Frost and Freeze in Florida, January 4, 2001

Name: Frost and Freeze in Florida, January 4, 2001
Start: 2001-01-04T01:00
End: 2001-01-04T09:00
Location: Florida

January 4, 2001 · NWS TBW · 12 events in 12 counties and zones

In Hillsborough, Polk, Hardee, De Soto, Highlands, eastern Manatee and eastern Sarasota, low temperatures ranged from the upper 20s to the lower 30s with durations below freezing for one to two hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS TBW wrote it up.

Widespread freezing temperatures were observed across most of West Central Florida during the predawn and mid-morning hours of January 4th, 2001.Low temperatures in Levy county ranged from the upper teens to the middle 20s with durations below freezing for up to nine hours.In Sumter county, low temperatures ranged from the low to middle 20s with durations below freezing for up to six hours.In Citrus, Hernando and Pasco counties, low temperatures ranged from the middle to upper 20s with durations below freezing for three to six hours.In Hillsborough, Polk, Hardee, De Soto, Highlands, eastern Manatee and eastern Sarasota, low temperatures ranged from the upper 20s to the lower 30s with durations below freezing for one to two hours.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, 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 the first event at Jan 3, 9:32 PM EST, 3 hours 28 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 3, 9:32 PM EST, 3 hours 28 minutes before

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
932 PM EST WED JAN 3 2001

CURRENTLY:  GREAT EXAMPLE OF A STRONG UPPER LEVEL JET STREAK IN
SATL IMAGERY...AS BACK EDGE OF V CORRESPONDING TO 140 KT JET AT
H25.  THIS STREAK IS CREATING ABUNDANT CLOUDS ACROSS THE CWFA...
WITH MID AND HIGH OVC N AND CENTRAL...AND SUPPLEMENTED BY SC AND
LIGHT SHWRS IN CHARLOTTE AND LEE...WHERE RR QUAD IS LOCATED.

THIS SPEED MAX/CLOUD AREA IS RACING ESE...AND SHOULD CLEAR THE CWFA
BY 4 AM.

AT THE SFC...HIGH PRES CENTERED OVER LA...WITH A HINT OF WEAKNESS IN
PRES GRADIENT OVER THE AREA.

DISC:  CURR PACKAGE YET ANOTHER CONGLOMERATION OF COLD WX
ADVISORIES/WARNINGS.  FIRST...THE FREEZE.  THE LATEST MESO-ETA (00Z)
IS CONSISTENT WITH THE 18Z RUN...EACH OF WHICH IS A BIT LESS BOLD
ON HARD FREEZE PROSPECTS.  BOTH RUNS IMPLY A HARD FREEZE ONLY IN LEVY
CO...WHERE NNW FLOW BRINGS IN SUB-28 DEG 2M TEMPS BY 4 AM...AND
BELOW 25 DEG BY DAYBREAK.   THE SAME NNW FLOW SHOULD PRECLUDE HARD
FREEZE CONDS FARTHER S...BUT FCST TEMPS SHOULD DROP TO AROUND 30 AS
FAR S AS INTERIOR HILLS/POLK COS.

WILL UPDATE THE NPW/FREEZE...CHANGING HARD FREEZE TO FREEZE IN
CITRUS/SUMTER COS.

WIND CHILLS:  AS HAS BEEN THE CASE WITH RECENT EVENTS...THIS WIND
CHILL SITUATION LOOKS TO BE LATE ARRIVING.  EXPECT THE WORST CONDS
TO OCCUR FROM 6 TO 10 AM WHEN THE WINDS GUST NEAR 20 MPH FROM THE
N...AND AIR TEMPS ARE STILL IN THE 30S AND 40S.  WILL CARRY
SEPARATE NPW FOR WIND CHILL...WITH EXP TIME AT 10 AM (15Z).

MARINE:  CURR FCST FOR DEVELOPING PERIOD OF SCEC AFTER 4 AM LOOKS ON
TARGET.

FIRE WX:  WERE CURRENTLY CARRYING RED FLAG WARNINGS ALL ZONES FOR
THURS.  GIVEN WIND SPEEDS REACHING OR EXCEEDING 15 MPH FOR A TIME
THURS...AND DRY/DEAD UNDERBRUSH ESPECIALLY N CWFA...THE FACT THAT
RH MAY ONLY TOUCH 35 PERCENT IS NOT ENOUGH REASON TO CHANGE THINGS
NOW.

.TBW...HARD FREEZE WARNING FLZ039.
    ...FREEZE WARNING FLZ042>043-048>049-051>052.
    ...WIND CHILL ADVISORY ALL COUNTIES.
    ...RED FLAG WARNING ALL COUNTIES THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
    ...SMALL CRAFT EXERCISE CAUTION BONITA BEACH TO SUWANNEE
       RIVER.

GOLDSMITH

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

12 frost/freeze. Local standard time, as filed.

Frost/Freeze, Levy

When: January 4, 1:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Levy forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Frost/Freeze, Citrus

When: January 4, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Citrus forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Frost/Freeze, Sumter

When: January 4, 3:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Sumter forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 28.705, -82.081 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Hernando

When: January 4, 4:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Hernando forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Frost/Freeze, Pasco

When: January 4, 6:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Pasco forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Frost/Freeze, Hillsborough

When: January 4, 7:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Hillsborough forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Frost/Freeze, Polk

When: January 4, 7:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Polk forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 27.949, -81.698 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, De Soto

When: January 4, 8:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: De Soto forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 27.186, -81.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Hardee

When: January 4, 8:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Hardee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 27.493, -81.810 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Highlands

When: January 4, 8:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Highlands forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 27.343, -81.341 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Frost/Freeze, Manatee

When: January 4, 8:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Manatee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Frost/Freeze, Sarasota

When: January 4, 8:00 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where: Sarasota forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Frost/Freeze: Frost or temperatures at or below freezing during the growing season, usually filed for crop damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, January 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5231533, 5231534, 5231544, 5231537, 5231541, 5231539, 5231542, 5231535, 5231536, 5231538, 5231540, 5231543.