Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 94, NWS Melbourne, FL

July 29, 2003Orange County, Florida

NWS Melbourne, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 29, 2003, 6:46 PM EDT for Orange County, Florida. It was in force for 59 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
Jul 29, 2003, 6:46 PM EDT (22:46 UTC)
Expired
Jul 29, 2003, 7:45 PM EDT
In force
59 min
Issued by
NWS Melbourne, FL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Orange County, FL

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 62 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:49 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

Cape Canaveral, FL (KXMR), launched 12:00Z, 10.8 hours before the alert went out and 64 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 2003-07-29Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2841 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Cape Canaveral, FL at 12:00Z on 2003-07-29The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 17 square meters per square second.1939Sfc1 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
2841 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-1 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
513 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
17 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
39 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.

718 
WUUS52 KMLB 292246
SVRMLB
FLC095-292345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
645 PM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL ORANGE COUNTY
  IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT

* AT 640 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM 9 MILES SOUTHWEST OF CHRISTMAS...JUST SOUTH OF 
THE BEELINE EXPRESSWAY.  THE STORM WAS DRIFTING NORTH AT 5 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
  6 MILES SOUTH OF BITHLO...7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF UNION PARK...8 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF CHRISTMAS AT 745 PM EDT

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 58 MILES AN
HOUR...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. IF
THE STORM APPROACHES YOU...MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR.

EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING MAY OCCUR WITH THIS STORM. IF OUTDOORS...STAY
AWAY FROM ISOLATED HIGH OBJECTS SUCH AS TREES. MOVE INDOORS IF
POSSIBLE. WHEN INDOORS...STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND DOORS AND AVOID
USING TELEPHONES UNLESS IT IS AN EMERGENCY.

LAT...LON 2832 8118 2839 8099 2867 8106 2857 8134

$$

BRAGAW

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 Melbourne, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 29, 2:05 PM EDT, 4 hours 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 29, 2:05 PM EDT, 4 hours 41 minutes before
EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
205 PM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003

.DISCUSSION...THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE (ECSB) HAS DEVELOPED SOUTH
OF THE CAPE AND IS MAKING SLOW PROGRESS INLAND...BASED ON SFC
OBSERVATIONS AND NWS DOPPLER RADAR. THE SEA BREEZE IS DEVELOPING
ALONG THE VOLUSIA COUNTY COAST AND WILL PUSH INLAND VERY SLOWLY
THERE AS WELL. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS DRYING ALOFT OVER SOUTHERN
SECTIONS EXTENDING NE OFFSHORE THE CAPE. THIS SHOULD SUPPRESS MOST
CONVECTIVE INITIATION ALONG THE ECSB FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS.
11AM CAPE SOUNDING SHOWS 2 PCP WATER WITH -8C AT H5 AND A RATHER
UNSTABLE ATM WITH LI -8. STRONGEST STORMS WILL OCCUR WHERE THE SEA
BREEZE BOUNDARIES (EAST AND WEST) INTERACT WITH LAKE BOUNDARIES AND
EACH OTHER LATER THIS AFTN AND EVE. DAMAGING WINDS AND EXCESSIVE
LIGHTNING ARE THE PRIMARY THREATS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE PENINSULA.
MOVEMENT WILL GENERALLY TOWARD THE EAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH.

WED...MODELS SHOW THE UPPER LEVEL CYCLONIC CIRCULATION OVER THE
NORTHERN BAHAMAS BEING REPLACED BY A WEAK H25 RIDGE...WITH OVERALL
SLIGHT WESTWARD DISPLACEMENT OF TUTT AXIS.  CURRENTLY THERE IS QUITE
A BIT OF CONVECTION EAST OF THE AXIS...SO POPS ON THE HIGH END OF
THE SCATTERED RANGE LOOKS GOOD.  LOW LEVEL RIDGE NOT PROGGED TO MAKE
A LOT OF NORTHWARD MOTION SO SUFFICIENT SOUTHWEST STEERING FLOW
SHOULD REMAIN FOR HIGHEST COVERAGE NEAR THE EAST COAST.  LITTLE
CHANGE TO CURRENT FORECAST PLANNED.

