Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2003

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 81, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

July 23, 2003Hernando County, Sumter County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 23, 2003, 12:45 PM EDT for Hernando County, Sumter County, Florida. It was in force for 45 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 23, 2003, 12:45 PM EDT (16:45 UTC)
Expired
Jul 23, 2003, 1:30 PM EDT
In force
45 min
Issued by
NWS Tampa Bay, FL
Area
Counties, with a storm outline in the text

Counties Hernando County, FL, Sumter County, FL

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, 4.8 hours before the alert went out and 107 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 2003-07-23Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1747 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 2003-07-23The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 24 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
1747 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-17 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
902 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
11 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
24 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
55 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.

930 
WUUS52 KTBW 231645
SVRTBW
FLC053-119-231730-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1245 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2003

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  CENTRAL SUMTER COUNTY IN FLORIDA.
  EASTERN HERNANDO COUNTY IN FLORIDA.

* UNTIL 130 PM EDT

* AT 1245 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS...9 MILES
  SOUTHWEST OF BUSHNELL...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT...
  BUSHNELL.

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 2857 8230 2849 8216 2869 8184 2885 8202

$$

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 Jul 23, 9:00 AM EDT, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 23, 9:00 AM EDT, 3 hours 45 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
900 AM EDT WED JUL 23 2003

12Z SOUNDING SHOWS SOME SUBTLE DIFFERENCES FROM 24 HOURS AGO...BUT
GENERALLY VERY LITTLE CHANGE. MAIN ITEM OF NOTICE IS THE WINDS AT
300 MB AND ABOVE. THEY HAVE SWITCHED TO AN EASTERLY COMPONENT...AND
INDICATOR THE RIDGE IS TRY TO BUILD IN ABOVE 25K FEET. THERE IS
ALSO SOME DRYING IN THAT LAYER...WHICH CAN ALSO BE SEEN ON THE WATER
VAPOR. THIS WILL NOT HAVE MUCH EFFECT ON OUR SENSIBLE WEATHER
TODAY. CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS IN THE BALLPARK. NO CHANGES PLANNED TO
ZONES OR MARINE.

.TBW...NONE.

ALSHEIMER
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 23, 6:00 AM EDT, 6 hours 45 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-231400-

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL FL
600 AM EDT WED JUL 23 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY:

TODAY WILL BEGIN THE TRANSITION FROM SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT TO
SOUTHEAST FLOW ALOFT. THIS MEANS ONE MORE DAY FOR A GOOD CHANCE OF
WATERSPOUTS. LOOKING INLAND...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS CAN
BE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING. MOST STORMS WILL NOT
PRODUCE SEVERE WEATHER. HOWEVER...A FEW OF THE STORMS AWAY FROM
THE COAST MAY PRODUCE NICKEL SIZE HAIL AND BRIEF DOWNBURST WINDS TO
60 MPH.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY:

A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE ACROSS SOUTHERN FLORIDA WILL MOVE INTO
NORTHERN FLORIDA FRIDAY. THIS WILL BRING A MORE TYPICAL SUMMERTIME
PATTERN MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE
EAST COAST SEA BREEZE.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE ISOLATED AND RANDOM THIS AFTERNOON SO
ORGANIZED ACTIVATION IS NOT REQUIRED. HOWEVER...SPOTTERS NEAR
THE COAST SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR WATERSPOUTS. SPOTTERS
ACROSS THE INLAND COUNTIES SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR HAIL...
LOCALIZED FLOODING...AND BRIEF DOWNBURST WINDS THIS AFTERNOON.

NOAH

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 23, 12:39 PM EDT, 6 minutes before
FLZ043-048-049-051-052-231730-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1239 PM EDT WED JUL 23 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT JUST EAST OF INETERSTATE 75 FROM
WIMAUMA NORTHWARD...

A BROKEN LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 15 MPH...WILL
AFFECT VALRICO...BRANDON...BLOOMINGDALE...SEFFNER...AND RIDGE MANOR
UNTIL 130 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. THIS STORM WILL 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 23, 12:44 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW16 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.