Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2004

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 64, NWS Tampa Bay, FL

July 2, 2004Polk County, Florida

NWS Tampa Bay, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 2, 2004, 3:54 PM EDT for Polk County, Florida. It was in force for 36 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 2, 2004, 3:54 PM EDT (19:54 UTC)
Expired
Jul 2, 2004, 4:30 PM EDT
In force
36 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), 64 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:57 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, 7.9 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, Tampa Bay, FL at 12:00Z on 2004-07-02Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1781 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 2004-07-02The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 25 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
1781 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-36 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
814 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
25 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
18 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.

000 
WUUS52 KTBW 021954
SVRTBW
FLC105-022030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
354 PM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A

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

* UNTIL 430 PM EDT

* AT 354 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WITH LARGE HAIL...OVER LAKELAND.  THE STORM WAS
  NEARLY STATIONARY.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT...
  GIBSONIA.
  POLK CITY.

MOVE INSIDE A STURDY BUILDING. DAMAGING WIND...LARGE HAIL...
TORRENTIAL RAIN...AND DEADLY LIGHTNING ARE EXPECTED. STAY INSIDE AWAY
FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.


&&

LAT...LON 2821 8203 2801 8204 2798 8185 2820 8181

$$

57

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 2, 1:01 PM EDT, 2 hours 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 2, 1:01 PM EDT, 2 hours 53 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
101 PM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

.SHORT TERM (TONIGHT-SUN)...12Z TBW SOUNDING SHOWS NEARLY 2 INCHES OF
PRECIPITABLE WATER...AND IN FACT...SHOWERS AND EVEN A FEW
THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALREADY DEVELOPING ALONG BY AND SEA BREEZE
BOUNDARIES...AND EXPECT ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THEN PUSH
INLAND WITH THE SEA BREEZE.

MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO BE IN GOOD AGREEMENT IN THE SHORT TERM
WITH RESPECT TO LOW-LEVEL RIDGE AXIS REMAINING OVER CENTRAL FLORIDA
THROUGH THE UPCOMING HOLIDAY WEEKEND. WITH SUCH LIGHT STEERING
FLOW...IT WILL BE DIFFICULT TO PINPOINT WHICH AREAS HAVE THE BEST
SHOT AT GETTING WET. USUALLY...WITH LIGHT FLOW...BOUNDARIES FROM BOTH
SEA BREEZE FRONTS EVENTUALLY CONVERGE IN THE INTERIOR...SO WILL
CONTINUE TO SHOW HIGHER POPS THERE. WITH SOUTHEAST FLOW MORE
PREDOMINANT TO THE SOUTH...EXPECT CONVECTION TO MIGRATE TO THE COAST
LATE IN THE AFTERNOON THERE AS WELL...SO WILL HAVE 50 POPS INTERIOR
AND SOUTHWEST.

.LONG TERM (SUN NIGHT-FRI)...ITS GETTING CLOSER TO INDEPENDENCE
DAY...AND STILL THE MEAN FLOW PATTERN IS PROVIDING LITTLE HELP FOR
EVENING PLANNING.  GFS IS HINTING AT WEAK SE FLOW AFTER DARK WHICH
WOULD TEND TO EASE WHATEVER STORMS ARE ACTIVE BACK TO THE COAST...BUT
ETA SHOWS VIRTUALLY NO FLOW.  LIGHTNING CLIMATOLOGY SUGGEST BEST
EVENING LIGHTNING WOULD STRETCH FROM INTERIOR COASTAL/WEST CENTRAL
COUNTIES STRAIGHT S TO THE LEE COUNTY METRO AREAS...BUT OTHER FACTORS
(SUCH AS DIFFERENTIAL HEATING) CAN CHANGE INITIAL STORM GENERATION.
FOR NOW WILL HOLD ONTO 30 PERCENT THROUGH FIREWORKS TIME...AND LET
FUTURE SHIFTS ADJUST.

OTHERWISE...SAME STUFF DIFFERENT DAY(S) RIGHT THROUGH WED...AND
LOOKS LIKE THE LIGHT FLOW MAY HOLD THROUGH THURSDAY AS...NOT ALL
THAT SURPRISING...THE ACTIVE JET HOLDS ACROSS THE MID LATITUDES.  BY
FRIDAY...IT STILL LOOKS LIKE DEEPER E FLOW WILL TAKE OVER BUT WOULD
NOT WRITE IT IN STONE JUST YET.

SO...MORE EARLY AFTERNOON WEST COAST SEA BREEZE INDUCED STORMS
BECOMING BOUNDARY COLLISIONS JUST ABOUT ANYWHERE BY MID TO LATE
AFTERNOON THROUGH MOST OF THE PERIOD.  TEMPS NEAR NORMAL AND PCPN
COVERAGE A HAIR BELOW NORMAL AS HAS BEEN THE CASE THE PAST SEVERAL
DAYS.

