Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 1, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

March 26, 2002Polk County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 26, 2002, 4:34 PM EST for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 26 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 26, 2002, 4:34 PM EST (21:34 UTC)
Expired
Mar 26, 2002, 5:00 PM EST
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Polk County, FL

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 74 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:37 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.

The nearest sounding before it

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 9.6 hours before the alert went out and 74 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 12:00Z on 2002-03-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 847 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, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 2002-03-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 2 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
847 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-49 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
779 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
24 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
101 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 262134
SVRTBW
FLC105-262200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
ISSUED BY NWS MELBOURNE FL
432 PM EST TUE MAR 26 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 500 PM EST.

* AT 430 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 6 MILES WEST OF FORT MEADE...MOVING SOUTHEAST  
  AT 20 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
OVER RURAL SOUTHERN POLK COUNTY THROUGH 450 PM EST.

LARGE HAIL IS EXPECTED WITH THIS SEVERE STORM. IF YOU ARE IN ITS 
PATH...PUT YOUR CAR IN A GARAGE AND MOVE TO A STURDY BUILDING AWAY 
FROM WINDOWS.

$$

LAT...LON 2782 8190 2766 8198 2762 8170 2771 8164

KELLY

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 Mar 26, 1:15 PM EST, 3 hours 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 26, 1:15 PM EST, 3 hours 19 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
115 PM EST TUE MAR 26 2002

PERHAPS A BIT OF ROUGH WX THIS AFTN AND EVENING...THEN BACK TO
SPLENDID SPRING WX ACROSS THE PENINSULA...ESPECIALLY THU/FRI WHEN
COMFORTABLE HUMIDITY RETURNS...SPELLING SUNNY WARM DAYS AND CLEAR
REFRESHING NIGHTS.

NO REAL DISCREPANCIES BETWEEN THE MODELS THIS GO-ROUND...AND RUN-TO-
RUN CONSISTENCY FOR BOTH SHORT AND MEDIUM RANGE PROVIDES STRONG
CONFIDENCE IN FCST.

SHORT TERM:
WILL ONCE AGAIN BREAK OFF AN EVENING PERIOD TO HANDLE EXPECTED
CONVECTION.  CURRENT FCST OF HIGHEST CHC INLAND STILL ON TARGET...AS
SEA BREEZE COLLISIONS/BOUNDARY COLLISIONS AND UPPER ENERGY LINK UP
AROUND 00Z.  THE OTHER AREA TO KEEP AN EYE ON IS LEVY CO...CLOSEST
TO THE ENERGY/DEEP MOISTURE ALONG TROUGH LINE.  EXPECT PCPN TO
QUICKLY EXIT THE COASTAL COS BEFORE OR JUST AFTER DARK...THEN OVER
INLAND AREAS BY MID TO LATE EVENING.

THEREAFTER...ONLY COSMETIC CHANGES TO THE PACKAGE.  LIKE THE IDEA
OF FOG AS SFC WINDS BEHIND TROUGH WILL BE LIGHT OVERNIGHT AND
RESIDUAL MOISTURE WILL BE PLENTIFUL.  WILL CONTINUE PATCHY WORDING...
THOUGH EVE SHIFT MAY WANT TO HIT HARDER IN UPDATE.  FOR WED...WILL
RELUCTANTLY HOLD ONTO VERY LOW PCPN CHC INTERIOR AND SW AS LOW LVL
MOISTURE STILL AVAILABLE AND SEA BREEZE CONVERGENCE NOT OUT OF THE
QUESTION.  A COOL DRY WED NIGHT FOLLOWED BY A SUNNY THURS WITH
TEMPS A TAD ABOVE SEASONAL LEVELS.

EXTENDED:
NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES PLANNED TO THE PACKAGE.  A GRADUAL MOISTENING
OF THE AIR MASS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY.  NOT VERY CONFIDENT OF PCPN
SUNDAY AS DEEP DRY AIR REMAINS.  PREFER TO STAY ON THE OPTIMISTIC
SIDE AND WILL PULL MENTION.  FOR MON/TUE...STILL APPEARS TO BE SMALL
CHANCES OF PCPN AS DYING FRONT SLIDES THROUGH.  TEMPS THROUGH THE
PERIOD 2-4 DEG ABOVE NORMAL.

MARINE:
WITH WED FRONT LOOKING EVEN MORE PALTRY WILL BACK OFF A CATEGORY
FOR WIND SPEED FCST.  THAT MEANS A QUIET TIME RIGHT INTO THE
WEEKEND...OUTSIDE OF ANY EVENING ACTIVITY TODAY.

FIRE WX:
NO PROBLEMS THROUGH WED...THOUGH RH VALUES SHOULD DROP A BIT DURING
THE AFTERNOON.  DRIER AIR STILL EXPECTED TO LOWER RH AND RAISE
MIXING HEIGHTS BOTH THURS AND FRI.

PRELIM NUMBERS:
BKV 060/082 047/082 3000
TPA 067/081 055/079 3000
GIF 066/084 055/083 4100
SRQ 067/079 056/079 2000
FMY 067/084 058/084 3200

.TBW...NONE.

88/GOLDSMITH

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 26, 10:40 AM EST, 5 hours 54 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-262100-

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1040 AM EST TUE MAR 26 2002

...A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON...

A MOIST AND INCREASINGLY UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL COMBINE WITH AN
UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE...AND A SEA BREEZE COLLISION...TO PRODUCE
SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON.

SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE GULF COAST SEA BREEZE...AND OVER SOME
INTERIOR LOCATIONS...BETWEEN NOON AND 2 PM.  THE SHOWERS WILL
QUICKLY INTENSIFY INTO THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN 2 AND 4 PM...PRIMARILY
OVER INTERIOR PORTIONS OF THE COASTAL COUNTIES.  THE STORMS WILL
GRADUALLY PUSH EAST...COVERING MUCH OF INTERIOR WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA
BY LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.

SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE THIS AFTERNOON...WITH THE PRIMARY
THREAT BEING PENNY SIZE HAIL OR LARGER.  OTHER STRONG STORMS WILL
PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OF 40 MPH OR GREATER...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND
TORRENTIAL RAINS.

CONDITIONS WILL GRADUALLY IMPROVE AFTER SUNSET THIS EVENING.

WHEN SKIES DARKEN...MOVE INDOORS. IF THERE IS TIME...UNPLUG
APPLIANCES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT. WAIT UNTIL THE STORM ENDS BEFORE
USING THE TELEPHONE OR RUNNING WATER.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
UPDATES...AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS...LATER TODAY.

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW

BSG

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 26, 5:42 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWPolk48 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Florida, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

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.