Extreme Cold in Florida, January 23 to 24, 2003

Name: Extreme Cold in Florida, January 23 to 24, 2003
Start: 2003-01-23T22:00
End: 2003-01-24T08:00
Location: Florida

January 23 to 24, 2003 · NWS TBW · 15 events in 15 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 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: $8.5 million
Events: 15

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.

A strong cold front ushered in cold temperatures and gusty northwest winds into the Florida peninsula, which created some of the coldest weather in several years. Wind chill temperatures ranged from 10 to 15 in Bronson, around 20 in Tampa and Lakeland, to 20 to 25 degrees in Fort Myers. Overnight low temperatures ranged from near 20 north to the upper 20s in the inland counties south, to the lower 30s along the coast near Fort Myers. A hard freeze (temperatures of 27 degrees or less for three or more hours) reached south into northeast Hillsborough and northern Polk counties. Citrus crops faired well because the freeze did not last long enough but strawberrys took a $4.5 million loss and tropical fish a $4 million loss.

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 23, 8:05 PM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 23, 8:05 PM EST, 1 hour 55 minutes before

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
805 PM EST THU JAN 23 2003

NO CHANGES FOR TONIGHTS FORECAST.

ASOS AND FAWN DATA SHOWED 8 PM TEMPERATURES RANGING FROM 36 IN LEVY
COUNTY TO 53 IN LEE COUNTY (KFMY OB HAS 63 WHICH IS IN ERROR AND
WILL BE CHECKED ON).  AIR IS VERY DRY WITH DEW POINTS IN THE SINGLE
DIGITS UP NORTH. LOW TEMP GRIDS TONIGHT ON TRACK AND MATCH UP WELL
WITH SURROUNDING OFFICES. CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS GOOD AND SEE NO
REASON TO UPDATE.

MARINE...AT 8 PM BUOY 42036 HAD NORTH WINDS AT 27G35KTS WITH SEAS OF
11.8 FEET. CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS GOOD.

.TBW...HARD FREEZE WARNING TONIGHT FOR ALL BUT THE IMMEDIATE
       COASTAL SECTIONS OF LEVY...CITRUS...SUMTER...HERNANDO...
       PASCO...HILLSBOROUGH...AS WELL AS ALL OF POLK.
    ...FREEZE WARNING TONIGHT FOR ALL BUT THE IMMEDIATE
       COASTAL SECTIONS OF PINELLAS...MANATEE...SARASOTA...
       CHARLOTTE...AND LEE COUNTIES...THE IMMEDIATE COASTAL
       SECTIONS OF LEVY...CITRUS...HERNANDO...PASCO AS WELL HARDEE...
       DESOTO...AND HIGHLANDS COUNTIES.
    ...WIND CHILL ADVISORIES ALL COUNTIES TONIGHT AND FRIDAY
       MORNING...
    ...RED FLAG WARNING ALL COUNTIES ON FRIDAY.

NOAH

Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 23, 5:55 AM EST, 16 hours 5 minutes before

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-231630-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
555 AM EST THU JAN 23 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT:

...ARCTIC BLAST HEADED FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
TONIGHT AND FRIDAY WITH RECORD LOW TEMPERATURES...

...HARD FREEZE WARNINGS TONIGHT...
...FREEZE WARNINGS TONIGHT...
...WIND CHILL ADVISORY TONIGHT...
...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT...

A STRONG COLD FRONT WILL PUSH SOUTH ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA BY EARLY AFTERNOON USHERING IN RECORD BREAKING
COLD TEMPERATURES TONIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING. STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS
OF 20 TO 25 MPH WILL MAKE TEMPERATURES FEEL EVEN COLDER WITH VERY
LOW WIND CHILL VALUES EXPECTED. MOST OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
FLORIDA WILL EXPERIENCE FREEZING TEMPERATURES BY LATE TONIGHT AND
EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.

A HARD FREEZE WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT FOR SUMTER...POLK AND
INTERIOR PORTIONS OF LEVY...CITRUS...HERNANDO...PASCO...AND
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTIES. IN ADDITION FREEZE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT
ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA EXCEPT THE
IMMEDIATE COASTAL AREAS.

THESE SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES ARE LIKELY TO CAUSE DAMAGE TO COLD
SENSITIVE PLANTS. COVER OR BRING THESE PLANTS INDOORS AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO. IN ADDITION OUTDOOR WATER
PIPES SHOULD BE COVERED OR ALLOWED TO DRIP TO PREVENT BURSTING.

