Thunderstorm Wind, Polk
- When
- March 30, 3:15 PM EST
- Where
- Polk County, 4 mi NE of Bartow
- Measured
- 75 kt (86 mph)
- Property damage
- $300,000
- Coordinates
- 27.920, -81.780
Damaging Wind in Florida, March 30, 1996
An 86 mph wind gust was reported by FAA Tower personnel. The tower suffered window and roof damage.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $300,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS TBW wrote it up.
An 86 mph wind gust was reported by FAA Tower personnel. The tower suffered window and roof damage. Airport tower personnel reported the sky turned black as ink just prior to the onset of the damaging wind. One parked aircraft incurred minor structural damage when it was pushed by thunderstorm winds into the wall of a hanger.Thunderstorm winds overturned and demolished five mobile homes on wheels at the Homes of Merit mobile home plant located at the Bartow Airport. Three additional mobile homes at the plant incurred minor structural damage. The roofs and doors of two businesses at the airport were also severly damaged by downburst winds.A 50 foot portion of the perimeter fence on the southwest side of the airport along U.S. Highway 17 was also damaged by wind blown debris.
The radar
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 66 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:17 UTC.
Event by event
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Florida, March 30, 1996
- Hail in Florida, March 30, 1996
- Hail in Florida, March 30, 1996
- Hail in Florida, March 30, 1996
- Hail in Florida, March 30, 1996
- Hail in Florida, March 30, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Florida, March 30, 1996
- Hail in Florida, March 30, 1996
- Hail in Arkansas, March 30, 1996
- Hail in Florida, March 30, 1996
- Hail in Florida, March 30, 1996
- Hail in Florida, March 30, 1996
More
Every storm in Florida in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, March 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5575240.