATEE...HARDEE...SARASOTA... DESOTO...HIGHLANDS...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE COUNTIES... ...FLOOD WATCH ALSO IN EFFECT TODAY FOR MOST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INCLUDING THE COUNTIES OF CITRUS...SUMTER... HERNANDO...PASCO...PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...POLK...MANATEE... HARDEE...HIGHLANDS...SARASOTA...DESOTO...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE... ...URBAN FLOOD ADVISORIES IN EFFECT FOR MANY COUNTIES ACROSS WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS IN EFFECT FOR ALL FORECASTED RIVERS AND CREEKS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA... ATMOSPHERIC INGREDIENTS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THIS AFTERNOON. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING ...POSSIBLE BRIEF WATERSPOUTS OR TORNADOES...AND LOCALLY HEAVY DOWN- POURS OF RAIN. RESIDENTS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND PREPARE TO TAKE COVER IF NECESSARY. BOATERS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN IN PORT. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN DRIVING. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE ACROSS A WATER-COVERED ROADWAY. ALREADY SATURATED GROUND...FULL DRAINAGE DITCHES...AND HIGH RIVER AND CREEK LEVELS...WILL SET THE STAGE FOR A SIGNIFICANT FLOODING THREAT WHEN ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS RECEIVED. RESIDENTS LIVING NEAR FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE POSSIBLE ONSET OF FLOODING AND PREPARE TO SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF NECESSARY...OR IF EVACUATIONS ARE ORDERED BY LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. ADDITIONAL DATA ON RIVER FLOODING IS CONTAINED IN A SEPARATE FLOOD STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA OFFICE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL TV/RADIO OR CABLE TV FOR ADDTIONAL STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS LATER TODAY. MILLER
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 12:40 PM EST, 14 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-210000- WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1240 PM EST FRI MAR 20 1998 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IN EFFECT UNTIL 700 PM THIS EVENING FOR MOST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INCLUDING PASCO... PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...POLK...MANATEE...HARDEE...SARASOTA... DESOTO...HIGHLANDS...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE COUNTIES... ...FLOOD WATCH ALSO IN EFFECT TODAY FOR MOST OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA INCLUDING THE COUNTIES OF CITRUS...SUMTER... HERNANDO...PASCO...PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...POLK...MANATEE... HARDEE...HIGHLANDS...SARASOTA...DESOTO...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE... ...URBAN FLOOD ADVISORIES IN EFFECT FOR MANY COUNTIES ACROSS WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA... ...RIVER FLOOD WARNINGS IN EFFECT FOR ALL FORECASTED RIVERS AND CREEKS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA... ATMOSPHERIC INGREDIENTS ARE FAVORABLE FOR SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA THIS AFTERNOON. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE HAIL...DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING ...POSSIBLE BRIEF WATERSPOUTS OR TORNADOES...AND LOCALLY HEAVY DOWN- POURS OF RAIN. RESIDENTS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN ALERT FOR THREATENING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND PREPARE TO TAKE COVER IF NECESSARY. BOATERS ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN IN PORT. MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO EXERCISE EXTREME CAUTION WHEN DRIVING. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE ACROSS A WATER-COVERED ROADWAY. ALREADY SATURATED GROUND...FULL DRAINAGE DITCHES...AND HIGH RIVER AND CREEK LEVELS...WILL SET THE STAGE FOR A SIGNIFICANT FLOODING THREAT WHEN ADDITIONAL RAINFALL IS RECEIVED. RESIDENTS LIVING NEAR FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD REMAIN ALERT FOR THE POSSIBLE ONSET OF FLOODING AND PREPARE TO SEEK HIGHER GROUND IF NECESSARY...OR IF EVACUATIONS ARE ORDERED BY LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT. ADDITIONAL DATA ON RIVER FLOODING IS CONTAINED IN A SEPARATE FLOOD STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA OFFICE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL TV/RADIO OR CABLE TV FOR ADDTIONAL STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS LATER TODAY. MILLER
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 19, 11:04 PM EST | Flash Flood Warning | TBW | Sarasota | 6 hr |
| Mar 20, 11:14 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Manatee | 51 min |
| Mar 20, 1:54 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hardee, Highlands, Polk | 46 min |
| Mar 20, 2:45 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Highlands | 35 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.