Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 61, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

July 4, 2003Pinellas County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 4, 2003, 5:31 PM EDT for Pinellas County, Florida. It was in force for 29 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 4, 2003, 5:31 PM EDT (21:31 UTC)
Expired
Jul 4, 2003, 6:00 PM EDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

County Pinellas County, FL

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 37 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 21:31 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, 9.5 hours before the alert went out and 37 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 2003-07-04Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 410 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 2003-07-04The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 30 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
410 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-70 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1179 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
7 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
30 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
24 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.

424 
WUUS52 KTBW 042131
SVRTBW
FLC103-042200-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
531 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 600 PM EDT

* AT 531 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...OVER
  PINELLAS PARK.  THE STORM WAS NEARLY STATIONARY.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT...
  LARGO.
  PINELLAS PARK.

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

WIND GUSTS TO 60 MPH WILL CAUSE SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE...MAINLY TO
TREES AND POWER LINES. POORLY ANCHORED ROOFS...MOBILE HOMES...AND
SHEDS ARE ALSO AT RISK.

&&

LAT...LON 2795 8281 2777 8273 2777 8264 2786 8262
          2794 8272

$$

25

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 Jul 4, 2:24 PM EDT, 3 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 4, 2:24 PM EDT, 3 hours 7 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
224 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

--CURRENTLY--A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ACROSS LEVY
COUNTY WITH OTHER ACTIVITY MOVING INTO THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST
CWFA.

--SHORT TERM (TONIGHT-MON)--DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE ALONG THE GULF
COAST WILL GET SHUNTED NORTHWARD AS A SURFACE RIDGE/NOW ACROSS THE
NORTH-CENTRAL CWFA/ MOVES INTO NORTH FL FOR SAT AND SUN. THIS WILL
PROVIDE A GENERALLY SOUTHEAST FLOW ACROSS THE REGION ALONG WITH A
MOIST TROPICAL AIRMASS/ PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES RANGE 1.8 TO
2.2 INCHES/ COMPLIMENTS OF AN EASTERLY WAVE THAT MOVES ACROSS SOUTH
AND MUCH OF CENTRAL FL DURING THE WEEKEND. BY MON THE WAVE IS OUT
OVER THE GULF AND THE SURFACE RIDGE AXIS IS DRIFTING BACK SOUTH.
THE ETA CONTINUES TO BE THE FAVORED MODEL...IT HAS HANDLED THE
RIDGE LOCATION AND WIND FIELDS BETTER...IT IS ALSO SLIGHTLY DRIER
THAN THE GFS. WILL KEEP POPS SCATTERED IN THE 40 TO 50 % RANGE WITH
THE HIGHER VALUES IN THE SOUTH AND CENTRAL CWFA ON SAT WITH ACTIVITY
STARTING LATE MORNING OVER THE INTERIOR AND THEN PUSHING TOWARD THE
COAST IN THE EVENING AND THEN OFFSHORE. TEMPERATURES TO REMAIN NEAR
NORMAL.

--EXTENDED (TUE-FRI)--DEEP LAYER RIDGING WILL RESIDE ACROSS THE
REGION WITH SOUTHEAST LOW LEVEL FLOW. SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
MAINLY SCATTERED DURING THE AFTERNOONS...WITH TEMPERATURES ON
THE WARM SIDE.

--MARINE--AS RIDGE MOVES NORTH WINDS BECOME SOUTHEAST/ EXCEPT
FOR AFTERNOON SEAS BREEZES NEAR THE COAST/ AND PICK UP SOME AS
THE WAVE MOVES THROUGH BUT STAY BELOW HIGHLIGHTS. AS THE RIDGE
DROPS BACK SOUTH WINDS VEER TO SOUTH OR SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE
NORTHERN MARINE AREAS.

PRELIM NUMBERS:
BKV 071/092 071/091 2424
TPA 075/091 075/090 2424
GIF 074/092 074/092 2524
SRQ 075/092 075/092 2424
FMY 074/092 074/092 2524

.TBW...NONE.

