Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2003

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Melbourne, FL

March 19, 2003Volusia County, Florida

NWS Melbourne, FL issued this tornado warning at Mar 19, 2003, 7:13 PM EST for Volusia County, Florida. It was in force for 32 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Mar 19, 2003, 7:13 PM EST (00:13 UTC)
Expired: Mar 19, 2003, 7:45 PM EST
In force: 32 min
Issued by: NWS Melbourne, FL
Area: Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Volusia County, FL

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 105 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 00:16 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

Cape Canaveral, FL (KXMR), launched 00:00Z, 0.2 hours before the alert went out and 77 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.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 3048 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -16 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 701 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 126 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 130 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 2.7
Supercell composite: 9.7

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

328 
WFUS52 KMLB 200013
TORMLB
FLC127-200045-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
713 PM EST WED MAR 19 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  VOLUSIA COUNTY
  IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA

* UNTIL 745 PM EST

* AT 713 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A TORNADO 5 MILES NORTHEAST OF OSTEEN...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE STORM IS EXPECTED TO CROSS RURAL VOLUSIA COUNTY AND CROSS I-95 
WEST OF EDGEWATER THROUGH 745 PM

THE IMMEDIATE DANGER OF A TORNADO IS HIGH. VOLUSIA COUNTY EMO HAS AN 
UNCONFIRMED REPORT OF A TORNADO TOUCHING DOWN IN NORTHEAST DELTONA.
THIS STORM ALSO HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING WIND DAMAGE AND LARGE 
HAIL.

PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM ARE URGED TO QUICKLY PREPARE FOR 
ITS APPROACH. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION ACT NOW AS SECONDS CAN 
SAVE LIVES

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS IN A STRONG
BUILDING ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A
BATHROOM OR CLOSET. KEEP AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF NECESSARY...GET UNDER
A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE. USE BLANKETS OR
PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY. ABANDON YOUR MOBILE HOME OR RV FOR MORE
SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...GET INTO AN
UNFLOODED DITCH OR LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS AND
ARMS. ABANDON YOUR VEHICLE IF THE TORNADO IS NEARBY.

TORNADOES AT NIGHT ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE. WATCH FOR THE POPPING OF
ELECTRIC LINES AND TRANSFORMERS OR LISTEN FOR THE SOUND OF LOUD
RUMBLING AS THAT OF AN APPROACHING FREIGHT TRAIN. TORNADOES ARE OFTEN
ASSOCIATED WITH STORMS WHICH ALSO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL AND EXCESSIVE
LIGHTNING.

LAT...LON 2890 8124 2877 8109 2913 8061 2932 8082

$$

The office that day

Everything else NWS Melbourne, FL issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 19, 7:30 PM EST	Special Marine Warning	MLB		90 min
Mar 19, 7:37 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Brevard	38 min
Mar 19, 7:44 PM EST	Tornado Warning	MLB	Volusia	31 min
Mar 20, 4:54 PM EST	Special Marine Warning	MLB		81 min
Mar 20, 4:58 PM EST	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Volusia	62 min
Mar 20, 6:15 PM EST	Special Marine Warning	MLB		60 min
Mar 20, 6:18 PM EST	Special Marine Warning	MLB		87 min
Mar 20, 6:45 PM EST	Special Marine Warning	MLB		90 min
Mar 20, 6:45 PM EST	Special Marine Warning	MLB		90 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 2003 Every tornado warning in 2003 Tornadoes in 2003

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.