Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 6, NWS Tampa Bay, FL
NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 3, 2002, 12:48 PM EST for Highlands County, Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 42 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
- Apr 3, 2002, 12:48 PM EST (17:48 UTC)
- Expired
- Apr 3, 2002, 1:30 PM EST
- In force
- 42 min
- Issued by
- NWS Tampa Bay, FL
- Area
- Whole counties
Counties Highlands County, FL, Polk County, FL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 12:55 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind | Avon Park, 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, 5.8 hours before the alert went out and 87 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 031748 SVRTBW FLC055-105-031830- BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1247 PM EST WED APR 3 2002 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A * SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR... EASTERN POLK COUNTY IN FLORIDA. NORTHWESTERN HIGHLANDS COUNTY IN FLORIDA. * UNTIL 130 PM EST. * AT 1247 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS...9 MILES NORTHWEST OF AVON PARK...MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH. * THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT... FROSTPROOF. AVON PARK. SEBRING. SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAIN WIND GUSTS OF 60 MPH OR HIGHER...AND HAIL THE SIZE OF DIMES OR LARGER. MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY. $$ 13 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, 2 hours 8 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Apr 3, 10:40 AM EST, 2 hours 8 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, 9:00 AM EST, 3 hours 48 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, 1 hour 28 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, 1 hour 28 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.Local storm report, Apr 3, 12:07 PM EST, 41 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
351 PM EST THU MAR 28 2002
TIME(EST) .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE ...EVENT/REMARKS...
....COUNTY LOCATION....
0215 PM 5 NW TAMPA FL DUST DEVIL
03/28/02 HILLSBOROUGH ADDITION TO HOME
SUSTAINED CONSIDERABLE
DAMAGE. THREE CEMENT
SUPPORT POLES WERE
LIFTED FROM GROUND
METAL ROD WAS THROUGH
ROOF. REPORTED BY LAW
ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL.Local storm report, Apr 3, 12:17 PM EST, 31 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.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, 11:46 AM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Polk | 59 min |
| Apr 3, 12:08 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | TBW | Hardee | 52 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.