Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 55, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Sep 2, 1998, 3:31 PM EDT for Hernando County, Florida. It was in force for 29 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
- Sep 2, 1998, 3:31 PM EDT (19:31 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 2, 1998, 4:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 29 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 19:30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 4:06 PM EDT | Tornado F1 | Brooksville, FL | A tornado, associated with an outer band of Hurricane Earl, touched down and caused minor to moderate roof and shingle damage to three single family homes, two additional homes under construction, and snapped several large branches near the intersection of Cou |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 3:00 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 8 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 7.5 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 207 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -81 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1215 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 42 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 93 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 89 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
964 WFUS1 KTBW 021930 RRA TORTBW FLC053-GMZ850-022000- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 331 PM EDT WED SEP 2 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... HERNANDO COUNTY INCLUDING THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS * UNTIL 400 PM EDT * AT 328 PM...A TORNADO WAS INDICATED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR NEAR BAYPORT...WEST OF US HWY 19. THE TORNADO WAS MOVING TO THE NORTHEAST AT 25 MPH. A DOPPLER RADAR DETECTED TORNADO MEANS A TORNADO MAY NOT BE OCCURRING AT THE MOMENT...BUT WILL LIKELY DO SO DURING THE WARNING PERIOD. TAKE COVER IN A STURDY BUILDING. MOBILE HOMES AND CARS ARE NOT SAFE.
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 Sep 2, 2:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 2, 2:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA / RUSKIN FL 220 PM EDT WED SEP 2 1998 CURRENTLY...88D SHOWING TWO SEPARATE REGIMES OF WX GOING ON. A LARGE AREA OF SHWS/TSTMS...ORIENTED NE/SW OVER THE N FA HAS BEEN IN PLACE SINCE LAST NIGHT...WHICH HAS BECMG AN EXTENSION OF THE MAIN RAIN BAND IN NE QUAD OF EARL. MORE SCT CONVECTION HAS BEEN DEVELOPING SOUTH OF THIS AREA OVER THE CENT AND S FA. CONDITIONS HAVE BEEN BECMG MORE CONDUCIVE FOR ISOLD TORNADOES...AND HAVE JUST ISSUED TOR FOR HARDEE. AT THE SFC...WINDS HAVE BEEN INCREASING FROM THE ESE NORTH OF TPA...AND SSW SOUTH OF TPA. THIS HAS SET UP A SHEAR/CONFLUENT ZONE OVER SCENT FA... WHICH MAY BECMG FOCUSING AREA FOR ISOLD SVR/TORS. FCST...ALTHO IT'S A MUTE POINT TO DISCUS MODEL DIFFERENCES WITH EARL... IT IS INTERESTING TO NOTE THAT THE NGM SEEMS TO BE THE ONLY MODEL THAT PREDICTS A CONTINUED NE PROGRESSION INTO THE PANHANDLE AND S GA BY THU...IN LINE WITH NHC'S FORECAST. ETA AND AVN ARE MUCH SLOWER...WITH THE AVN ACTUALLY KEEPING THE STORM STILL SOUTH OF LA THRU 60 HRS. TIDES HAVE NOT BEEN GOING DOWN...AND ARE RUNNING ABT 1-1.5 FT ABV NORM. SEE LATEST HLS FOR SPECIFIC SURGE FORECASTS. EXPECT TIDE LEVELS TO CONTINUE RISING OVER NIGHT. TS WARNING COVERS TIDAL EFFECTS FROM LEVY COUNTY TO PASCO...COASTAL FLOOD WATCH STILL IN PLACE FROM PINELLAS CO TO SARASOTA. RAINFALL...MAY NEED TO ADD FLOOD WATCH FOR TONIGHT FOR HERNANDO SUMTER NORTH. CAT POPS TONIGHT OVER N FA WITH EMBEDDED TSTMS...LIKELY CENT AND SOUTH. ON THU...LIKELY N FA WITH GOOD CHC/LIKELY REST OF FA. USING NHC FCST...EXPECT WINDS TO REMAIN RATHER GUSTY TONIGHT...ESPEC OVER GULF WATERS...WHERE GUST OF 40 TO 50 KTS NOT OUT OF THE QU ESTIONS OFSHR AND NE GULF WATERS. WINDS SHUD GRAD DECREASE LATER ON THU AS THEY VEER TO MORE SW. MORALES
