Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2015

Tornado Warning 2, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

April 20, 2015Pinellas County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this tornado warning at Apr 20, 2015, 4:35 PM EDT for Pinellas County, Florida. It was in force for 25 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: Apr 20, 2015, 4:35 PM EDT (20:35 UTC)
Expired: Apr 20, 2015, 5:00 PM EDT
In force: 25 min
Issued by: NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Pinellas County, FL

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 32 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:38 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
Apr 20, 4:35 PM EDT	TSTM WND DMG	5 Nnw Downtown Saint Pe, FL	PARKING LOT LIGHTS DOWNED AT A SHOPPING CENTER NEAR US19 AND PARK BLVD IN PINELLAS PARK

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The nearest sounding before it

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 8.6 hours before the alert went out and 32 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: 337 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -115 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 1195 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 50 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 106 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 108 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.1
Supercell composite: 2.8

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

789 
WFUS52 KTBW 202035
TORTBW
FLC103-202100-
/O.NEW.KTBW.TO.W.0002.150420T2035Z-150420T2100Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA / RUSKIN FL
435 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  SOUTHERN PINELLAS COUNTY IN WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA...

* UNTIL 500 PM EDT
    
* AT 434 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM
  CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED
  OVER PINELLAS PARK...AND MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

* LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
  LARGO...PINELLAS PARK...SEMINOLE...SAINT PETERSBURG...DOWNTOWN
  SAINT PETERSBURG...ST. PETERSBURG...ST. PETE BEACH...FEATHER
  SOUND...BAY PINES...SOUTH HIGHPOINT...WEST AND EAST LEALMAN...
  GANDY...GULFPORT...TREASURE ISLAND...KENNETH CITY...SOUTH
  PASADENA...MADEIRA BEACH...LAKE MAGGIORE...VINOY PARK AND CRESCENT
  LAKE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO A BASEMENT OR AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF A STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE
HOME OR OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND
PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

&&

LAT...LON 2793 8280 2793 8271 2791 8263 2789 8265
      2787 8260 2786 8262 2784 8260 2784 8262
      2782 8259 2779 8262 2773 8263 2775 8277
      2778 8278 2778 8275 2783 8276 2779 8279
TIME...MOT...LOC 2034Z 272DEG 36KT 2784 8272 

$$

RAG

2 follow-up statements

991 
WWUS52 KTBW 202040
SVSTBW

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA / RUSKIN FL
440 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015

FLC103-202100-
/O.CON.KTBW.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-150420T2100Z/
PINELLAS FL-
440 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 500 PM EDT FOR EAST
CENTRAL PINELLAS COUNTY...
    
AT 440 PM EDT...DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE
OF PRODUCING A TORNADO. THIS DANGEROUS STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR WEST
AND EAST LEALMAN...OR NEAR PINELLAS PARK...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH.

LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE...
LARGO...PINELLAS PARK...SAINT PETERSBURG...DOWNTOWN SAINT
PETERSBURG...ST. PETERSBURG...SOUTH HIGHPOINT...FEATHER SOUND...WEST
AND EAST LEALMAN...GANDY...GULFPORT...KENNETH CITY...SAINT PETE
CLEARWATER AIRPORT...HIGHPOINT...TROPICANA FIELD...VINOY PARK...
CRESCENT LAKE...VENETIAN ISLES...LEALMAN...SAWGRASS LAKE PARK AND
ALBERT WHITTED AIRPORT.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

TAKE COVER NOW. MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF A 
STURDY BUILDING. AVOID WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE IN A MOBILE HOME OR 
OUTDOORS...MOVE TO THE CLOSEST SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER AND PROTECT 
YOURSELF FROM FLYING DEBRIS.

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. DO NOT WAIT TO SEE OR HEAR
THE TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW.

&&

LAT...LON 2775 8273 2793 8273 2793 8271 2791 8263
      2789 8265 2787 8260 2786 8262 2784 8260
      2784 8262 2782 8259 2779 8262 2774 8263
TIME...MOT...LOC 2040Z 272DEG 36KT 2784 8265 

$$

RAG

265 
WWUS52 KTBW 202050 RRA
SVSTBW

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA / RUSKIN FL
450 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015

FLC103-202100-
/O.EXP.KTBW.TO.W.0002.000000T0000Z-150420T2100Z/
PINELLAS FL-
450 PM EDT MON APR 20 2015

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL PINELLAS COUNTY WILL EXPIRE
AT 500 PM EDT...
        
THE STORM WHICH PROMPTED THE WARNING HAS MOVED OUT OF THE AREA.
THEREFORE THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED TO EXPIRE. HOWEVER GUSTY WINDS
ARE STILL POSSIBLE WITH THIS THUNDERSTORM.

LAT...LON 2775 8273 2793 8273 2793 8271 2791 8263
      2789 8265 2787 8260 2786 8262 2784 8260
      2784 8262 2782 8259 2779 8262 2774 8263
TIME...MOT...LOC 2050Z 272DEG 36KT 2784 8265 

$$

RAG

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Apr 20, 4:13 AM EDT	Beach Hazards Statement	TBW	Charlotte, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Pinellas, Sarasota	16 hr
Apr 20, 2:05 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	TBW	Okeechobee	40 min
Apr 20, 2:17 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	TBW	Polk	28 min
Apr 20, 2:49 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	TBW	Sumter	26 min
Apr 20, 2:53 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	TBW	Polk	52 min
Apr 20, 3:25 PM EDT	Areal Flood Advisory	TBW	Citrus, Hernando	2 hr
Apr 20, 3:32 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	TBW		118 min
Apr 20, 3:53 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	TBW	Highlands	37 min
Apr 20, 4:04 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	TBW	Pasco	26 min
Apr 20, 4:25 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	TBW	Hillsborough, Manatee, Pinellas	50 min
Apr 20, 5:02 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	TBW	Polk	28 min
Apr 20, 5:13 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	TBW	Hillsborough, Polk	47 min
Apr 20, 5:29 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	TBW		61 min
Apr 20, 5:57 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	TBW	DeSoto, Hardee, Manatee	33 min
Apr 20, 6:47 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	TBW	DeSoto	28 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 2015 Every tornado warning in 2015 Tornadoes in 2015

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.