VERY COLD TEMPERATURES MAY BE HARMFUL TO SMALL PETS...SO BRING THEM
INDOORS BEFORE EVENING.

A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF WEST CENTRAL
FLORIDA TONIGHT AND FRIDAY MORNING.

THE VERY COLD TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS
AROUND 20 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS WILL MAKE FOR VERY LOW WIND CHILL
VALUES.  WIND CHILL ADVISORY CRITERIA WILL DEVELOP SHORTLY AFTER
SUNSET TONIGHT AND LAST INTO FRIDAY MORNING WITH WIND CHILL VALUES
DROPPING OVERNIGHT INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS NORTH...TEENS CENTRAL...TO
AROUND 20 SOUTH.

DANGEROUSLY COLD CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. ELDERLY OR INFIRM RESIDENTS
SHOULD REMAIN INDOORS UNTIL IT WARMS UP.

DRESS CHILDREN IN SEVERAL LAYERS OF WARM CLOTHING BEFORE SENDING
THEM OFF TO SCHOOL ON FRIDAY MORNING.

RESIDENTS VENTURING OUT TONIGHT SHOULD DRESS WARMLY. SEVERAL LAYERS
OF CLOTHING WILL INSULATE YOU BETTER THAN A SINGLE COAT OR JACKET.

STRONG NORTHWEST TO NORTH WINDS OF 20 TO 30 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO GALE
FORCE CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE ADJACENT GULF WATERS BY THIS AFTERNOON
AND CONTINUING TONIGHT. THESE STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS
BOATING CONDITIONS ON THE OPEN GULF WATERS AS WELL AS THE BAYS AND
INLAND WATER WAYS...WITH HIGH SEAS AND ROUGH SURF ALONG AREA BEACHES.
SMALL CRAFT OPERATORS SHOULD REMAIN IN PORT IF AT ALL POSSIBLE TODAY
AND TONIGHT UNTIL WIND AND SEAS DECREASE AND SUBSIDE ON FRIDAY.

ALL RESIDENTS OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA SHOULD TAKE
PRECAUTIONS NOW TO MINIMIZE THE AFFECTS OF THESE COLD TEMPERATURES.
AGRICULTURAL INTERESTS SHOULD BE PREPARED TO TAKE PROTECTIVE ACTIONS
FOR PLANTS AND LIVE STOCK. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR
LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT.

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

SUBFREEZING TEMPERATURES WILL AGAIN BE POSSIBLE ACROSS MUCH OF WEST
CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FRIDAY NIGHT INTO SATURDAY MORNING AS
COLD ARCTIC AIR SETTLES IN OVER THE REGION. WITH WINDS DECREASING
THERE WILL ALSO BE A BETTER CHANCE FOR FROST TO FORM. SUNDAY THROUGH
WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED.

.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

JCM

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Levy

When: January 23, 10:00 PM EST to January 24, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Levy forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Citrus

When: January 23, 10:00 PM EST to January 24, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Citrus forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hernando

When: January 23, 10:00 PM EST to January 24, 8:00 AM EST
Where: Hernando forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Sumter

When: January 23, 10:00 PM EST to January 24, 8:00 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)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pasco

When: January 24, 1:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where: Pasco forecast zone
Crop damage: $7.5 million
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hillsborough

When: January 24, 1:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where: Hillsborough forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Polk

When: January 24, 1:00 AM EST to 8:00 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)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Hardee

When: January 24, 2:00 AM EST to 8:00 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)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, De Soto

When: January 24, 2:00 AM EST to 8:00 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)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Pinellas

When: January 24, 4:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where: Pinellas forecast zone
Crop damage: $1.0 million
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 27.903, -82.739 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Manatee

When: January 24, 4:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where: Manatee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Sarasota

When: January 24, 4:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where: Sarasota forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Charlotte

When: January 24, 4:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where: Charlotte forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Lee

When: January 24, 4:00 AM EST to 8:00 AM EST
Where: Lee forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Extreme Cold/Wind Chill, Highlands

When: January 24, 4:00 AM EST to 8:00 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)

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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, January 2003

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: 5339068, 5339069, 5339070, 5339071, 5339072, 5339074, 5339075, 5339169, 5339170, 5339073, 5339076, 5339077, 5339078, 5339079, 5339171.