An early morning squall line moved in from the Gulf of Mexico and caused widely scattered areas of wind gusts over 60 mph from the Sarasota/Bradenton Airport south along the Gulf Coast through Bonita Beach. One weak tornado was reported south of Englewood in Charlotte county.
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 episode as NWS TBW wrote it up.
An early morning squall line moved in from the Gulf of Mexico and caused widely scattered areas of wind gusts over 60 mph from the Sarasota/Bradenton Airport south along the Gulf Coast through Bonita Beach. One weak tornado was reported south of Englewood in Charlotte county.
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 Apr 12, 1:33 AM EST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION...COR FOR DATE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 233 AM EDT MON APR 12 2004 .CURRENTLY...MODERATE RAINS HAVE BROKEN OUT IN THE CENTRAL ZONES... WITH EMBEDDED TSTMS MAINLY OVER THE SW FL COASTAL WATERS. GUSTY WAKE-LOW GRADIENT WHICH BRIEFLY CRANKED WINDS BEFORE MIDNIGHT HAS BACKED DOWN...WITH GENERAL WINDS NOW 10-15 MPH NEAR COAST AND 5-10 INLAND. OTHER INTERESTING FACT IS DWPTS...WHICH HAVE FALLEN TO NEAR 60 OVER ALL BUT THE SW CORNER...IN RESPONSE TO STABILIZED AIRMASS AFTER SUN EVENINGS DYING MCS SWEPT THROUGH. && .SHORT TERM (TODAY - WED)...WIDESPREAD SHOWER/TSTM ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING COMMUTE...BUT GIVEN QUICK MOVEMENT OF THIS COMPLEX EXPECT IT TO END BY MID-MORNING OVER ALL BUT THE SW 1/3 OF THE AREA WHERE TAIL OF PASSING SHORT WAVE MAY HOLD ON THE LONGEST. BECOMING MORE OPTIMISTIC THAT WELL AVOID SEVERE WX GIVEN ONGOING RAINS AND ALREADY STABLE AIRMASS...GOOD NEWS GIVEN THE INCREASING FAVORABLE SHEAR PROFILES THROUGH MID MORNING. THE GFS...WHICH NORMALLY STRUGGLES WITH CONVECTIVE FEEDBACK...IS OBVIOUSLY THE MODEL OF CHOICE THROUGH DAY 1 (AND PERHAPS LONGER) AS THIS TIME THE FEEDBACK IS REAL...AND DEEP-MOISTURE-LACKING ETA IS UNREALISTIC. BY THIS EVENING...SYNOPTIC FORCING TAKES OVER AS PRE-FRONTAL AREA/LINE OF SHOWERS/TSTMS SHOULD DEVELOP IN THE E GULF AND EASE ACROSS THE SUNCOAST OVERNIGHT INTO EARLY TUE. WILL HAVE TO MONITOR FOR STRONG/POSSIBLY SVR TSTMS ONE MORE TIME...BUT AGAIN SITUATION WILL HIGHLY DEPEND ON HOW MUCH DESTABILIZATION OCCURS LATER THIS AFTN AND EVE. FOR NOW...CURRENT IDEA OF NUMEROUS WORDING LOOKS GOOD AND HAVE MADE LITTLE CHANGE. ON TUE...TROUGH WILL PASS EARLY...FOLLOWED BY ACTUAL FRONT TOWARD EVENING. TEMPS WILL BE TRICKY TO SAY THE LEAST AS RESIDUAL MOISTURE AND INCREASING W WIND COMBINED WITH THE START OF STRONG COLD ADVECTION ABOVE THE SFC MAY HOLD VALUES NOT TOO FAR ABOVE THOSE AT DAYBREAK. GFS GUIDANCE IMPLIES SAME...AND HAVE CUT VALUES A BIT...ESPECIALLY CLOSER TO THE COAST. NW WINDS WILL GET CRANKING OFFSHORE LATE TUE AND CONTINUE INTO WED MORNING. IMPRESSIVE COLD POOL (FOR MID APRIL) ABOVE 900 MB WILL CREATE WIDESPREAD GULF STRATOCU...SOME OF WHICH WILL MAKE IT ONSHORE. THIS SHOULD KEEP COASTAL TEMPS SEVERAL DEGREES HIGHER THAN INLAND VALUES. BY WED...NW FLOW WILL BEGIN TO RELAX AS DEEP LAYER DRYING TAKES HOLD. STILL...UNSEASONABLY COLD 850 TEMPS (+2 TO +4C) WILL COUNTER MID APRIL SUNSHINE AND HOLD TEMPS SOME 10-14 DEGREES BELOW NORMAL. CERTAINLY...NOT A TYPICAL FLORIDA APRIL THUS FAR. && .LONG TERM (WED NIGHT - SUN)...HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS AT THE SURFACE OVER THE WESTERN GULF AS THE UPPER TROUGH DECELERATES ALONG THE EASTERN US COAST. THE SFC HIGH WILL SLOWLY TRACK EASTWARD ACROSS THE STATE TO OVER THE ATLANTIC THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS THE UPPER TROUGH LIFTS. THIS WILL PROVIDE DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH THE WEEKEND WITH TEMPERATURES DROPPING BELOW CLIMO INITIALLY AND THEN GRADUALLY MODERATING TO NEAR NORMAL BY THE END OF THE PERIOD. && .MARINE...CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO DISRUPT THE MEAN FLOW TODAY AND PROBABLY TONIGHT. CERTAINLY...WAKE HIGHS/LOWS MAY BRIEFLY PUT WINDS WELL INTO SCA RANGE BUT ON AVERAGE EXPECT VALUES TO HOLD AT CAUTION CRITERIA. WILL MENTION GUSTY IN AND NEAR TSTMS TODAY AND TONIGHT. WINDS MAY BRIEFLY DROP BELOW CRITERIA LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY TUE...BUT WILL PICK UP AGAIN BY AFTN AND TUE NIGHT...WITH SCA WINDS/SEAS A NEAR CERTAINTY TUE NIGHT INTO EARLY WED. WAS A BIT CONCERNED WITH INCREASING TIDES GIVEN FAIRLY STRONG (1001 MB) GULF LOW AND INITIAL GUSTY S WINDS...BUT GFS TIDAL FCSTS INDICATE NO MORE THAN 1.5 FEET ABOVE NORMAL (LATER TODAY)...SO WILL LEAVE MENTION OUT. ANOTHER THING TO WATCH IS SEAS/SURF TUE NIGHT/EARLY WED. MAY PUT A BRIEF MENTION IN THE DAY 3 PORTION OF THE HWO. && .FIRE WEATHER...NO CONCERNS THROUGH TUESDAY THOUGH TRANSPORT WINDS WILL BE FAIRLY HIGH ESPECIALLY TODAY. CONCERN WILL SHIFT TO MIDWEEK AS MUCH DRIER AIR SETTLES IN. && PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TPA 078 069 072 053 / 70 70 40 00 FMY 078 070 076 056 / 70 70 60 20 GIF 081 068 074 052 / 90 70 40 00 SRQ 077 069 072 054 / 70 70 40 00 BKV 079 066 071 048 / 70 70 40 00 .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... SMALL CRAFT EXERCISE CAUTION BONITA BEACH TO SUWANNEE RIVER OUT TO 60 NM INCLUDING TAMPA BAY. SHORT TERM...BSG LONG TERM....JLC