THU/FRI...FORECAST COMPLICATED BY GFS SHOWING A DEVELOPING EASTERLY
WAVE MOVING THROUGH THE NORTHERN BAHAMAS.  THIS HAS THE EFFECT OF
SHIFTING THE SURFACE RIDGE NORTHWARD...BUT AT THE SAME TIME THE NEXT
TROUGH IS DIGGING OVER THE EASTERN U.S.  WITHOUT THE SURFACE WAVE...
THE RIDGE WOULD ACTUALLY BE SAGGING SOUTH OR HOLDING ACROSS THE
AREA.  WILL FOLLOW THE PATH OF PERSISTENCE (40/50 POPS) UNTIL THE
EVOLUTION OF THE WAVE BECOMES MORE CLEAR.

WEEKEND/EARLY NEXT WEEK...GFS BASICALLY SHOWS A WEAKNESS IN THE
SUBTROPICAL RIDGE OVER THE EASTERN GULF/FLORIDA.  TAKING A PEEK AT
SOME OTHER MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SHOWS A SLOW MOVING LOW OVER THE
GREAT LAKES WITH A TROUGH AXIS OVER THE EASTERN U.S.

WAY TO FAR OUT TO NAIL DOWN ANY SPECIFICS WITH THE CURVE BALL THROWN
BY THE LAST 2 GFS RUNS WITH THE EASTERLY WAVE DEVELOPING INTO A
CLOSED LOW.  MUST THEREFORE FOLLOW A PERSISTENCE FORECAST UNTIL
THERE IS MORE CONFIDENCE ON GIVING A YES OR NO TO THE LATEST GFS
SOLUTION.  THIS NECESSITATES A NEAR CLIMO RIDGE POSTION ACROSS THE
CENTRAL PENINSULA AND 30/40 POPS.

.MARINE...LOW CONFIDENCE IN RIDGE POSITION AS MENTIONED IN ABOVE
DISCUSSION.  WILL PLAN ON A GRADUAL NORTHWARD MIGRATION FROM CURRENT
POSITION TO OUR SOUTH...TO ACROSS CENTRAL OR NORTH CENTRAL
PENINSULA.  WOULD NOT ANTICIPATE MUCH OF AN EASTERLY FLOW DEVELOPING
WITH RIDGE AXIS NEARBY...SPEEDS 10 KNOTS OR LESS...UNLESS GFS IS
ONTO SOMETHING WITH THE WAVE/SURFACE LOW DEVELOPMENT.

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
DAB TT 072/091 073/090 074 2525
MCO TT 073/092 073/092 074 2525
MLB TT 074/090 074/089 075 3525
VRB TT 073/090 074/089 075 3525

.MLB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

SHORT TERM...KELLY
LONG TERM....LASCODY
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 29, 10:21 AM EDT, 8 hours 25 minutes before
AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147-
292007-

EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
1021 AM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING:

A SURFACE RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE HAS DRIFTED SOUTH TO NEAR LAKE
OKEECHOBEE...RESULTING IN SOUTHWEST WINDS NEAR THE SURFACE. THIS
OFFSHORE FLOW WILL DELAY THE ONSET OF THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE...
ESPECIALLY NORTH OF CAPE CANAVERAL.

THE WEST COAST SEA BREEZE WILL PUSH INTO CENTRAL FLORIDA THIS
AFTERNOON AND PROVIDE FOCUS FOR STORM FORMATION OVER INTERIOR
SECTIONS. COVERAGE AND INTENSITY OF STORMS WILL INCREASE LATE THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS STORMS APPROACH THE EAST COAST AND COLLIDE
WITH THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE. STORMS WILL LINGER INTO THIS EVENING
NEAR THE COAST AND OVER THE ADJACENT ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS.

