Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 1998
Tornado Warning 65, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Sep 25, 1998, 9:52 AM EDT for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 48 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named.
The facts
- Issued
- Sep 25, 1998, 9:52 AM EDT (13:52 UTC)
- Expired
- Sep 25, 1998, 10:40 AM EDT
- In force
- 48 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 13:53 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.
The nearest sounding before it
Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 1.9 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
- 324 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -64 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 920 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 9 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 6 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 37 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 0.0
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 TTAA00 KTBW 251352 RRA TORTBW FLC105-251440- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 952 AM EDT FRI SEP 25 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... POLK COUNTY IN CENTRAL FLORIDA * UNTIL 1040 AM EDT * AT 950 AM EDT...A TORNADO IN THE EXTREME SOUTHEAST CORNER OF POLK COUNTY...WAS INDICATED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR IN RUSKIN...MOVING NORTHWEST 40 MPH. * THIS STORM IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR... LAKE WALES AROUND 1025 AM EDT 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. NASH/ZALESKI
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 25, 2:55 AM EDT, 6 hours 57 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Sep 25, 2:55 AM EDT, 6 hours 57 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA/RUSKIN, FL 250 AM EDT THU SEP 24 1998 CURRENTLY...PRETTY QUIET ON THE 88D. ONE E-W BAND OF SHWS OVER THE S FA...WHICH SEEMS TO BE ON THE EXTREME NORTHERN FRINGE OF "GEORGES". WINDS ACROSS THE FA ARE STILL RELATIVELY LIGHT... AVERAGING 8-12KTS FROM ENE...EXCEPT HIGHER OVER THE GULF WATERS. FCST...LATEST ADVISORIES FROM NHC BRING TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS INTO EXTREME S FA AFTER SUNRISE THIS MORNING...AND BY EARLY AFTN IN THE TPA AREA. TOO EARLY TO TELL IF THIS WILL PAN OUT...BUT LOOKING AT LATEST 88D LOOP FROM KEY WEST SEEMS TO SHOW THAT "GEORGES" FOLLOWING PRETTY CLOSELY TO NHC FCST SO FAR. IN FACT...STRONGER BANDS ON N SIDE OF HURRICANE BEGINNING TO APPROACH THE KEYS. EXPECT DETERIORATION OF CONDITIONS THRU THE DAY FROM SOUTH TO NORTH. LATEST SOUNDING DATA SHOWING 30-35 KTS OF WIND AT 1K FT...AND LIKELY TO SEE STRONGEST WINDS THIS MORNING AND AFTN AS SHWS/TSMS MIX STRONGER WIND DOWN. WITH SFC WINDS OF ONLY 8-12KTS...HAVE PUT WIND SHEAR IN TAFS. IF GEORGES CONTINUES TO MOVE AS FCST ON WNW TRACK...THERE WILL BE A BETTER CHC FOR RAINFALL TOTALS TO BE LOWER THAN PREV EXPECTED. TOTALS FOR TODAY MAY BE MORE ON ORDER OF 2 TO 4 INCHES...WITH ISOLD HIGHER VALUES. FLOOD WATCH WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH TODAY FOR ALL OF FA. COASTAL FLOODING SHOULD NOT BE A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH SURGE VALUES OF 5 TO 7 FT POSSIBLE IN LEE TONIGHT...TO 3 TO 5 FT IN THE TPA AREA EARLY SAT MORNING. IF STORM DECIDES TO MOVE MORE NNW THAN WNW...THEN STRONGER WINDS AND HIGHER SURGES WOULD BE POSSIBLE. STAY TUNED. SUGGEST CAT POPS TODAY AND TONIGHT OVER S FA...LIKELY CENT AND NORTH... BECOMING CAT TONIGHT. AGAIN...FCST HINGES VERY STRONGLY ON EXACT TRACK OF THE HURRICANE. MAYBE BEST WAY TO HANDLE WINDS TODAY WOULD BE TO HAVE GUST VALUES OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE AND HURRICANE FORCE IN THE RESPECTIVE WARNING AREAS...BUT LOWER SUSTAINED VALUES. MORALES
