Extreme Cold in Florida, November 24, 2002

Name: Extreme Cold in Florida, November 24, 2002
Start: 2002-11-24T01:00
End: 2002-11-24T06:00
Location: Florida

November 24, 2002 · NWS TBW · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

The first episode of freezing temperatures in west central Florida in late 2002 occurred on this date under clear skies and light winds. The freezing temperatures occurred in the inland areas with overnight low temperatures reaching 31 degrees in Chiefland, 28 in Inverness, and 29 in Brooksville.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

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 Nov 23, 8:20 PM EST, 4 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 23, 8:20 PM EST, 4 hours 40 minutes before

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN
820 PM EST SAT NOV 23 2002

...SHORT TERM...
A COLD AUTUMN NIGHT IN STORE AND BECOMING EVER COLDER ACCORDING TO
GUIDANCE AND LOCAL OBS. LATEST MAV GUIDANCE COMING IN WITH A FRIGID
29 FOR BROOKSVILLE. UNDOUBTEDLY...MAV HAS PICKED UP ON THE BOWL
EFFECT AND DO NOT EXPECT TEMPS TO BE THIS COLD OUTSIDE OF
BROOKSVILLE. NORTH OF HERE...SPECIFICALLY LEVY COUNTY...EXPECT A
GREAT RADIATIONAL COOLING NIGHT AND TEMPS TO APPROACH THE 30 DEGREE
MARK. FREEZING TEMPS SHOULD LAST A COUPLE OF HOURS...SO I HAVE
BITTEN THE BULLET AND ISSUED AND FREEZE WARNING FOR LEVY ONLY.
TEMPS COULD CERTAINLY REACH THE FREEZING MARK OUTSIDE THIS AREA...
BUT NOT WIDESPREAD ENOUGH FOR FURTHER WARNINGS. FROST WILL ALSO BE
PREVALENT FROM HERNANDO NORTHWARD AS JUST ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE
WILL BE PRESENT TO PUT A NICE COATING ON THINGS FOR SUNDAY MORNING.
FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS...I HAVE DROPPED TEMPS A LITTLE
BASED ON LOCAL OBS. HERE AT THE STATION...WE ARE ALREADY AT 44
WHICH IS WHAT THE CURRENT FORECAST LOW IS. EXPECT THIS RAPID DOWNTURN
TO STABILIZE LATER TONIGHT ONCE THE DEW MACHINE STARTS...BUT WILL
HAVE TO ADJUST THE TEMPS NONE THE LESS.

...MARINE...
CURRENT FORECAST ON TRACK BASED ON LOCAL BUOY OBSERVATIONS. NO
CHANGES PLANNED.

.TBW...FREEZE WARNING TONIGHT FOR LEVY COUNTY.

23/DEESE

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 23, 6:00 AM EST, 19 hours before

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-231600-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
600 AM EST SAT NOV 23 2002

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY:

HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY.  HOWEVER...TONIGHT CLEAR
SKIES WILL COMBINE WITH LIGHT WINDS TO ALLOW TEMPERATURES TO DROP
INTO THE 30S ACROSS LEVY...CITRUS...HERNANDO...SUMTER AND EASTERN
PASCO COUNTIES.  FROST WILL BE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS...ESPECIALLY
ACROSS LEVY COUNTY WHERE LOW TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BE AROUND
FREEZING.

ELSEWHERE ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...TEMPERATURES
ARE ONLY EXPECTED TO FALL INTO THE 40S TONIGHT.

RESIDENTS OF LEVY...CITRUS...HERNANDO...SUMTER AND EASTERN PASCO
COUNTIES SHOULD COVER OR MOVE INDOORS ANY COLD SENSITIVE PLANTS
LATER TODAY.  ALSO...BRING PETS INDOORS THIS EVENING.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY:

HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

PRC

Event by event

3 extreme cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Levy

When: November 24, 1:00 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST
Where: Levy forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Citrus

When: November 24, 1:00 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST
Where: Citrus forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hernando

When: November 24, 1:00 AM EST to 6:00 AM EST
Where: Hernando forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

What these are

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill: Temperatures or wind chills at or below the local warning criteria, or cold that caused deaths.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, November 2002

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: 5323866, 5323867, 5323868.