Florida, 2003

Flood in Florida, June 22 to 26, 2003

June 22 to 26, 2003 · NWS TBW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
$203,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 Jun 22, 1:30 AM EST, 2 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 22, 1:30 AM EST, 2 hours 52 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
230 AM EDT SUN JUN 22 2003

CURRENTLY...RATHER QUIET MORNING WITH JUST SOME DEBRIS CLOUDS MOVING
ACROSS THE REGION.  EXPECT MORE CONVECTION TO DEVELOP LATER THIS
MORNING...SIMILAR TO SATURDAY...ONCE DAYTIME HEATING KICKS IN
HELPING TO DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE.

SHORT TERM (TODAY-TUE)...MODELS CONTINUING TO GIVE CONSIDERABLY
DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS THRU 60 HOURS.  GFS APPEARS TO BE OVERDONE WITH
SURFACE LOW DEVELOPING ON FRONT AND APPEARS TO BE HAVING SOME GRID
SCALE CONVECTION PROBLEMS.  WESTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO TRANSPORT
ABUNDANT TROPICAL MOISTURE ACROSS THE REGION WHILE UPPER LEVEL
SHORTWAVES/PVA ROTATE OVERHEAD.  WILL GO MORE ALONG WITH THE
ETA/MESOETA WHICH SHOW THE HEAVIEST RAINS A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH...
GENERALLY SOUTH OF LINE FROM BRADENTON TO SEBRING.  BAND OF DEEPEST
MOISTURE WILL SLOWLY SINK SOUTHWARD MONDAY AND WILL LEAVE HIGHEST
POPS ACROSS SOUTHERN ZONES.  ALL MODELS SHOW SIGNIFICANT DRYING FOR
TUESDAY AS TROPICAL PLUME CONTINUES TO SAG SOUTHWARD AS UPPER LEVEL
CUTOFF LOW AND ASSOCIATED TROUGH MOVE OFF THE EAST COAST OF THE U.S.
AND UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD OVER THE PENINSULA.  WILL
CONTINUE FLOOD WATCH ALL AREAS TODAY...WITH MORE LOCALLY HEAVY
RAINFALL EXPECTED ON TOP OF ALREADY SATURATED GROUNDS.  DAYTIME HIGH
TEMPERATURES WILL BEGIN TO WARM UP BACK TO NEAR NORMAL OVER THE NEXT
COUPLE OF DAYS WITH LOWS SUBSIDING SOME AS DRIER AIR MOVES IN BY
TUESDAY.

EXTENDED (TUE NIGHT-SAT)...
GENERALLY DRY CONDS EXPECTED TUE NIGHT INTO THURS AS N FLOW ALOFT
BETWEEN EASTERN PERIPHERY OF SOUTHERN U.S. RIDGE AND WEAK TROUGHING
OFF THE EAST COAST CONTINUES TO BRING UNUSUALLY LOW RH AIR ABOVE THE
SFC (FOR LATE JUNE) INTO THE AREA.  BY FRI...RIDGE BEGINS TO
FLATTEN AS YET ANOTHER 500 MB TROUGH MARCHES ACROSS THE NATIONS
MIDSECTION...AND UPPER WINDS BEGIN TURNING TOWARD THE S AS SFC
WINDS VEER FROM NE TO S/SE.

FOR NOW...HAVE RETAINED ISOLD PCPN WED...THOUGH VIRTUALLY ALL N
AREAS WILL PROBABLY REMAIN RAIN-FREE.  HAVE BACKED OFF PCPN CHANCES
A HAIR THURS...BUT RETAINED THE MORE TYPICAL SCT AFTN TSTMS FRI AND
SAT.  DAYTIME TEMPS WILL BE NEAR NORMAL.  RELATIVELY PLEASANT
OVERNIGHTS WED/THU...ESPECIALLY AWAY FROM URBAN AREAS...WILL RETURN
TO MORE TYPICAL SUMMER VALUES BY NEXT WEEKEND.

MARINE...WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE TODAY THEN GRADUALLY
SHIFT AROUND TO THE EAST AND NORTHEAST BY TUESDAY AND CONTINUE
THROUGH THURSDAY AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN FROM THE NORTH.  WINDS
WILL REMAIN BELOW 15 KNOTS THROUGH THE PERIOD AND NO FLAGS
ANTICIPATED.