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Sep 25, 5:42 AM EDT, 4 hours 10 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-252100- WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 542 AM EDT FRI SEP 25 1998 ...HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR SARASOTA...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE COUNTIES... ...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR HERNANDO...PASCO... PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...AND MANATEE COUNTIES... ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR LEVY AND CITRUS COUNTIES... ...INLAND HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT FOR SUMTER...POLK... HARDEE...DE SOTO...AND HIGHLANDS COUNTIES... ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY FOR ALL AREAS... HURRICANE GEORGES IS CONTINUING TO STRENGTHEN THIS MORNING AS IT MOVES WEST-NORTHWEST TO NORTHWEST TOWARD THE FLORIDA KEYS. WINDS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT. MONITOR THE LATEST HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN AND ADVISORIES FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION CONCERNING GEORGES. IN ADDITION TO THE STRONG WINDS...GEORGES WILL BRING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL TO PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS LIKELY OVER SOUTHWEST SECTIONS. ALL OF THE AREA REMAINS UNDER A FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SATURDAY...AND PERSONS LIVING IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO MAKE PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS FLOODING SITUATION. AS WITH ALL HURRICANES...ANOTHER CONCERN WITH GEORGES IS THE RISK OF ISOLATED TORNADOES. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A TORNADO WATCH MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT. HURRICANE GEORGES IS A DANGEROUS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. PREPARATIONS TO SECURE LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED. PAYLOR
Special weather statement, Sep 25, 5:42 AM EDT, 4 hours 10 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-252100- WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 542 AM EDT FRI SEP 25 1998 ...HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FOR SARASOTA...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE COUNTIES... ...TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR HERNANDO...PASCO... PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...AND MANATEE COUNTIES... ...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT FOR LEVY AND CITRUS COUNTIES... ...INLAND HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH TONIGHT FOR SUMTER...POLK... HARDEE...DE SOTO...AND HIGHLANDS COUNTIES... ...FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY FOR ALL AREAS... HURRICANE GEORGES IS CONTINUING TO STRENGTHEN THIS MORNING AS IT MOVES WEST-NORTHWEST TO NORTHWEST TOWARD THE FLORIDA KEYS. WINDS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT. MONITOR THE LATEST HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TAMPA BAY-RUSKIN AND ADVISORIES FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER FOR SPECIFIC INFORMATION CONCERNING GEORGES. IN ADDITION TO THE STRONG WINDS...GEORGES WILL BRING VERY HEAVY RAINFALL TO PORTIONS OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...WITH THE HEAVIEST AMOUNTS LIKELY OVER SOUTHWEST SECTIONS. ALL OF THE AREA REMAINS UNDER A FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SATURDAY...AND PERSONS LIVING IN FLOOD PRONE AREAS SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO MAKE PREPARATIONS TO PROTECT LIFE AND PROPERTY. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS FLOODING SITUATION. AS WITH ALL HURRICANES...ANOTHER CONCERN WITH GEORGES IS THE RISK OF ISOLATED TORNADOES. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT A TORNADO WATCH MAY BE NEEDED ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT. HURRICANE GEORGES IS A DANGEROUS DEVELOPING WEATHER SITUATION. PREPARATIONS TO SECURE LIFE AND PROPERTY SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN COMPLETED. PAYLOR
The office that day
Everything else NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 25, 8:59 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Polk | 46 min |
| Sep 25, 10:40 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Polk | 35 min |
| Sep 25, 11:46 AM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Pasco | 49 min |
| Sep 25, 1:12 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Pasco | 43 min |
| Sep 25, 1:21 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Polk | 49 min |
| Sep 25, 2:20 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | DeSoto | 25 min |
| Sep 25, 2:23 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Charlotte | 37 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; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.