Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 77, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 20, 1998, 1:54 PM EST for Hardee County, Highlands County, Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 46 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, 1:54 PM EST (18:54 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 20, 1998, 2:40 PM EST
- In force
- 46 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tampa Bay, FL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Hardee County, FL, Highlands County, FL, Polk County, FL
The radar
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 78 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:55 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, 2:15 PM EST | Hail 0.75 | Wauchula, FL | Dime sized hail was reported by the Hardee County Public Works Division along State Road 64 in northeast Hardee county. |
| Mar 20, 2:49 PM EST | Hail 1.75 | Sebring, FL | Golfball sized hail was reported by the Highlands County Emergency Management. |
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, 6.9 hours before the alert went out and 78 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
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 Tampa Bay, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 20, 1:45 PM EST, 9 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 20, 1:45 PM EST, 9 minutes before
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</html>In the hours before
Special weather statement, Mar 20, 12:40 PM EST, 1 hour 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, 1 hour 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, 12:54 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Manatee, Sarasota | 61 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.