Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2005
Tornado Warning 25, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Oct 23, 2005, 7:13 PM EDT for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 47 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Oct 23, 2005, 7:13 PM EDT (23:13 UTC)
- Expired
- Oct 23, 2005, 8:00 PM EDT
- In force
- 47 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tampa Bay, FL
- Area
- Counties, with a storm outline in the text
County Polk County, FL
The radar
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 49 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23, 7:37 PM EDT | TORNADO | Mulberry, FL | MULBERRY POLICE DEPT REPORTED TRANSFORMERS BLOWING UP...FLYING DEBRIS...AND FRIEGHT TRAIN SOUND NEAR THEIR POLICE STATION. |
Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.
Did it verify
Verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow matched one storm report to this tornado warning; the first came 24 minutes after it went out.
Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23, 3:40 PM EDT | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 49 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
- 1164 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -33 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 809 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 29 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 67 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 124 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.2
- Supercell composite
- 2.6
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WFUS52 KTBW 232317 TORTBW FLC105-240000- /O.NEW.KTBW.TO.W.0025.051023T2313Z-051024T0000Z/ BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED TORNADO WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 713 PM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A * TORNADO WARNING FOR... POLK COUNTY IN FLORIDA. * UNTIL 800 PM EDT * AT 713 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A DEVELOPING TORNADO 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BARTOW...MOVING NORTH AT 5 MPH. * THE TORNADO WILL AFFECT... BARTOW. MULBERRY. WILLOW OAK. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING BRIEF TORNADOES ARE DEVELOPING ACROSS NORTHERN AND EASTERN POLK COUNTY. LOCATIONS SUCH AS POLK CITY...LAKELAND...WAVERLY...AND HIGHLAND CITY MAY ALSO BE AFFECTED. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM MOVE INTO THE INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING...AWAY FROM WINDOWS. COVER YOUR HEAD AND BODY WITH PILLOWS OR BLANKETS. TORNADOES ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW MOVE TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES. LEAVE VEHICLES AND GET INTO A DITCH OR LOW SPOT. && LAT...LON 2771 8196 2773 8187 2809 8178 2796 8206 $$ 17
1 follow-up statement
000 WWUS52 KTBW 232349 SVSTBW SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 748 PM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005 FLC105-240000- /O.CON.KTBW.TO.W.0025.000000T0000Z-051024T0000Z/ POLK- 748 PM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005 ...A TORNADO WARNING CONTINUES FOR POLK COUNTY UNTIL 800 PM EDT... AT 748 PM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WITH A DEVELOPING TORNADO 8 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BARTOW...MOVING NORTH AT 5 MPH. THE TORNADO WILL AFFECT... BRADLEY JUNCTION. BARTOW. MULBERRY. THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM ACT QUICKLY. GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING...AWAY FROM WINDOWS. COVER YOUR HEAD WITH PILLOWS OR BLANKETS. TORNADOES ARE ESPECIALLY DANGEROUS AT NIGHT. TAKE COVER NOW MOVE TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR. ABANDON MOBILE HOMES. LEAVE VEHICLES AND GET INTO A DITCH OR LOW SPOT. REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY. THEY WILL RELAY YOUR REPORT TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN RUSKIN. && LAT...LON 2771 8196 2773 8187 2809 8178 2796 8206 $$ 17
