Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2000

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 6, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

May 15, 2000Polk County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 15, 2000, 1:54 PM EDT for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 46 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 15, 2000, 1:54 PM EDT (17:54 UTC)
Expired
May 15, 2000, 2:40 PM EDT
In force
46 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Polk County, FL

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 15, 2:05 PM EDTHail 0.88Bartow, FLSkywarn Spotters reported dime to nickel sized hail over Bartow in northwest Polk county for a duration of twenty minutes.

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.

The watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
May 15, 1:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPC6 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cape Canaveral, FL (KXMR), launched 12:00Z, 5.9 hours before the alert went out and 131 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, Cape Canaveral, FL at 12:00Z on 2000-05-15Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1908 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Cape Canaveral, FL at 12:00Z on 2000-05-15The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 22 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
1908 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-73 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1036 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
13 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
22 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
13 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS52 KTBW 151755
SVRTBW
FLC105-151840-

BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RUSKIN FL
154 PM EDT MON MAY 15 2000

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  POLK COUNTY IN CENTRAL FLORIDA

* UNTIL 240 PM EDT

* AT 1250...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WAS INDICATED BY NATIONAL WEATHER
  SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR JUST SOUTH OF LAKELAND. MOVEMENT TO THE
  SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.


* SOME LOCATIONS AFFECTED...MULBERRY AND BARTOW WITHIN THE NEXT
  15 TO 30 MINUTES.

THIS THUNDERSTORM HAS PRODUCED QUARTER SIZED HAIL AND
GUSTY WINDS.

MOVE INDOORS TO A STURDY BUILDING IF THE STORM APPROACHES YOUR
LOCATION. MOBILE HOMES ARE NOT SAFE. THIS STORM HAS THE POTENTIAL
TO PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS.



N

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm 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 severe thunderstorm warning went out at May 15, 9:59 AM EDT, 3 hours 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 15, 9:59 AM EDT, 3 hours 55 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
301 AM EDT MON MAY 15 2000

TBW RAOB SOUNDINGS NOT AVAILABLE DUE TO REPARABLE EQUIPMENT PARTS
ON ORDER.

A WEAK COOL FRONT BOUNDARY CURRENTLY ALONG A JAX-CDK LINE WILL
LIKELY MOVE LITTLE THROUGH MID DAY THEN BEGIN A SWD PUSH AGAIN
THIS AFTN AS A 5H VORT RIPPLE SLIPS SEWD DOWN THE PNSULA IN NWLY
FLOW ALOFT. SATL IMAGERY ALSO INDICATES THAT THE A PREFRONTAL
TROUGH LINE ALREADY HAS PUSHED SWD TO A PGD-VRB LINE.

SO PRESENT THINKING IS FOR QUITE LIMITED PROSPECTS ALONG THE NRN
AND CENTRAL FA GULF COAST FOR PCPN WITH MORE FAVORABLE DEVPMT OF
SHWRS/TSTMS THE INLAND AND SRN COUNTIES. ISOLD SEVERE CELLS ARE
POSSIBLE FOR EASTERN POLK AND HIGHLANDS COUNTIES DURING THE MID
AFTN FOR GUSTY WINDS AND POSSIBLE HAIL.

WILL TWEAK PUBLIC FCST TO LOWER POP CENTRAL COASTAL FA TO 20
PERCENT MAINLY INLAND.

FOR MARINE...WILL UP WINDS SLIGHTLY FROM 10-15 KTS TO AROUND
15 KTS FOR THE NRN MARINE LEG.

DRYER REGIME ONCE AGAIN SETTING AS UPPER RIDGE REBUILDS OVER AREA
THROUGH MUCH OF THIS WEEK.

.TBW...RED FLAG WARNING FOR LEVY COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON.
    FIRE WEATjHER WATCH FOR SUMTER AND INTERIOR PORTIONS OF CITRUS
    AND HERNANDO COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON.

DMR

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 15, 11:55 AM EDT, 1 hour 59 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-152000-

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1155 AM EDT MON MAY 15 2000

...A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE OVER INTERIOR WEST
CENTRAL FLORIDA FROM POLK COUNTY SOUTHWARD...

...HOT AND DRY WEATHER CONTINUES ALONG THE NATURE COAST...

A WEAK AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL DRIFT INTO SOUTH CENTRAL FLORIDA
THIS AFTERNOON.  THIS SYSTEM WILL AID IN LIFTING A WARM MOIST AIR
MASS...ALLOWING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP.

A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP SHORTLY AFTER NOON
IN SOUTHEAST PASCO...NORTHEAST HILLSBOROUGH...AND WESTERN POLK
COUNTIES.  THESE CELLS WILL QUICKLY MOVE SOUTHEAST...AFFECTING
SOUTHERN POLK...HIGHLANDS...HARDEE...AND DESOTO COUNTIES BY MID
AFTERNOON.  SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL BE STRONG...WITH THE MAIN
THREAT BEING GUSTY WINDS TO 40 MPH AND PERHAPS SOME SMALL HAIL.

WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL ALSO DEVELOP OVER
INTERIOR MANATEE...SARASOTA...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE COUNTIES.  THESE
TOO WILL SCOOT QUICKLY EAST...INTO INTERIOR SOUTH FLORIDA BY LATE
AFTERNOON.

DRY CONDITIONS WILL RETURN TO THE COASTAL COUNTIES OVER AND SOUTH OF
THE TAMPA BAY AREA BEFORE 3 PM.

FARTHER NORTH...NO RAIN IS EXPECTED ALONG THE NATURE COAST...BUT DRY
AND HOT CONDITIONS WILL MAINTAIN A HIGH WILDFIRE THREAT.

GOLDSMITH


Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Florida, 2000Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2000

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.