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 440 AM EDT MON APR 12 2004 FLZ039-042-043-048-121500- CITRUS-HERNANDO-LEVY-SUMTER- 440 AM EDT MON APR 12 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR FLORIDAS NATURE COAST. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT: THIS MORNING: A FEW THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED. THESE STORMS WILL PRODUCE OCCASIONAL CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND POSSIBLE WIND GUSTS UP TO 30 MPH ALONG WITH SOME HEAVY RAINS. TONIGHT: SCATTERED TO POSSIBLY NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL REDEVELOP AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES. STRONGER STORMS MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS OF 40 MPH OR MORE...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF TORRENTIAL RAINS. IF STORMS APPROACH...SEEK SAFETY INDOORS. IF THERE IS TIME...UNPLUG APPLIANCES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT. WAIT UNTIL THE STORM ENDS BEFORE USING THE TELEPHONE OR RUNNING WATER. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR UPDATES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY: ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE EARLY TUESDAY...OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE PERIOD. .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 (LOWER CASE) FLZ049>052-055>057-060>062-065-121500- CHARLOTTE-DE SOTO-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-HILLSBOROUGH-LEE-MANATEE-PASCO- PINELLAS-POLK-SARASOTA- 440 AM EDT MON APR 12 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE TAMPA BAY AREA TO LAKELAND AND POINTS SOUTH. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT: ...LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS FOR THIS MORNINGS COMMUTE... ...MORE THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED TONIGHT... A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE ONSHORE BETWEEN 530 AND 7 AM...THEN CONTINUE QUICKLY THROUGH INTERIOR COUNTIES BY 8 AM. RESIDENTS WILL EXPERIENCE UP TO AN HOUR OF TORRENTIAL RAINS AND FREQUENT LIGHTNING AS THE STORMS PASS. STRONGER STORMS MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH AS WELL AS EXCESSIVE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE LATER THIS MORNING IN ALL AREAS...THOUGH ADDITIONAL SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAY DEVELOP IN CHARLOTTE...LEE...DESOTO...AND HIGHLANDS COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON. BY TONIGHT...ADDITIONAL THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES. STRONGER STORMS OVERNIGHT MAY PRODUCE WIND GUSTS TO 40 MPH...FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING...AND BRIEF TORRENTIAL RAINS. IF STORMS APPROACH...SEEK SAFETY INDOORS. IF THERE IS TIME...UNPLUG APPLIANCES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT. WAIT UNTIL THE STORM ENDS BEFORE USING THE TELEPHONE OR RUNNING WATER. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR POSSIBLE WARNINGS AND ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY: ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTINUE THROUGH EARLY AFTERNOON ESPECIALLY OVER SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. BY TUESDAY NIGHT...GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS OVER THE GULF MAY PRODUCE LOCALLY ROUGH SURF AND HIGH SEAS ALONG THE BARRIER ISLAND BEACHES FROM PINELLAS THROUGH LEE COUNTIES. THESE CONDITIONS MAY PERSIST INTO EARLY WEDNESDAY BEFORE SUBSIDING. THEREAFTER...NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED THROUGH MID MORNING TODAY AND POSSIBLY OVERNIGHT. && FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW (LOWER CASE) BSG
