Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Watches in 2020

Tornado Watch 33

February 6, 202021 counties in Florida

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Feb 6, 2020, 9:25 PM EST for 21 counties in Florida. It was in force for 6 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Feb 6, 2020, 9:25 PM EST (02:25 UTC)
Expired
Feb 7, 2020, 2:59 AM EST
In force
6 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
Largest hail expected
0.5 in
Strongest gust expected
55 kt
All 21 counties

Brevard County, FL, Charlotte County, FL, DeSoto County, FL, Hardee County, FL, Hernando County, FL, Highlands County, FL, Hillsborough County, FL, Indian River County, FL, Lake County, FL, Lee County, FL, Manatee County, FL, Okeechobee County, FL, Orange County, FL, Osceola County, FL, Pasco County, FL, Pinellas County, FL, Polk County, FL, Sarasota County, FL, Seminole County, FL, Sumter County, FL, Volusia County, FL

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 38 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:27 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 SPC expected

The probabilities SPC published with the watch, for the watch area over its life.

Two or more tornadoes
40%
One or more EF2 to EF5 tornadoes
20%
Ten or more severe wind reports
40%
One or more gusts of 65 knots or more
20%
Ten or more severe hail reports
5%
One or more hailstones of 2 inches or more
5%
Six or more combined severe hail and wind reports
50%

Warnings issued inside it

14 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 6, 10:02 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWCitrus, Hernando, Hillsborough, Levy, Pasco, Pinellas and 1 more58 min
Feb 6, 10:31 PM ESTTornado WarningTBWPinellas29 min
Feb 6, 10:39 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBLake, Volusia51 min
Feb 6, 10:50 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk and 2 more55 min
Feb 6, 10:51 PM ESTTornado WarningTBWHillsborough, Pinellas24 min
Feb 6, 11:13 PM ESTTornado WarningTBWHillsborough, Manatee21 min
Feb 6, 11:17 PM ESTTornado WarningTBWManatee, Sarasota28 min
Feb 6, 11:18 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBLake, Orange, Seminole, Volusia57 min
Feb 6, 11:44 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWDeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Hillsborough, Manatee, Polk and 2 more61 min
Feb 6, 11:50 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBOsceola25 min
Feb 7, 12:07 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBBrevard, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Volusia53 min
Feb 7, 12:53 AM ESTTornado WarningMLBOsceola17 min
Feb 7, 12:54 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBBrevard, Orange, Osceola, Volusia66 min
Feb 7, 1:45 AM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBBrevard45 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 00:00Z, 2.4 hours before the alert went out and 38 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-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Tampa Bay, FL at 00:00Z on 2020-02-07Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 312 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Tampa Bay, FL at 00:00Z on 2020-02-07The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 325 square meters per square second.1939587897117Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
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
312 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
877 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
61 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
325 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
393 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.6
Supercell composite
9.6

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

802 
WWUS20 KWNS 070221
SEL3  
SPC WW 070221
FLZ000-CWZ000-070800-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
Tornado Watch Number 33
NWS Storm Prediction Center Norman OK
925 PM EST Thu Feb 6 2020

The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Tornado Watch for portions of 
  Central Florida
  Coastal Waters

* Effective this Thursday night and Friday morning from 925 PM
  until 300 AM EST.

* Primary threats include...
  A couple tornadoes possible
  Scattered damaging wind gusts to 65 mph possible

SUMMARY...Squall line across north Florida into the northeast Gulf
will move east across the central portion of the peninsula tonight
with scattered damaging winds and a couple tornadoes possible,
before weakening during the early morning.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 60 statute miles
east and west of a line from 60 miles south southeast of Sarasota FL
to 40 miles north of Orlando FL. For a complete depiction of the
watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU3).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

REMEMBER...A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for
tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch
area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for
threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements
and possible warnings.

&&

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...CONTINUE...WW 31...WW 32...

AVIATION...Tornadoes and a few severe thunderstorms with hail
surface and aloft to 0.5 inches. Extreme turbulence and surface wind
gusts to 55 knots. A few cumulonimbi with maximum tops to 450. Mean
storm motion vector 24040.

...Grams

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Feb 6, 7:32 PM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAlachua, Baker, Bradford, Citrus, Clay, Columbia and 12 more118 min
Feb 6, 8:47 PM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrevard, Charlotte, Citrus, DeSoto, Flagler, Hardee and 18 more88 min
Feb 7, 12:38 AM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBrevard, Charlotte, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry and 9 more2 hr
Feb 7, 1:57 AM ESTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBroward, Collier, Glades, Hendry, Indian River, Martin and 5 more2 hr

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Florida, 2020Every tornado watch in 2020

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.