FIRE WEATHER...NO HIGHLIGHTS.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS:
BKV 088/071 090/068 5331
TPA 087/075 089/074 7341
GIF 088/074 090/072 7342
SRQ 086/074 088/073 8542
FMY 086/074 089/073 8563

.TBW...FLOOD WATCH FOR ALL ZONES TODAY.

PRC/BSG
Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 21, 5:15 AM EST, 23 hours 7 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-211500-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
615 AM EDT SAT JUN 21 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY:

...A FLOOD WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL COUNTIES IN WEST CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST FLORIDA TODAY...

DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD ACROSS THE AREA TODAY
AND TONIGHT...AND THIS COMBINED WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL
CAUSE PERIODS OF RAIN AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP.

WIDESPREAD RAINS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES...WITH LOCALLY 8 INCHES...IS
LIKELY AGAIN TODAY.  ANY ADDITIONAL HEAVY RAINFALL MAY CAUSE SERIOUS
PROBLEMS...INCLUDING WIDESPREAD FRESHWATER FLOODING.  SUCH FLOODING
COULD CLOSE DOZENS OF ROADS...INCLUDING A FEW MAJOR THOROUGHFARES...
AND FLOOD PASTURE LAND.

IN ADDITION...THE THUNDERSTORMS WILL POSE A THREAT OF STRONG GUSTY
WINDS UP TO 35 MPH AND DANGEROUS CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING.

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

THE MOIST TROPICAL AIR MASS WILL CONTINUE TO STREAM OVER THE SOUTHERN
HALF OF THE AREA...ESPECIALLY SOUTH OF A BRADENTON TO SEBRING LINE...
WITH THE THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN SUNDAY AND SOME FLOODING STILL
POSSIBLE.

MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY WILL SEE A RETURN TO ISOLATED TO SCATTERED
MAINLY AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER THE
REGION.

.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

PRC

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 22, 3:39 AM EST, 43 minutes before
FLZ039-042-221100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
440 EDT SUN JUN 22 2003

...HEAVY RAINS HEADED FOR LEVY AND CITRUS COUNTIES...

SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY IN THE
NORTHEASTERN GULF THROUGH DAYBREAK.  MODERATE SHOWERS HAVE MOVED
ONSHORE BETWEEN CRYSTAL RIVER AND CEDAR KEY AS OF 430 AM...AND
MORE SIGNIFICANT RAINS WILL ARRIVE BETWEEN 5 AND 7 AM.

IN MOST AREAS OF CITRUS AND SOUTHERN LEVY COUNTY...THE GROUND
REMAINS VERY SATURATED.  LOCAL RAINS OF MORE THAN 2 INCHES
ARE EXPECTED...AND MAY QUICKLY PRODUCE STREET FLOODING AGAIN.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
UPDATES...AND POSSIBLE FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS OR URBAN FLOOD
ADVISORIES...LATER THIS MORNING.

BSG
Special weather statement, Jun 22, 4:05 AM EST, 17 minutes before
FLZ039-042-221100-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
505 AM EDT SUN JUN 22 2003

...HEAVY RAINS HEADED FOR LEVY AND CITRUS COUNTIES...

SHOWERS AND A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO INTENSIFY IN THE
NORTHEASTERN GULF THROUGH DAYBREAK.  MODERATE SHOWERS HAVE MOVED
ONSHORE BETWEEN CRYSTAL RIVER AND CEDAR KEY AS OF 430 AM...AND
MORE SIGNIFICANT RAINS WILL ARRIVE BETWEEN 5 AND 7 AM.

IN MOST AREAS OF CITRUS AND SOUTHERN LEVY COUNTY...THE GROUND
REMAINS VERY SATURATED.  LOCAL RAINS OF MORE THAN 2 INCHES
ARE EXPECTED...AND MAY QUICKLY PRODUCE STREET FLOODING AGAIN.

STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR
UPDATES...AND POSSIBLE FLASH FLOOD WARNINGS OR URBAN FLOOD
ADVISORIES...LATER THIS MORNING.

BSG

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flood, De Soto

When
June 22, 4:22 AM EST to June 26, 11:59 PM EST
Where
De Soto forecast zone
Property damage
$203,000
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
27.186, -81.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Peace River at Arcadia crested at 15.41 feet on June 26th. The flood stage is 11 feet. A total of 11 homes were destroyed, two had major damage, and 60 others had minor damage.

What these are

Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Florida in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, June 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: 5364813.