1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
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 May 14, 1:17 PM EST, 2 hours 58 minutes earlier.
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
217 PM EDT WED MAY 14 2003
CURRENTLY...SUBSIDENCE IN WAKE OF THE SHORT WAVE THAT MOVED THROUGH
EARLIER TODAY INITIALLY KEPT A LID ON CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT...BUT
DURING THE PAST HOUR VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY/88D RETURNS NOW SHOW
A RAPIDLY DEVELOPING AREA OF CONVECTION ALONG THE WEST COAST SEA
BREEZE FROM TAMPA SOUTH SO WILL CARRY ISOLATED EVENING POP MENTION
(20%) MAINLY FOR INTERIOR SECTIONS FROM HILLSBOROUGH TO POLK COUNTY
SOUTH AS THE SEA BREEZE PUSHES INLAND. FURTHER NORTH DRIER AIR SHOULD
KEEP THINGS RELATIVELY QUIET.
TONIGHT...ONGOING EVENING CONVECTION WILL WIND DOWN AFTER SUNSET WITH
LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING WITH SKIES BECOMING MOSTLY CLEAR OVERNIGHT.
MAY SEE SOME PATCHY FOG IN SOME AREAS LATE TONIGHT BUT NOT ENOUGH TO
WARRANT ANY MENTION IN THE ZONES JUST YET. LIGHT SW-WLY FLOW WILL
KEEP COASTAL MIN TEMPS IN THE LOWER 70S OVERNIGHT WITH UPPER 60
DEGREE READINGS INTERIOR AND NORTH.
SHORT TERM(THURS-FRI)...MODELS CONSISTENT FROM PREVIOUS RUNS AND
ACCEPTED. MODELS DEPICT A SLOW INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL MOISTURE OVER
THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS SFC HIGH PRESSURE SETS UP ACROSS THE S-CENTRAL
PENINSULA AND ADJACENT GULF WATERS. THE SLOW INCREASE IN MOISTURE
ALONG WITH A SERIES OF WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVING SEWD IN
NWLY FLOW ALOFT AND AFTERNOON SEA/LAKE BREEZE BOUNDARY INTERACTIONS
SHOULD SUPPORT SOME ISOLATED POPS ON THURSDAY AND LOW END SCATTERED
RANGE ON FRIDAY AS MOISTURE SLOWLY INCREASES. A SW-WLY STEERING FLOW
AROUND THE SFC RIDGE TO THE SOUTH WILL FAVOR POPS OVER INTERIOR ZONES
MAINLY DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING HOURS. LIGHT SW-
WLY FLOW WILL KEEP COASTAL MIN TEMPS ON THE BALMY SIDE THE NEXT FEW
NIGHTS...WITH DAYTIME HIGHS IN THE MID/UPPER 80S. OTHERWISE 90 TO
THE LOWER 90S SHOULD SUFFICE FOR INLAND LOCATIONS. MODEL GUIDANCE IS
SIMILAR AND WILL USE A BLEND.
EXTENDED(SAT-WED)...WEAK UPPER LEVEL IMPULSES CONTINUE TO TREK OVER
WEAK UPPER RIDGING OVER THE GOMEX SAT INTO SUNDAY WITH CONTINUED
20-30 PCT PROSPECTS FOR SCT MAINLY AFTN/EVE SHWRS/TSTMS...WITH HIGHER
POPS FAVORING INLAND COUNTIES. THEREAFTER A WEAK UPPER TROF SLIPS EWD
OUT OF THE LOWER MS VALLEY INTO THE SE U.S. TO LIKELY INCREASE
INSTABILITY FOR 30-50 POPS OF AFTN/EVE TSTMS MON-TUES. AS UPPER
TROF PUSHES E OF AREA EXPECT A SLIGHT STABILIZATION JUST 20 POP
WDLY SCT AFTN TSTMS MAINLY INTERIOR BY WED. TEMPS TO REMAIN
SUMMERLIKE.
MARINE...HIGH PRESSURE SETTING UP ACROSS THE S-CENTRAL PENINSULA AND
ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS WILL RESULT IN TRANQUIL BOATING CONDITIONS
FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. EXPECT A LIGHT SOUTHWEST TO WESTERLY FLOW
WITH AN ENHANCED AFTERNOON SEA BREEZE COMPONENT DEVELOPING NEAR SHORE
EACH AFTERNOON. NO HIGHLIGHTS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD.
FIRE WEATHER...RHS AT OR BELOW 35% ACROSS INTERIOR PORTIONS OF LEVY
COUNTY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON VERIFYING RED FLAG WARNING FOR THIS AREA
AND WILL CONTINUE WITH RED FLAG THROUGH SUNSET. ON THURSDAY AND FRI
MOISTURE LEVELS WILL CONTINUE TO RECOVER...WHICH SHOULD PRECLUDE THE
NEED FOR ANY ADDITIONAL WATCHES OR RED FLAGS ACROSS THE FA.
THANKS FOR COORD KMIA.
PRELIMINARY #S
TPA 072/087 073/089 01-2
FMY 072/089 072/091 -1-2
GIF 071/090 072/091 1213
SRQ 072/086 072/087 01-2
BKV 065/088 066/090 0112
.TBW...RED FLAG WARNING THROUGH SUNSET TODAY FOR INTERIOR SECTIONS OF
LEVY COUNTY.
JCM/DMRFLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-141300- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 530 AM EDT WED MAY 14 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY: MOISTURE WILL BEGIN TO RETURN AND INCREASE OVER CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA TODAY. AN UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA COMBINING WITH THE AFTERNOON SEABREEZE TO GENERATE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY MAINLY OVER INTERIOR AND SOUTHERN AREAS. A DRY AIRMASS REMAINS OVER THE NORTH FLORIDA PENINSULA WHICH WILL PRODUCE LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES THIS AFTERNOON WORSENING THE THREAT FOR WILDFIRES TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY: A SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE AXIS WILL EXTEND FROM THE ATLANTIC OVER THE STATE CREATING SOUTHEASTERLY FLOW WITH THE AFTERNOON SEABREEZE COMBINING WITH SEVERAL UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES MOVING OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND. SCATTERED MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE EACH DAY ACROSS THE AREA. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
FLZ065-142030- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 405 PM EDT WED MAY 14 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT CENTRAL LEE COUNTY... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM...MOVING EAST AT 5 TO 10 MPH...WILL AFFECT LEHIGH ACRES...THROUGH 430 PM EDT. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH WILL OCCUR... FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...CROUCH DOWN IN A LOW SPOT...AWAY FROM TALL OBJECTS. MORALES
FLZ051-142045- SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 412 PM EDT WED MAY 14 2003 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL SOUTHEAST HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY... A STRONG THUNDERSTORM...DRIFTING EAST AT 5 MPH...WILL AFFECT THE FORT LONESOME AREA THROUGH 445 PM EDT. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 30 MPH... FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. IN ADDITION...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 TO 2 INCHES WILL BE LIKELY...WHICH MAY CAUSE PONDING OF WATER IN LOW LYING...POORLY DRAINED AREAS. MORALES
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:15 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Gusty winds and heavy rain downed large tree limbs at Lake Jovita near St Leo and power lines on River Road in Dade City.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, May 2003
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: 5357713.