&&

.MARINE...VERY LITTLE TO TALK ABOUT AS LIGHT WINDS AND SLIGHT SEAS
CONTINUE UNDER THE RIDGE AXIS. ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS
ARE POSSIBLE AT ANY TIME...BUT THE STRONGEST WOULD BE IN THE LATE
EVENINGS AS LOCAL LAND BREEZES SET UP JUST OFFSHORE AND MOVE SLOWLY
WEST.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...AMPLE MOISTURE IN PLACE SO NO HIGHLIGHTS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TPA 75 90 76 91/ 30 50 30 40
FMY 74 91 74 92/ 30 50 30 50
GIF 74 92 74 93/ 30 50 30 50
SRQ 74 90 74 90/ 30 40 40 40
BKV 71 90 71 91/ 30 50 30 50

&&

SHORT TERM...JILLSON
LONG TERM....BSG
Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 2, 5:10 AM EDT, 10 hours 44 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
510 AM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-021415-
CHARLOTTE-CITRUS-DE SOTO-HARDEE-HERNANDO-HIGHLANDS-HILLSBOROUGH-LEE-
LEVY-MANATEE-PASCO-PINELLAS-POLK-SARASOTA-SUMTER-
510 AM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY:

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL FORM ALONG THE WEST COAST
SEA BREEZE STARTING AROUND MID AFTERNOON. ADDITIONAL STORMS WILL
FORM AS THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE PUSHES INTO OUR AREA BY THE EARLY
EVENING...WITH SOME STORMS CONTINUING TO DEVELOP INTO THE LATE
EVENING. EXPECT THE BEST COVERAGE TODAY IN THE AREA WHERE THE SEA
BREEZES MEET...EAST OF THE I-75 CORRIDOR.

THE STEERING FLOW IN THE ATMOSPHERE IS RELATIVELY LIGHT...SO ANY
STORMS THAT FORM WILL NOT MOVE VERY FAST. RAINFALL TOTALS OF 2 TO 3
INCHES ARE POSSIBLE...WHICH COULD CAUSE MINOR FLOODING OF POOR
DRAINAGE AREAS. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS
OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH TODAYS STORMS.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
UPDATES.

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

SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE
EXPECTED EACH DAY. THERE WILL BE A RISK OF STRONG STORMS EACH
AFTERNOON. STAY TUNED TO THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS.

.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 (LOWER CASE)

RJS

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 2, 2:43 PM EDT, 1 hour 11 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
243 PM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

FLZ051-021930-
HILLSBOROUGH-
243 PM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...MOVING NORTH AT 5 MPH...WILL AFFECT TEMPLE
TERRACE...SEFFNER...MANGO AND EAST LAKE ORIENT PARK...UNTIL 330 PM
EDT. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 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. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL
CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR
DRAINAGE AREAS.

MCMICHAEL
Special weather statement, Jul 2, 2:53 PM EDT, 1 hour 1 minute before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
253 PM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

FLZ049>051-021945-
HILLSBOROUGH-PASCO-PINELLAS-
253 PM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...MOVING NORTH AT 5 MPH...WILL AFFECT
ODESSA...JASMINE ESTATES AND MOON LAKE ESTATES...AND NEW PORT RICHEY
UNTIL 345 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. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER
ON ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

MCMICHAEL
Special weather statement, Jul 2, 3:07 PM EDT, 47 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
307 PM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

FLZ055-021945-
MANATEE-
307 PM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT WESTERN MANATEE COUNTY...
A THUNDERSTORM...MOVING LITTLE...WILL AFFECT ELLENTON AND
PARRISH...UNTIL 345 PM EDT. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH WILL OCCUR.
FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED. IF CAUGHT
OUTSIDE...CROUCH DOWN IN A LOW SPOT...AWAY FROM TALL OBJECTS.
RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WILL OCCUR. MOTORISTS CAN
EXPECT PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR
DRAINAGE AREAS.

COLSON
Special weather statement, Jul 2, 3:14 PM EDT, 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
314 PM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

FLZ048-022000-
HERNANDO-
314 PM EDT FRI JUL 2 2004

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...MOVING NORTH AT 5 MPH...WILL AFFECT RURAL
NORTHERN HERNANDO COUNTY INCLUDING ROYAL HIGHLANDS...UNTIL 400 PM EDT.
GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. 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. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON
ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

MCMICHAEL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jul 2, 4:43 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW32 min
Jul 2, 6:05 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningTBW55 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Florida, 2004Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2004

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.