Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 39, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

May 18, 2003Polk County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at May 18, 2003, 7:13 PM EDT for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 32 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
May 18, 2003, 7:13 PM EDT (23:13 UTC)
Expired
May 18, 2003, 7:45 PM EDT
In force
32 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Polk County, FL

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 76 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:13 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, 11.2 hours before the alert went out and 76 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 2003-05-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1624 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 2003-05-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -1 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
1624 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-78 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
975 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-1 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-12 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.

648 
WUUS52 KTBW 182313
SVRTBW
FLC105-182345-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
712 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 745 PM EDT

* AT 712 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH LARGE HAIL...OVER BARTOW...NEARLY         
  STATIONARY.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT...
  BARTOW.
  WAHNETA.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CONTAIN WIND GUSTS OF 60 MPH OR HIGHER...AND
HAIL THE SIZE OF PENNIES OR LARGER. MOVE TO A PLACE OF SAFETY.

&&

LAT...LON 2794 8188 2781 8174 2806 8142 2822 8160

$$

13

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 May 18, 2:30 PM EDT, 4 hours 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 18, 2:30 PM EDT, 4 hours 43 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
910 AM EDT SUN MAY 18 2003

THE ATMOSPHERE IS VERY UNSTABLE THIS AFTERNOON AND MOISTURE IS IN
PLACE.  THE SEABREEZE WAS A LITTLE SLOW TO DEVELOP BUT IT IS
STARTING TO COME AROUND AS OF THE LAST OB OR TWO.  THE EAST COAST
SEABREEZE AND ITS RELATED CONVECTION IS MARCHING ACROSS THE STATE.  I
EXPECT SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP EARLY THIS AFTERNOON WITH SOME
POTENTIALLY STRONG ONES LATE THIS AFTERNOON AFTER THE EAST COAST
SEABREEZE MAKES IT TO THE AREA.

MONDAY AFTERNOON WILL SEE MORE OF THE SAME EXCEPT FOR FOR
CONSIDERABLE SPEED DIVERGENCE ALOFT AS AIR ACCELERATES INTO AN UPPER
LOW IN THE CENTRAL GULF.  THE UPPER LOW...AND ITS REALLY KIND OF
DEEP WILL SLOWLY FILL AS IT DRIFTS SOUTHWARD OUT OF MISSISSIPPI AND
INTO THE YUCATAN CHANNEL.  THE MAIN TROUGH OR WHAT EVENTUALLY
BECOMES THE MAIN TROUGH SINKS SOUTH FROM NEW ENGLAND TO EAST OF THE
STATE.  THE UPPER LOW IN THE GULF EVENTUALLY GETS DISSOLVED INTO
MAIN TROUGH.

BY MIDWEEK OR SO A FRONT DRIFTS INTO SOUTH GEORGIA THE PUSHING THE
SUBTROPICAL RIDGE SOUTHWARD.  THE SURFACE LOW JUST KIND OF SITS
OVER NORTHEAST FLORIDA THROUGH THE REST OF THE WEEK.

NO MARINE OR FIRE WEATHER ISSUES

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS

TPA 090/073 089/073 3635
FMY 092/072 091/073 3635
GIF 092/071 091/071 2625
SRQ 089/074 088/072 3635
BKV 090/069 089/069 2635

.TBW...NONE.

SOBIEN
Hazardous weather outlook, May 18, 5:32 AM EDT, 13 hours 41 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-181530-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
532 AM EDT SUN MAY 18 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY:
A COMBINATION OF AN WEAK UPPER LOW OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AND
AFTERNOON SEA BREEZES WILL CREATE FAVORBALE CONDITIONS FOR THE
DEVELOPMENT OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS...MANILY BETWEEN
2 AND 10 PM. SOME THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE LOCALLY STRONG WITH WIND
GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH...RAINFALL RATES OF 2 INCHES PER
HOUR...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND HAIL.

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...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY:

A WARM AND HUMID AIR MASS WILL BE IN PLACE OVER FLORIDA THIS
WEEK...ALLOWING FOR SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS
EACH DAY.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 18, 4:26 PM EDT, 2 hours 47 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN  FL
426 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 2003

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

0307 PM    CITRUS SPRINGS            FL   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/18/03   CITRUS                         QUARTER SIZE HAIL.
                                          REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER.

0315 PM    1 N CITRUS SPRINGS        FL   2.00 INCH HAIL
05/18/03   CITRUS                         HEN EGG SIZE HAIL.
                                          REPORTED BY CITIZEN/PUBLIC.

0325 PM    CITRUS SPRINGS            FL   1.25 INCH HAIL
05/18/03   CITRUS                         HALF DOLLAR SIZE HAIL.
                                          REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER.

0359 PM    HERNANDO                  FL   1.00 INCH HAIL
05/18/03   CITRUS                         QUARTER SIZE HAIL.
                                          REPORTED BY STORM SPOTTER.

RFM
Special weather statement, May 18, 7:00 PM EDT, 13 minutes before
FLZ049-051-052-055-056-060>062-065-190000-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
7 PM EDT SUN MAY 18 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS AND POSSIBLY LARGE HAIL WILL AFFECT WEST
   CENTRAL FLORIDA...

THROUGH 8 PM...A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE
BUILDING NORTHWARD ALONG THE WEST COAST SEA BREEZE BOUNDARY FROM
CHARLOTTE COUNTY...NORTHWARD TO EASTERN PASCO COUNTY. THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOPED RAPIDLY FROM ZEPHYRHILLS IN SOUTHEAST
PASCO COUNTY...SOUTHWARD TO PLANT CITY AND BRANDON...LITHIA...FORT
LONESOME...DUETTE AND MYAKKA CITY. OTHER STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE
EXPECTED OVER WESTERN POLK COUNTY...INCLUDING POLK CITY...LAKELAND
AND BARTOW.

SOME STORMS COULD BECOME STRONG...OR POSSIBLY SEVERE. STRONG TO
SEVERE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON HAVE HAD A HISTORY OF PRODUCING HAIL OF
DIME TO QUARTER SIZE...WITH SOME REPORTS OF HAIL UP TO 2 INCHES.

RESIDENTS IN THIS AREA MAY WANT TO TAKE PRECAUTIONS TO MOVE CARS AND
ANY OTHER PROPERTY INDOORS THAT COULD BE DAMAGED BY LARGE HAIL.

MORALES

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 18, 2:51 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWCitrus39 min
May 18, 3:30 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWCitrus45 min
May 18, 5:56 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWPolk34 min
May 18, 6:08 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHillsborough, Pasco37 min
May 18, 7:17 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWManatee28 min
May 18, 7:46 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWPolk44 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.