Hail and Damaging Wind in Florida, July 30, 2003

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Florida, July 30, 2003
Start: 2003-07-30T15:30
End: 2003-07-30T15:40
Location: Florida

July 30, 2003 · NWS TBW · 2 events in 1 county or zone

1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: 2

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 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 Jul 30, 1:00 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 30, 1:00 PM EST, 2 hours 30 minutes before

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
200 PM EDT WED JUL 30 2003

VERY LITTLE CHANGE TO CURRENT PATTERN FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE.
WEAK 500 MB RIDGING WILL SNEAK BACK ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND S
PENINSULA...BUT WEAKENING SHEAR AXIS WILL MAINTAIN A PRESENCE
ACROSS N FL AND S AL/GA.  AS SUCH...WEAK SW FLOW JUST OFF THE SFC
WILL CONTINUE THE CHANCE OF EARLY MORNING COASTAL CONVECTION...
SPREADING INLAND FROM LATE MORNING THROUGH MID AFTN EACH DAY.

MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT THIS PERIOD.  GFS A SHADE MORE
PRONOUNCED WITH SW FLOW OFF THE SFC...WHICH IS VERIFYING WELL BY
00Z AND 12Z SOUNDINGS.  WILL LEAN TOWARDS IT...BUT NOT ACCEPT VERY
HIGHS MOISTURE SOLUTION ACROSS THE NATURE COAST.

SHORT TERM (TONIGHT - FRI):
WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET.  ACTIVITY HAS BEEN NUMEROUS IN LEVY
CO TODAY AND SCT ELSEWHERE...BUT WILL TAIL BACK TO SCT EVERYWHERE...A
SMIDGE UNDER CLIMO GIVEN EXPECTED MID LEVEL DRYING.  MAY ADD A
REMAINDER OF AFTN PERIOD FOR LEVY PENDING EVOLUTION OF CURRENT
ACTIVITY AND PERHAPS ACROSS INTERIOR COS...BUT EXPECT NO MORE THAN
ISOLD ELSEWHERE AS ATMOSPHERE HAS STABILIZED SOMEWHAT.

SIMILAR SETUP THURS AND FRI...WITH PERHAPS A BIT LESS COVERAGE
CENTRAL AND S GIVEN SLIGHTLY DRIER AIR MASS.  THE DRIER AIR ALOFT
WILL SUPPORT A FEW SEVERE CELLS EACH AFTERNOON.

EXTENDED (FRI NIGHT - WED):
SURFACE RIDGE AXIS WILL CONTINUE TO DRIFT NORTH AND SOUTH ACROSS THE
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF THE PENINSULA THROUGH THE EXTENDED
PERIOD WITH MORE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EACH
DAY.  SHOULD SEE CONVECTION FIRST DEVELOP DURING THE MID TO LATE
MORNING HOURS ALONG THE COAST AND THEN MOVE INLAND ACROSS NORTHERN
AND CENTRAL ZONES...WITH MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER SOUTHERN
ZONES.  TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD.

MARINE: MEANDERING RIDGE AXIS WILL KEEP WINDS LIGHT...
TENDING TOWARD THE S OR SW.  LITTLE CHANGE TO CURRENT
PACKAGE.

FIRE WX:  NO PROBLEMS EXPECTED.

PRELIM NUMBERS:
TPA 077/090 076/090 2524
FMY 076/091 075/092 2525
GIF 075/092 075/092 3535
SRQ 075/089 075/090 2424
BKV 072/091 072/092 2525

.TBW...NONE.

BSG/PRC

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 30, 4:34 AM EST, 10 hours 56 minutes before

FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-301530-

WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
534 AM EDT WED JUL 30 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY:

...MORE ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY...

AS TEMPERATURES CLIMB TO NEAR 90 THIS AFTERNOON...THE ATMOSPHERE
WILL BECOME QUITE UNSTABLE. DURING THIS TIME...THE GULF SEA BREEZE
WILL MOVE INLAND...PROVIDING A FOCUSING MECHANISM FOR SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS.

THE STRONGEST STORMS WILL CONTAIN HAIL...HEAVY RAIN IN EXCESS OF TWO
INCHES...AND WIND GUSTS TO 50 MPH OR HIGHER. EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING IS
ALSO EXPECTED.

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

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED EACH DAY AS TYPICAL SUMMERTIME
CONDITIONS PERSIST.

.SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED TODAY. WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE REMINDED
TO RELAY ANY REPORTS OF SIGNIFICANT WEATHER TO THE NWS OFFICE IN
RUSKIN.

ALSHEIMER

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 30, 11:35 AM EST, 3 hours 55 minutes before

MARINE LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN  FL
1235 PM EDT WED JUL 30 2003

TIME(EDT)  .....MARINE SUBZONE....   GMZ  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ......MARINE ZONE......

1145 AM    HOMOSASSA-WACASASSA       850  WATERSPOUT
07/30/03   TARP SPGS-SUWANNEE 20NM        FOUR SEPARATE WATERSPOUTS
                                          REPORTED APPROXIMATELY 5
                                          MILES NORTHWEST OF SHELL
                                          ISLAND IN EXTREME NORTHWEST
                                          CITRUS COUNTY. REPORTED BY
                                          GEN PUBLIC MARINER THROUGH
                                          LOCAL MEDIA EVENT LASTED 30
                                          MIN.

Special weather statement, Jul 30, 3:16 PM EST, 14 minutes before

FLZ052-302100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
416 PM EDT WED JUL 30 2003

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT RURAL SOUTHEASTERN POLK COUNTY
THROUGH 500 PM EDT...

A CLUSTER OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EAST OF LAKE WALES WILL AFFECT
RURAL SOUTHEASTERN POLK COUNTY...UNTIL 500 PM EDT. FREQUENT CLOUD TO
GROUND LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED ALONG WITH GUSTY WINDS TO 30 MPH. IF
CAUGHT OUTSIDE...CROUCH DOWN IN A LOW SPOT...AWAY FROM TALL OBJECTS.
RAINFALL RATES OF 1 TO 2 INCHES PER HOUR WILL OCCUR WITH THESE
STORMS. MOTORISTS CAN EXPECT PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND MINOR
FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS.

MCMICHAEL

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Hillsborough

When: July 30, 3:30 PM EST
Where: Hillsborough County, Valrico
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 27.933, -82.283

Thunderstorm Wind, Hillsborough

When: July 30, 3:40 PM EST
Where: Hillsborough County, 3 mi S of Brandon
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 27.883, -82.283

Law enforcement reported several large branches were downed by thunderstorm winds and were blocking Bloomingdale Avenue.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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, July 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: 5366415, 5366416.