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Sep 2, 12:22 PM EDT, 3 hours 9 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-022100- WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1222 PM EDT WED SEP 2 1998 ...ISOLATED TORNADOES POSSIBLE TODAY FROM TAMPA BAY NORTH... ...SLOWLY RISING TIDES EXPECTED LATER TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT... A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EASTERN AND NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO ALONG THE EASTERN EDGE OF HURRICANE EARL...HAS BEEN INCREASING IN AREA AND STRENGTH. A LINE OF STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE RAIN AREA WAS LOCATED OVER THE NORTHEASTERN GULF AT 1215 PM EDT. WITHIN THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...CONDITIONS MAY BECOME FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED WATERSPOUTS. IF THIS LINE HOLDS TOGETHER AS IT APPROACHES THE SHORE...THERE COULD ALSO BE THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY FROM LEVY COUNTY...SOUTH TO PINELLAS COUNTY. BESIDES THE THREAT OF ISOLATED TORNADOES...STRONGER STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. TIDES ALONG COASTAL LOCATIONS FROM THE SUWANNEE RIVER...SOUTH TO ENGLEWOOD ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO SLOWLY RISE. AS OF 12 PM EDT...TIDES APPEARED TO BE RUNNING ABOUT ONE TO ONE AND ONE HALF FEET ABOVE NORMAL. ALTHOUGH THE ASTRONOMICAL TIDES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FALLING TO A LOW TIDE BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...IT IS LIKELY THAT TIDES WILL LIKELY NOT FALL MUCH...AND MAY CONTINUE TO SLO2WLY RISE THROUGH THE DAY. RESIDENTS ALONG COASTAL LOCATIONS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR WATER LEVELS ALONG THE COAST...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF NECESSARY. MORALES
Special weather statement, Sep 2, 12:22 PM EDT, 3 hours 9 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-022100- WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1222 PM EDT WED SEP 2 1998 ...ISOLATED TORNADOES POSSIBLE TODAY FROM TAMPA BAY NORTH... ...SLOWLY RISING TIDES EXPECTED LATER TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT... A LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE EASTERN AND NORTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO ALONG THE EASTERN EDGE OF HURRICANE EARL...HAS BEEN INCREASING IN AREA AND STRENGTH. A LINE OF STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS EMBEDDED WITHIN THE RAIN AREA WAS LOCATED OVER THE NORTHEASTERN GULF AT 1215 PM EDT. WITHIN THIS LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...CONDITIONS MAY BECOME FAVORABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISOLATED WATERSPOUTS. IF THIS LINE HOLDS TOGETHER AS IT APPROACHES THE SHORE...THERE COULD ALSO BE THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY FROM LEVY COUNTY...SOUTH TO PINELLAS COUNTY. BESIDES THE THREAT OF ISOLATED TORNADOES...STRONGER STORMS WILL LIKELY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. TIDES ALONG COASTAL LOCATIONS FROM THE SUWANNEE RIVER...SOUTH TO ENGLEWOOD ARE ALSO EXPECTED TO SLOWLY RISE. AS OF 12 PM EDT...TIDES APPEARED TO BE RUNNING ABOUT ONE TO ONE AND ONE HALF FEET ABOVE NORMAL. ALTHOUGH THE ASTRONOMICAL TIDES ARE SUPPOSED TO BE FALLING TO A LOW TIDE BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...IT IS LIKELY THAT TIDES WILL LIKELY NOT FALL MUCH...AND MAY CONTINUE TO SLO2WLY RISE THROUGH THE DAY. RESIDENTS ALONG COASTAL LOCATIONS SHOULD CONTINUE TO MONITOR WATER LEVELS ALONG THE COAST...AND BE PREPARED TO MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND IF NECESSARY. MORALES
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2, 3:18 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Pasco | 57 min |
| Sep 2, 3:27 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Hillsborough | 18 min |
| Sep 2, 3:56 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Hernando | 34 min |
| Sep 2, 3:58 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Citrus | 47 min |
| Sep 2, 4:31 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Hernando, Sumter | 49 min |
| Sep 2, 5:20 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Sumter | 25 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.