COOLER TEMPERATURES IN MID LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE MAY ALLOW A FEW
SEVERE STORMS TO DEVELOP...PRODUCING LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

ADDITIONALLY...STORMS TODAY WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING FREQUENT TO
EXCESSIVE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS. SEEK
SHELTER IN AN ENCLOSED BUILDING OR AUTOMOBILE AT THE FIRST SIGN OF A
STORM. PICNIC SHELTERS AND DUGOUTS MAY KEEP YOU DRY BUT THEY OFFER NO
PROTECTION FROM THE DANGERS OF LIGHTNING. MOTORISTS SHOULD REDUCE
THEIR SPEED IN HEAVY RAIN TO REDUCE THE RISK OF HYDROPLANING. BOATERS
SHOULD BE ALERT FOR STORMS MOVING OFFSHORE FROM THE MAINLAND LATE
THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY:

SOUTHWEST STEERING WINDS WILL PERSIST AND FAVOR STORM DEVELOPMENT
OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. A LIGHT SOUTH TO
SOUTHWEST FLOW IS EXPECTED INTO THE WEEKEND WITH STORMS PUSHING
TOWARD THE EAST COAST.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SKYWARN SPOTTERS ARE ASKED TO SELF ACTIVATE THIS AFTERNOON IF STRONG
STORMS DEVELOP...AND RELAY ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER REPORTS TO THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE.

FOR A GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...GO TO
WWW.WEATHER.GOV AND CLICK ON EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA.

KELLY

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 29, 5:20 PM EDT, 1 hour 26 minutes before
FLZ058-292200-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
520 PM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003

...STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL
EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER OKEECHOBEE COUNTY...

AT 520 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED
INTENSE LIGHTNING STORMS OVER INTERIOR SECTIONS OF SAINT LUCIE AND
MARTIN COUNTIES. ADDITIONAL STORMS WERE STARING TO DEVELOP TO THE
EAST OF FORT DRUM AND OKEECHOBEE. SOME OF THE STORMS WHICH FORM ARE
EXPECTED TO PRODUCE STRONG WINDS AND POSSIBLY SOME HAIL.

IF THE STORMS BECOME CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS OR LARGE HAIL
...A WARNING WILL BE ISSUED.

CRISTALDI
Special weather statement, Jul 29, 5:26 PM EDT, 1 hour 20 minutes before
FLZ054-059-292215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
526 PM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003

...STRONG STORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING WINDS UP TO 50 MPH AND SMALL
HAIL OVER NORTHWEST SAINT LUCIE COUNTY...MOVING INTO SOUTHWEST
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY.

AT 526 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG WINDS AND SMALL HAIL NEAR THE
FLORIDA TURNPIKE IN NORTHWEST SAINT LUCIE COUNTY...JUST SOUTH OF THE
INDIAN RIVER COUNTY LINE...AND A FEW MILES EAST OF THE OKEECHOBEE
COUNTY LINE. STORMS AREA EXPECTED TO DEVELOP NORTHWARD INTO INDIAN
RIVER COUNTY THROUGH 615 PM.

RESIDENTS OR PERSON WHO WILL BE TRAVELING IN THIS AREA...ESPECIALLY
THOSE ALONG HIGHWAY 60 OR THE FLORIDA TURNPIKE...SHOULD BE ON THE
LOOKOUT FOR THESE STORMS.

IF THE STORMS BECOME CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS OR LARGE
HAIL ...A WARNING WILL BE ISSUED.

CRISTALDI
Local storm report, Jul 29, 6:42 PM EDT, 4 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
642 PM EDT TUE JUL 29 2003

TIME(EDT)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

633 PM     FELLSMERE                 FL   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/29/03   INDIAN RIVER                   WEST SIDE OF FELLSMERE.
                                          REPORT FROM INDIAN RIVER
                                          S.O.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 29, 4:20 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBMartin55 min
Jul 29, 6:14 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBIndian River46 min
Jul 29, 6:43 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBBrevard62 min
Jul 29, 6:59 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBSeminole61 min
Jul 29, 7:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBBrevard44 min
Jul 29, 7:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBVolusia55 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Florida, 2003Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2003

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.