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 238 AM EDT MON APR 12 2004 FLZ065-120715- LEE- 238 AM EDT MON APR 12 2004 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS RACING THROUGH LEE COUNTY... A THUNDERSTORM...MOVING EAST AT 35 MPH...WILL AFFECT CAPE CORAL...FORT MYERS...ESTERO...AND LEHIGH ACRES...UNTIL 315 AM EDT. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH WILL OCCUR. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...CROUCH DOWN IN A LOW SPOT...AWAY FROM TALL OBJECTS. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND BRIEF MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. GOLDSMITH
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 351 AM EDT MON APR 12 2004 FLZ049>052-055>057-060>062-065-121200- CHARLOTTE-DE SOTO-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-HILLSBOROUGH-LEE-MANATEE-PASCO- PINELLAS-POLK-SARASOTA- 351 AM EDT MON APR 12 2004 ...A STORMY MONDAY MORNING COMMUTE... A COMPLEX OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO RACE THROUGH THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO...REACHING THE COAST BETWEEN PASCO AND LEE COUNTIES BETWEEN 530 AND 630 AM...THEN CONTINUE THROUGH THE METROPOLITAN AREAS OF TAMPA BAY...SARASOTA AND BRADENTON...AND FORT MYERS...BETWEEN 6 AND 7 AM. THE COMPLEX WILL MOVE INTO INTERIOR WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA BETWEEN 7 AND 8 AM. TORRENTIAL RAINS...GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH...AND FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING WILL ACCOMPANY THIS STORM COMPLEX. INDIVIDUAL CELLS...ESPECIALLY FROM SARASOTA THROUGH FORT MYERS...MAY PRODUCE BRIEF WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 50 MPH ALONG WITH EXCESSIVE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. THE WORST OF THE STORMS WILL LAST NO MORE THAN ONE HOUR IN ANY LOCATION...AND PRECIPITATION WILL TAPER TO LIGHTER RAINS BY MID MORNING OVER THE COASTAL METROPOLITAN AREAS AND BY LATE MORNING OVER INTERIOR WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA. RESIDENTS...ESPECIALLY EARLY MORNING COMMUTERS...SHOULD ALLOW EXTRA TIME TO REACH THEIR DESTINATIONS. MARINERS SHOULD POSTPONE EARLY MORNING TRIPS INTO THE COASTAL WATERS. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR UPDATES. && FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW BSG
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 539 AM EDT MON APR 12 2004 FLZ052-055>057-060>062-065-121500- CHARLOTTE-DE SOTO-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-LEE-MANATEE-POLK-SARASOTA- 539 AM EDT MON APR 12 2004 ...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH NUMBER 69 IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 AM EDT... THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RUSKIN HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SARASOTA...POLK...HIGHLANDS...HARDEE...DE SOTO...LEE...CHARLOTTE AND MANATEE COUNTIES. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL RACE ONSHORE IN MANATEE AND SARASOTA COUNTY BEFORE 6 AM...THEN IN CHARLOTTE AND LEE COUNTIES BY 630 AM. THE LINE WILL RACE INTO INTERIOR WEST CENTRAL FLORIDA BY 7 AM. THE STRONGEST STORMS ARE CURRENTLY ABOUT 20 MILES WEST OF SOUTHERN SARASOTA...CHARLOTTE...AND LEE COUNTIES. ONE OR TWO OF THESE STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE...WITH WIND GUSTS OF 60 MPH OR HIGHER OR PERHAPS A BRIEF SMALL TORNADO. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR UPDATES. && FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION, CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW (LOWER CASE) BSG
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
The storm wind gust of 67 mph was recorded at the Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport.
The storm wind gust of 67 mph was recorded at the Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport.
Thunderstorm winds caused damage to seven homes and downed trees and power lines from Boca Grande to Cape Coral. A mobile home on the 3300 block of Del Prado had part of the roof peeled back while another home on the 4500 block of Del Prado lost about 600 square feet of shingles. Other reports included damage to sheds and car ports.
A weak tornado associated with a squall line that moved in from the Gulf of Mexico damaged six units at the Village of Holiday Lakes off of State Road 771 in Englewood. An emergency management storm survey found the damage to be about 20 yards wide and three blocks long. No injuries were reported but the tornado peeled back the roof of one home and damaged car ports and porches. A total of six mobile homes suffered damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Florida, 2004Warnings in Florida, April 2004
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: 5393926, 5393927, 5393925, 5393928.