Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 73, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

December 5, 2002Levy County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Dec 5, 2002, 7:24 AM EST for Levy County, Florida. It was in force for 51 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Dec 5, 2002, 7:24 AM EST (12:24 UTC)
Expired
Dec 5, 2002, 8:15 AM EST
In force
51 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Levy County, FL

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 177 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 12:25 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.

Did it verify

Not verified. The Iowa Environmental Mesonet's Cow found no qualifying storm report inside this severe thunderstorm warning while it was in force. That is not proof nothing happened: reports are thin where few people live.

Cow counts a report within 15 km of the polygon while the warning was in force: a tornado for a tornado warning; hail of 1 inch or more, a gust of 58 mph or more or wind damage for a severe thunderstorm warning; a flash flood report for a flash flood warning.

The nearest sounding before it

Tampa Bay, FL (KTBW), launched 12:00Z, 0.4 hours before the alert went out and 177 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 2002-12-05Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 924 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 2002-12-05The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 140 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
924 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-19 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
594 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
140 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
122 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
3.9

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

000 
WUUS52 KTBW 051224
SVRTBW
FLC075-051315-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
724 AM EST THU DEC 5 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  WESTERN LEVY COUNTY IN FLORIDA.

* UNTIL 815 AM EST

* AT 724 AM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH DAMAGING WINDS...12 MILES SOUTHWEST OF
  CEDAR KEY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT...
  CEDAR KEY.
  OTTER CREEK.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE
WARNING. MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY...AN INTERIOR ROOM IN THE LOWEST
FLOOR OF YOUR HOUSE OR BUSINESS.

&&

LAT...LON 2919 8339 2883 8319 2915 8259 2953 8288

$$

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 Dec 5, 3:06 AM EST, 4 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 5, 3:06 AM EST, 4 hours 18 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN
306 AM EST THU DEC 5 2002

A SURFACE LOW STRETCHES ACROSS ALABAMA AND THE WESTERN PANHANDLE
THIS MORNING WITH A WARM FRONT ACROSS NORTH FLORIDA AND ALONG THE
COAST TO A DEVELOPING LOW NEAR HATTERAS.  THERE ARE A FEW SHOWERS
IN THE GULF MOVING ONSHORE NEAR CEDAR KEY.  I SEE NO REASON FOR THE
SHOWERS NOT TO CONTINUE...AND SHOULD MOVE FURTHER SOUTH AS THE COLD
FRONT CONTINUES THIS WAY.  I WILL INCREASE POPS ACROSS THE AREA.

THE FRONT SHOULD CLEAR THE AREA BY MIDNIGHT OR SO BUT THE 850 TROUGH
DOES NOT GO THROUGH TIL LATE FRIDAY.  THAT WHEN THINGS WILL FINALLY
TO CLEAR OUT.  THERE IS DEFINITELY SOME VERY COLD AIR JUST NORTH OF
THE STATE BUT WE REALLY DO NOT TAP IT BEFORE IT LIFTS OUT SATURDAY.
IN FACT BY SUNDAY THE WINDS VEER TO EASTERLY AND THE WARM UP STARTS.

A STRONG JET SETS UP ON MONDAY FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST ACROSS
THE EASTERN GULF ACROSS SOUTH GEORGIA.  THIS WILL HELP TO LOWER
PRESSURES AND WE WILL SEE PRECIPITATION DEVELOP.  THE FORECAST
ALREADY HAS SHOWERS FOR MONDAY...I WILL BEEF UP TUESDAY A LITTLE.

MARINE WISE BOTH PREFRONTAL AND POSTFRONTAL SCEC CONDITIONS LOOK
LIKE A GOOD BET.  I WILL KEEP SCEC CONDITIONS ACROSS THE NORTHERN
LEG TODAY AND ALL AREAS BY TONIGHT.

GUIDANCE INDICATED BORDERLINE CONDITION FOR NORTHERN ZONES ON
FRIDAY.  WE WILL HOLD OFF ISSUING FOR NOW AS THE SLOWNESS OF THE 850
TROUGH MAY NEGATE THIS SOMEWHAT.  WE WILL REVISIT FRIDAY.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS

BKV 076/055 061/043 6630
TPA 076/060 065/050 4740
GIF 079/059 066/049 4740
SRQ 077/060 066/050 3750
FMY 082/065 070/054 2771

.TBW...SCEC TARPON SPRINGS TO SUWANNEE RIVER OUT 60 NM.

SOBIEN
Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 5, 5:54 AM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-051500-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
554 AM EST THU DEC 5 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY:

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CAN BE EXPECTED TODAY AND TONIGHT AS A
COLD FRONT PUSHES THROUGH THE STATE.  THE BIGGEST THREAT TODAY WILL
BE WITH OCCAISIONAL LIGHTNING.

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.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY:

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY:

HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 5, 6:56 AM ESTSpecial Marine WarningTBW64 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.