Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 35, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Mar 1, 1998, 12:53 AM EST for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 47 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 1, 1998, 12:53 AM EST (05:53 UTC)
- Expired
- Mar 1, 1998, 1:40 AM EST
- In force
- 47 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tampa Bay, FL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Polk County, FL
The radar
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 74 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:53 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 1, 1:00 AM EST | Tornado F0 | Mulberry, FL | A short-lived and weak tornado was reported on State Road 37 along the Polk-Hardee county line by a Skywarn Spotter. |
| Mar 1, 1:15 AM EST | Hail 0.75 | Ft Meade, FL | Dime sized hail was reported on Laurel Road by the Ft Meade Police Department. |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 28, 8:30 PM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 00:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 74 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
- 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
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
751 WFUS1 KTBW 010554 RRA TORTBW FLC105-010640- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1253 AM EST SUN MAR 1 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A...TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 140 AM EST FOR ...SOUTHERN POLK COUNTY AT 1251 AM EST... NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR IN RUSKIN INDICATED A TORNADO NEAR THE JUST NORTH OF THE POLK HARDEE COUNTY LINE BETWEEN HIGHWAYS 37 AND FORT GREEN ROAD. THE STORM IS MOVING EAST AT 30 TO 35 MPH. A DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED TORNADO MEANS THAT THERE IS STRONG ROTATION WITHIN A STORM. THE STORM MAY NOT BE PRODUCING A TORNADO AT THE MOMENT...BUT WILL LIKELY DURING THE WARNING PERIOD. THE STORM MAY ALSO INCLUDE HAIL AND DAMAGING STRAIGHT LINE WIND. THOSE IN THE PATH OF THE STORM ARE ADVISED TO TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY.
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this tornado 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 tornado warning went out at Feb 28, 7:48 PM EST, 5 hours 5 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Feb 28, 7:48 PM EST, 5 hours 5 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
Local storm report, Feb 28, 10:05 PM EST, 2 hours 48 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1005 PM EST SAT FEB 28 1998
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
853 PM NEW PORT RICHEY FL 0.75 IN HAIL
2/28/98 PASCO DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
SKYWARN STORM SPOTTER.
858 PM NEW PORT RICHEY FL WIND DAMAGE
2/28/98 PASCO ROOF AND SHINGLE DAMAGE TO
A SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING
NEAR COUNTY ROAD 587 AND
COUNTY ROAD 1.
913 PM 14ENE NEW PORT RICHEY FL 0.75 IN HAIL
2/28/98 PASCO DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
SKYWARN STORM SPOTTER.
.
ZALESKILocal storm report, Feb 28, 10:05 PM EST, 2 hours 48 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1005 PM EST SAT FEB 28 1998
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
853 PM NEW PORT RICHEY FL 0.75 IN HAIL
2/28/98 PASCO DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
SKYWARN STORM SPOTTER.
858 PM NEW PORT RICHEY FL WIND DAMAGE
2/28/98 PASCO ROOF AND SHINGLE DAMAGE TO
A SINGLE FAMILY DWELLING
NEAR COUNTY ROAD 587 AND
COUNTY ROAD 1.
913 PM 14ENE NEW PORT RICHEY FL 0.75 IN HAIL
2/28/98 PASCO DIME SIZE HAIL REPORTED BY
SKYWARN STORM SPOTTER.
.
ZALESKISpecial weather statement, Feb 28, 11:43 PM EST, 1 hour 10 minutes before
FLZ042-043-048-049-010545- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1143 PM EST SAT FEB 28 1998 ...TORNADO WATCH CANCELLED FOR CITRUS...SUMTER...HERNANDO... AND PASCO COUNTIES... THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS MOVED TO A POSIITON FROM ORLANDO TO ST. PETERSBURG. THE THREAT FOR TORNADOES IS NOW SOUTH OF CITRUS...SUMTER ...HERNANDO...AND PASCO COUNTIES.
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 28, 8:24 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Pasco | 51 min |
| Feb 28, 9:07 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hernando | 48 min |
| Feb 28, 9:14 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Pasco | 46 min |
| Feb 28, 11:35 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hillsborough | 45 min |
| Mar 1, 12:28 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hillsborough | 47 min |
| Mar 1, 12:42 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Polk | 63 min |
| Mar 1, 1:01 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hardee | 49 min |
| Mar 1, 3:49 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Citrus | 31 min |
| Mar 1, 5:04 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Manatee, Sarasota | 61 min |
| Mar 1, 5:29 AM EST | Tornado Warning | TBW | Manatee | 31 min |
| Mar 1, 5:36 AM EST | Tornado Warning | TBW | Manatee, Sarasota | 34 min |
| Mar 1, 6:11 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Manatee, Sarasota | 44 min |
| Mar 1, 7:12 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Charlotte | 48 min |
| Mar 1, 8:23 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Lee | 47 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Florida, 1998Every tornado warning in 1998Tornadoes 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.