Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 4, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 2002, 11:46 AM EST for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 59 min. 4 reports 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
- Apr 3, 2002, 11:46 AM EST (16:46 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 3, 2002, 12:45 PM EST
- In force
- 59 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tampa Bay, FL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Polk County, FL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 12:05 PM EST | Hail 0.75 | Lakeland, FL | |
| Apr 3, 12:15 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind 50 M | Lakeland Muni Arpt, FL | |
| Apr 3, 12:20 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Ft Meade, FL | |
| Apr 3, 12:25 PM EST | Hail 0.75 | Bartow, FL |
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 nearest sounding before it
Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 4.8 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.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 398 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -118 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 1200 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 22 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 64 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 125 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.0
- Supercell composite
- 1.4
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
000 WUUS52 KTBW 031646 SVRTBW FLC105-031745- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1145 AM EST WED APR 3 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... WESTERN POLK COUNTY IN FLORIDA. * UNTIL 1245 PM EST. * AT 1145 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH DAMAGING WINDS...FROM 7 MILES NORTHWEST OF LAKELAND TO 23 MILES SOUTHWEST OF BARTOW...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 30 MPH. * SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT... GIBSONIA. WILLOW OAK. MULBERRY. CRYSTAL LAKE. AUBURNDALE. BARTOW. THIS LINE OF STORMS HAS A HISTORY OF PRODUCING HAIL AND STRONG WINDS. $$ LAT...LON 2824 8209 2766 8206 2767 8177 2801 8167 NNNN
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 Apr 3, 10:40 AM EST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 3, 10:40 AM EST, 1 hour 6 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1040 AM EST WED APR 3 2002 UPDATE: HAD TO INCREASE POPS FOR CENTRAL COASTAL COUTNIES AS LINE SHOWS NO SIGNS OF SLOWING DOWN. REST OF BELOW UNCHANGED. AS EXPECTED...INITIAL BATCH OF THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE NORTHEAST GULF...WHICH BLOSSOMED EARLY THIS MORNING IN POCKET OF MID LEVEL INSTABILITY NOTED BY DRY PATCH ON THE WATER VAPOR IMAGERY...IS BEGINNING TO WEAKEN. WE HAVE STARTED THE DIURNAL PROCESS OF STABILIZATION OVER THE GULF AND DESTABILIZATION OVER LAND. ALREADY 78 DEGREES HERE IN RUSKIN WHERE THE CLOUDS HAVE NOT IMPINGED YET... APPROACHING THIS AFTERNOONS TRIGGER TEMPERATURE OF 83. COULD SEE A FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS INLAND THIS AFTERNOON AS ATMOSPHERE WILL BECOME QUITE UNSTABLE IN AREAS THAT RECEIVE DECENT SUNSHINE. WILL ALSO SEE BEST CONVERGENCE INLAND AS GULF BREEZE PROPAGATES EASTWARD WITH TIME. WILL NUDGE POPS UP TO LIKELY THERE FOR THIS AFTERNOON. MARINE: PUTTING OUT MARINE WEATHER STATEMENTS ON PROGRESS OF THUNDERSTORMS THIS MORNING. WILL MENTION HIGHER GUSTS NEAR THUNDERSTORMS IN CWF TEXT. .TBW...NONE. ALSHEIMER
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 6:40 AM EST, 5 hours 6 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-031600- WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 640 AM EST WED APR 3 2002 ...PATCHY DENSE FOG EARLY THIS MORNING... ...ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY... ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND NEAR CALM WINDS HAVE ALLOWED AREAS OF DENSE FOG TO FORM EARLY THIS MORNING...WITH LOCAL VISIBILITIES 1/4 MILE OR LESS. THE FOG SHOULD LIFT BY 9 AM...BUT UNTIL THIS TIME MOTORISTS ARE URGED TO SLOW DOWN IN AREAS WITH FOG...USE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS...AND MAINTAIN A SAFE FOLLOWING DISTANCE BETWEEN VEHICLES. FOR THE REST OF THE DAY...A WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL COMBINE WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND THE GULF COAST SEA BREEZE TO CAUSE SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP. THESE STORMS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS AND OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. REMEMBER...LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE SEVERAL MILES AWAY FROM THE CORE OF THE STORM. IF YOU CAN SEE LIGHTNING OR HEAR THUNDER...YOU SHOULD MOVE INDOORS UNTIL THE THREAT HAS PASSED. PRC
Special weather statement, Apr 3, 9:00 AM EST, 2 hours 46 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-032000- WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 900 AM EST WED APR 3 2002 ...SOME STRONG THUNDERSTORMS TODAY... AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING OVER THE REGION COMBINED WITH ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE...DAYTIME HEATING AND THE GULF COAST SEA BREEZE TO CAUSE SCATTERED TO NUMBEROUS THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. SOME STORMS MAY BE STRONG CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL...STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY FLOODING RAINFALL...AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING. WHEN SKIES DARKEN...MOVE INDOORS. IF YOU CAN SEE LIGHTNING OR HEAR THUNDER...YOU SHOULD MOVE INDOORS UNTIL THE THREAT HAS PASSED. IF THERE IS TIME...UNPLUG APPLIANCES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT. WAIT UNTIL THE STORM ENDS BEFORE USING THE TELEPHONE OR RUNNING WATER. REMEMBER...LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE SEVERAL MILES AWAY FROM THE CORE OF THE STORM. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR UPDATES.
Local storm report, Apr 3, 11:20 AM EST, 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1120 AM EST WED APR 3 2002
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1120 PM PINECREST FL .75 INCH HAIL.
04/3/02 HILLSBOROUGH NO WIND DAMAGE.
5 MINUTE DURATION
OF HEAVY RAIN.Local storm report, Apr 3, 11:20 AM EST, 26 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1120 AM EST WED APR 3 2002
...CORRECTED TO CHANGE PM TO AM ON TIME OF REPORT...
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
1120 AM PINECREST FL .75 INCH HAIL.
04/3/02 HILLSBOROUGH NO WIND DAMAGE.
5 MINUTE DURATION
OF HEAVY RAIN.The office that day
Everything else NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 11:01 AM EST | Special Marine Warning | TBW | 59 min | |
| Apr 3, 11:10 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hillsborough | 50 min |
| Apr 3, 11:33 AM EST | Special Marine Warning | TBW | 27 min | |
| Apr 3, 12:08 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hardee | 52 min |
| Apr 3, 12:48 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Highlands, Polk | 42 min |
| Apr 3, 3:43 PM EST | Special Marine Warning | TBW | 62 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.