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 Oct 23, 2:50 PM EDT, 4 hours 23 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Oct 23, 2:50 PM EDT, 4 hours 23 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 250 PM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005 ...WILMA THEN WINTER ARE STILL ON TRACK... .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT - TUESDAY)...NOT MUCH MORE NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED THAT HASNT ALREADY BEEN SO. AFTER ABOUT 24 HOURS OF ROUGH CONDITIONS...THE DOOR OPENS FOR UNSEASONABLY COOL AND SOMEWHAT BLUSTERY WEATHER FOLLOWED BY THE RELIEF MANY OF US HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR DURING THIS RATHER LONG SUMMER. THOUGH HURRICANE SEASON RUNS THROUGH NOVEMBER 30...YOU CAN PUT A FORK IN THIS ONE AS WATER TEMPERATURES WILL PLUMMET FOLLOWING THIS VIGOROUS COLD FRONT...PERHAPS INTO THE LOWER OR MID 70S...WHICH IS VERY HOSTILE FOR ANY STORMS TO SURVIVE AS OCTOBER MOVES INTO NOVEMBER. FOR THE SENSIBLE WEATHER...THE ONLY ADDITIONAL CONCERN IS THE THREAT FOR OUTER BAND TORNADOES LATER THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH MIDNIGHT OR SO. SUNSHINE HAS WARMED AREAS INTO THE MID 80S ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTH ZONES...AND WITH DEW POINTS IN THE SWELTERING MID 70S AND ATMOSPHERIC PROFILES BECOME MORE FAVORABLE FOR ROTATION...THERE IS CONCERN FOR QUICK SPIN-UP TORNADOES TO DEVELOP AS THE OUTER BANDS MOVE ONSHORE. HELICITY VALUES RISE TO MORE THAN 500 J/KG BY 00Z ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL PORTION OF THE AREA. WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED...IN FACT EXPECT...A TORNADO WATCH IN A FEW HOURS FOR AT LEAST THE SOUTH HALF OF THE AREA AND EXPECT A FEW TO FORM WELL AHEAD OF THE CORE OF WILMA. ZONE TEXT WILL INCLUDE THIS POSSIBILITY AS WELL. OTHERWISE...THE HURRICANE IS MOVING NORTHEAST AT 10 KT AND GRADUALLY ACCELERATING FROM A SPOT NOW 335 MILES SOUTHWEST OF FORT MYERS. LANDFALL IS STILL ON TARGET FOR 7 TO 8 AM...AND THE WORST IMPACTS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE STORM ARE EXPECTED BETWEEN 6 AM AND 10 AM (PERHAPS UP TO 11 AM OR NOON FARTHEST EAST) AS STORM WILL BE HAULING AT AROUND 25 MPH (OR MORE) AT THAT TIME. VIRTUALLY NO CHANGE TO WIND FIELD AND ZONE FORECAST OUTSIDE OF THE INITIAL SEVERE WEATHER THREAT. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON WIND IMPACTS...CHECK OUT EITHER THE HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENT WMO CODE WTUS82 KTBW OR OUR INLAND HURRICANE/TROPICAL STORM PRODUCTS (WMO CODE WWUS72). PLAN NO CHANGES TO THE FLOOD WATCH. THE POSSIBLE BAND OF OVERRUNNING THAT MIGHT HAVE DEVELOPED ALONG THE FRONT HAS NOT MATERIALIZED...AND PROBABLY WONT BASED ON THE LACK OF EVEN LOW LEVEL ISENTROPIC LIFT ABOVE THE FRONT ITSELF. SO...THESE AREAS REMAIN LARGELY DRY AND WILL SOAK UP THE EXPECTED 1 TO 3 INCHES...LOCALLY 4 INCHES...WE ARE FORECASTING. CHARLOTTE AND LEE ARE UNDER THE GUN FOR THE HIGHEST RAINS...3 TO 5 INCHES AND PERHAPS 6 INCHES IN SPOTS GIVEN PROXIMITY TO THE CONVERGENCE ZONE. WILL REFRESH FFA FOR ANOTHER 12 HOURS BY 4 PM. THEREAFTER...THE CHILL SETS IN. AM FORECASTING STEADY/FALLING TEMPERATURES MON AFTERNOON ALONG WITH CONTINUED NORTHWEST WINDS OVER 20 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS. WE MAY NEED A WIND ADVISORY IN THE AFTERNOON TIME FRAME PAST STORM PASSAGE...BUT WILL DEAL WITH THAT LATER TONIGHT. TUE WILL DAWN WITH TEMPERATURES HAVING PLUMMETED INTO THE 40S TO LOWER 50S...EXCEPT 55 TO 60 NEAR THE WATER (AND WHERE THE WINDS WILL BE STRONGER). AND IT WONT GET MUCH WARMER DURING THE DAY WITH CONTINUE LOW LEVEL COLD ADVECTION DESPITE MOSTLY SUNNY SKIES. HIGHS WILL ONLY BE IN THE MID TO UPPER 60S MOST AREAS...LOWER 70S SOUTH. HIGH SURF IS A DEFINITE MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY. .LONG TERM (TUE NIGHT-SUN)...AN UPPER TROUGH OVER THE EAST U.S. COAST LIFTS UP TO THE NE AS HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE UPPER MISS. RIVER VALLEY SLIDES SOUTH...REACHING THE GULF COASTAL STATES BY THU. THIS HIGH WILL BE REINFORCED FROM THE UPPER MIDWEST AND ROTATES TOWARD THE EASTERN SEA BOARD AS A SHORT WAVE TROUGH SWINGS THROUGH THE GREAT LAKES AND INTO NEW ENGLAND BY SUN. A DRY COOL CLEAR FORECAST IS IN PLACE FOR THE EARLY PART OF THE PERIOD BUT THESE WILL BE MODERATING GOING INTO THE WEEKEND AS THE FLOW BECOMES MORE NORTHEASTERLY AND MOISTURE INCREASES ENOUGH TO SUPPORT SOME LOW AFTERNOON POPS. && .MARINE...AGAIN...FORECAST ON TRACK WITH SEAS CONTINUING TO RISE AND WINDS GRADUALLY INCREASING AHEAD OF WILMA. WILL BUMP UP SEAS JUST A BIT IN THE GRIDS AND TEXT...DROPPING IN SOME 22 FOOT VALUES BASED ON BUOY 03 TRENDS AND PROPAGATION OF HIGHEST SWELLS INTO THE SOUTH AND CENTRAL LEGS LATER TONIGHT INTO MIDDAY MONDAY. THEREAFTER...A MORE GRADUAL DROP OFF THAN USUAL GIVEN STRONG COLD ADVECTION OVER (STILL) WARM WATERS. WILL LIKELY NEED TO REPLACE TROPICAL CYCLONE WARNINGS WITH SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES INTO TUESDAY. && .AVIATION...WILL INCREASE WINDS TO TROPICAL STORM FORCE ABOUT MIDNIGHT AND CONTINUE ALONG WITH HIGHER GUSTS THROUGH THE END OF THE TAF PERIOD. SCT CONVECTION THIS AFTERNOON INCREASES TO NUMEROUS LATER TONIGHT INTO MON MORNING. && .FIRE WEATHER...STRONG WINDS WILL LEAD TO HIGH DISPERSION VALUES MONDAY...BUT MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITY SHOULD STILL BE ABOVE 50 PERCENT THANKS TO COOLER TEMPERATURES. WE MAY APPROACH CRITICAL HUMIDITY VALUES ACROSS THE INTERIOR NATURE COAST THROUGH INTERIOR WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA TUESDAY...HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON HOW LOW THE DEW POINTS FALL ON NORTHWESTERLY WINDS. STAY TUNED. