Florida, 2003

Damaging Wind in Florida, March 9, 2003

March 9, 2003 · NWS TBW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

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
$15,000
Crop damage
$10,000
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 Mar 9, 1:51 PM EST, 2 hours 2 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 1:51 PM EST, 2 hours 2 minutes before
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
151 PM EST SUN MAR 9 2003

IN THE SHORT TERM THE FRONT WILL SAG SLOWLY SOUTH...ALL MODELS AGREE
ON THAT.  WITH IT A LINE OF SHOWERS WILL SHIFT SOUTHWARD DOWN THE
STATE.  AN UPPER DISTURBANCE RACES EASTWARD AND OUT RUNS THE FRONT
BY THIS EVENING...SO IT IS QUESTIONABLE JUST HOW MUCH RAIN WILL
MAKE IT TO THE SOUTHERN THIRD OF THE AREA.  THE GFS CONTINUES TO BE
MORE AGGRESSIVE WITH THE FRONT.  THE MESOETA WANTS TO HOLD IT UP AS
ANOTHER WAVE AND JET STREAK MOVE OUT OF TEXAS.  IN FACT THE MESOETA
CREATES A NORTH/SOUTH BOUNDARY ALONG THE WEST COAST OF THE STATE
WITH A LITTLE ISENTROPIC LIFT AND PERHAPS WEAK LOW LEVEL
CONVERGENCE BOTH MONDAY AND TUESDAY AFTERNOONS.  WITH THE JET ENERGY
MOVING EAST ACROSS THE GULF I CAN BELIEVE THE FRONT HANGING UP OVER
SOUTH FLORIDA BUT THE MESO ETA SOLUTION SEEMS KIND OF UNUSUAL.
EVEN SO I WILL HOLD ONTO SMALL POPS ALONG THE SOUTHWEST COAST SOUTH
OF THE BAY FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY...PARTLY OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE
MESO ETA AND PARTLY BECAUSE THE FRONT WILL STALL ACROSS SOUTH
FLORIDA AND THERE WILL BE SOME RESIDUAL MOISTURE.

THE PRESSURE GRADIENT REMAINS WEAK AND THE WINDS OFFSHORE FOR MOST
OF THE FORECAST PERIOD.  FOR THE MOST PART WINDS AND SEAS WILL
REMAIN WELL BEHAVED.

.EXTENDED(WED-SUN)...WEAK RIDGE AXIS TO REMAIN ACROSS CENTRAL AND
NORTH FL...WITH GENERALLY EASTERLY FLOW ACROSS MUCH OF THE CWFA...
AS AN OLD FRONTAL BOUNDARY LINGERS ACROSS THE SOUTH...PROVIDING LOW
AFTERNOON POPS MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTH THROUGH FRIDAY.
     THE SURFACE RIDGE IS REINFORCED FROM THE NORTH AS AN UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH PUSHES A WEAK FRONT THROUGH FL AS THE TROUGH MOVES OFF
THE EAST U.S. COAST EARLY IN THE WEEKEND. WILL KEEP TEMPS SLIGHTLY
ABOVE NORMAL DURING PERIOD.

.FIRE WEATHER...NO HIGHLIGHTS...ALTHOUGH RH VALUES MAY BE IN THE
40 PERCENT RANGE MONDAY ACROSS THE NORTH.

PRELIMINARY NUMBERS

BKV 058/080 053/082 3000
TPA 065/079 062/081 4101
GIF 066/081 061/084 4-0-
SRQ 065/079 061/080 42-2
FMY 069/084 064/085 32-2

.TBW...NONE.

SOBIEN/RUDE
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 9, 5:31 AM EST, 10 hours 22 minutes before
FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-091630-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
531 AM EST SUN MAR 9 2003

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY:

A COLD FRONT ACROSS NORTH FLORIDA WILL MOVE INTO WEST CENTRAL
FLORIDA THIS EVENING. SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AHEAD OF
THE FRONT OVER THE NATURE COAST THIS AFTERNOON INTO THIS
EVENING...WITH SOME ISOLATED STORMS MAKING IT INTO CENTRAL FLORIDA.

WHEN SKIES DARKEN...MOVE INDOORS. IF THERE IS TIME...UNPLUG
APPLIANCES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT. WAIT UNTIL THE STORM ENDS BEFORE
USING THE TELEPHONE OR RUNNING WATER.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY:

HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS NOT EXPECTED.

FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT
HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hernando

When
March 9, 3:53 PM EST to 3:58 PM EST
Where
Hernando County, 2 mi NNW of Brooksville
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$15,000
Crop damage
$10,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
28.583, -82.400

Trees and power lines were down along the north side of Brooksville.

What these are

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

More

Every storm in Florida in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, March 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: 5344188.