RKR
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 4, 6:00 AM EDT, 11 hours 31 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-041400-

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
600 AM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY:

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TODAY WITH SURFACE RIDGE OVER CENTRAL
FLORIDA. SEA BREEZE WILL SET UP THIS AFTERNOON WITH CELLS MOVING
GENERALLY TOWARDS THE NORTH. THE PRIMARY THREAT FROM THUNDERSTORMS
TODAY WILL BE WIND GUSTS TO 30 KNOTS...DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY:

A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MOVE TO NORTHERN FLORIDA FOR THE
WEEKEND...THEN SHIFT BACK TO CENTRAL FLORIDA NEXT WEEK. SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP EACH DAY ALONG SEA BREEZE AND OUTFLOW
BOUNDARIES.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY.

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

EJ

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 4, 3:55 PM EDT, 1 hour 36 minutes before
FLZ060-062-042045-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
355 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT CHARLOTTE AND SARASOTA COUNTIES...

AT 355 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED AN AREA
OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS OVER SOUTHWEST CHARLOTTE COUNTY...MAINLY
ALONG THE INTERSTATE 75 CORRIDOR. THIS AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE NORTHWEST AT 15 TO 20 MPH...ALONG THE WEST
COAST SEA BREEZE.  THE STORMS WILL AFFECT CLEVELAND...PUNTA
GORDA...CHARLOTTE HARBOR AND PORT CHARLOTTE THROUGH 445 PM EDT.
GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...SMALL HAIL AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND
LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THESE STORMS.

IF OUTSIDE...CROUCH DOWN IN A LOW SPOT...AWAY FROM TALL OBJECTS. IF
INDOORS...REFRAIN FROM USING ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNTIL THE STORMS
PASS.

MORALES
Local storm report, Jul 4, 4:19 PM EDT, 1 hour 12 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN  FL
419 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

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

0355 PM    5 S PUNTA GORDA CLT AP    FL   .75 INCH HAIL
07/04/03   CHARLOTTE                      CITIZEN DRIVING ALONG I-75
                                          ESTIMATED 3/4 INCH HAIL AND
                                          WIND GUSTS OF 45 MPH.

RFM
Special weather statement, Jul 4, 4:25 PM EDT, 1 hour 6 minutes before
FLZ052-056-057-042115-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
425 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

...EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING WILL AFFECT NORTHWEST HIGHLANDS...NORTHEAST
HARDEE...AND SOUTHERN POLK COUNTIES...THUNDERSTORMS...MOVING
NORTH AT 15 MPH...WILL AFFECT AVON PARK AND FROSTPROOF...UNTIL 515
PM EDT. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH WILL OCCUR. EXCESSIVE CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED IF OUTSIDE...CROUCH DOWN IN A LOW
SPOT...AWAY FROM TALL OBJECTS. IF INDOORS...REFRAIN FROM USING
ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES. HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER IS
EXPECTED. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON
ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

DAVIS
Special weather statement, Jul 4, 5:22 PM EDT, 9 minutes before
FLZ050-042215-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
522 PM EDT FRI JUL 4 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT PINELLAS COUNTY...
THUNDERSTORMS...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH...WILL AFFECT PINELLAS
PARK...HIGHPOINT...LARGO...CLEARWATER... AND THE BEACHES UNTIL 615
PM EDT. GUSTY WINDS 40 TO 50 MPH MAY CAUSE LOOSE OBJECTS TO BLOW
AROUND. MINOR DAMAGE TO TREE LIMBS AND WIRES IS POSSIBLE. FREQUENT
CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...CROUCH
DOWN IN A LOW SPOT...AWAY FROM TALL OBJECTS. THIS STORM MAY PRODUCE
PEA SIZE HAIL. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON
ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 4, 5:03 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW57 min
Jul 4, 5:50 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningTBWHillsborough25 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.