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TPA 73 73 51 67 / 90 90 00 00 FMY 77 77 53 72 / 90 90 00 00 GIF 73 73 48 68 / 90 90 00 00 SRQ 76 76 52 69 / 90 90 00 00 BKV 66 68 40 66 / 90 90 00 00 && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT FROM LONGBOAT KEY SOUTH INCLUDING THE SHORELINES OF SARASOTA...CHARLOTTE...LEE...AND DESOTO. TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FROM LONGBOAT KEY NORTH INCLUDING THE SHORELINES OF MANATEE...PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH PASCO...HERNANDO...CITRUS...AND LEVY COUNTIES. INLAND HURRICANE WARNING IN EFFECT TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY FOR NON COASTAL AND NON TIDAL SARASOTA...CHARLOTTE...LEE... HARDEE... HIGHLANDS AND DESOTO COUNTIES. INLAND TROPICAL STORM WARNING IN EFFECT TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY MONDAY EVENING FOR NO COASTAL AND NON TIDAL MANATEE... HILLSBOROUGH...PASCO...HERNANDO...CITRUS...SUMTER...POLK...AND LEVY COUNTIES. FLASH FLOOD WATCH IN EFFECT FROM THIS EVENING THROUGH MONDAY AFTERNOON FOR CHARLOTTE AND LEE COUNTIES. && SHORT TERM...BSG LONG TERM....RKR
Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 23, 6:45 AM EDT, 12 hours 28 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 645 AM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005 FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-231600- LEVY-CITRUS-SUMTER-HERNANDO-PASCO-PINELLAS-HILLSBOROUGH-POLK- MANATEE-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-SARASOTA-DE SOTO-CHARLOTTE-LEE- 645 AM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA AND WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HURRICANE WILMA WILL APPROACH SOUTHWEST FLORIDA TODAY AND TONIGHT BRINGING INCREASING WINDS AND RAIN ALONG WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR ISOLATED TORNADOES...ESPECIALLY ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. OVER THE COASTAL WATERS THESE EFFECTS WILL BEGIN LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. MARINERS SHOULD RETURN TO PORT THIS AFTERNOON AND REMAIN IN PORT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT. FOR MORE DETAILED INFORMATION AS TO THE WINDS...RAINFALL... TORNADIC AND MARINE THREATS FROM WILMA REFER TO OUR HURRICANE LOCAL STATEMENTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY WILMA WILL MOVE RAPIDLY ACROSS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA MONDAY MORNING WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS AND HEAVY RAINFALL COMING TO AN END BY EARLY AFTERNOON. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MOST AREAS...EXCEPT 3 TO 6 INCHES WITH LOCALLY UP TO A 8 INCHES ACROSS PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. BY MONDAY NIGHT...SKIES WILL CLEAR WITH MUCH COOLER DRIER AIR SWEEPING IN BEHIND WILMA FOR TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE MOVES BUILDS INTO THE SOUTHEAST UNITED STATES. A GRADUAL MODERATING TREND IS EXPECTED LATE IN THE WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT. && FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW (LOWER CASE) PRC
In the hours before
Local storm report, Oct 23, 5:55 PM EDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
555 PM EDT SUN OCT 23 2005
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0535 PM TORNADO 2 SW ZOLFO SPRINGS 27.47N 81.82W
10/23/2005 HARDEE FL EMERGENCY MNGR
SEVERAL PUBLIC REPORTS OF A TORNADO ON THE GROUND NEAR
ZOLFO SPRINGS. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
&&
BSGThe office that day
Everything else NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 23, 5:48 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Hardee, Hillsborough, Manatee, Polk | 27 min |
| Oct 23, 5:56 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | TBW | 49 min | |
| Oct 23, 6:18 PM EDT | Tornado Warning | TBW | Sarasota | 27 min |
| Oct 23, 7:19 PM EDT | Special Marine Warning | TBW | 56 min |
Nearby
Tornado Warnings in Florida, 2005Every tornado warning in 2005Tornadoes in 2005
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.