A sea breeze boundary from earlier in the afternoon interacted with upper level energy moving across north-central Florida and the eastern Gulf waters to produce numerous thunderstorms across parts of west central Florida. Very cold temperatures aloft allowed for large hail to form in these thunderstorms.
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.
A sea breeze boundary from earlier in the afternoon interacted with upper level energy moving across north-central Florida and the eastern Gulf waters to produce numerous thunderstorms across parts of west central Florida. Very cold temperatures aloft allowed for large hail to form in these thunderstorms.
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 Jan 22, 8:56 PM EST, 1 hour 56 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL 856 PM EST TUE JAN 22 2008 .UPDATE...WE HAD SOME SEA BREEZE BOUNDARY ACTIVITY TODAY... SOMETHING WE NORMALLY DONT HAVE TO DEAL WITH IN JANUARY. SHOWERS AND AN OCCASIONAL THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPED OVER CHARLOTTE AND LEE COUNTIES THIS AFTERNOON AND MOVED NORTHEAST WITH ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT NORTHWARD ALONG THE SEA BREEZE BOUNDARY. A FEW AIRMASS SHOWERS ALSO DEVELOPED OVER THE INTERIOR IN HIGHLANDS AND POLK COUNTIES. MEANWHILE...THE LARGE AREA OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOPED OVER THE WARM GULF LOOP CURRENT MOVED STEADILY EASTWARD...REACHING THE LEVY COUNTY COAST A FEW HOURS AGO. THIS AREA IS NOW MAINLY STEADY LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN WITH A FEW EMBEDDED HEAVIER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. ALL OF THIS LED TO FREQUENT UPDATES TO THE POINT AND CLICKS ON THE WEB. FOR THE REST OF THE NIGHT...HAVE POSTED 80 TO 100 PERCENT RAIN CHANCES FOR LEVY COUNTY WITH A BLEND DOWN TOWARD 30 PERCENT DOWN TO PASCO COUNTY. THE RESIDUAL SEA BREEZE ACTIVITY THAT IS MOVING NORTH IS NOW OVER CITRUS COUNTY AND HAS INTERSECTED THE MAIN RAIN AREA. THIS COULD LEAD TO A FEW STRONGER THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE NATURE COAST...SO WE WILL BE WATCHING RADAR TRENDS CLOSELY. THE SOUTH SHOULD STAY MAINLY DRY NOW THAT HEATING HAS ENDED...BUT SHOWERS ARE REDEVELOPING OVER THE GULF WATERS OFFSHORE PINELLAS COUNTY...SO EXPECT SOME SHOWERS TO MOVE ONSHORE THIS EVENING. SOME RAIN COULD MOVE ACROSS OUR CENTRAL ZONES INCLUDING THE TAMPA BAY AREA TONIGHT AS ADDITIONAL ACTIVITY IN THE GULF MOVES EASTWARD. WILL TREND DOWN TO 20 PERCENT THOUGH AFTER MIDNIGHT HERE...WITH JUST 10 PERCENT SILENT POPS FOR CHARLOTTE AND LEE. ZONE UPDATES WILL BE OUT BY 915 PM. && .AVIATION...MAIN CONCERN TONIGHT IS SHOWER AND TSTM ACTIVITY ALONG AND AHEAD OF THE TROUGH. IN GENERAL...CLOUDS ARE THICKENING ATTM WITH LOWERING CIGS AND LOCAL MVFR CONDITIONS. WILL INCLUDE TEMPO PERIODS OF IFR CONDITIONS TONIGHT FOR OUR NORTHERN TERMINALS ASSOC WITH SHOWER AND TSTM ACTIVITY COMING IN FROM THE WEST. SINCE THE TROUGH WILL ONLY MAKE SLOW PROGRESS ACROSS THE AREA...RISK FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND TSTMS WILL CONTINUE DURING THE DAYTIME WEDNESDAY. && .MARINE...NO SIGNIFICANT UPDATES PLANNED FOR THE COASTAL WATERS EXCEPT FOR THE WATERS WITH BEST RAIN CHANCES REMAINING NORTH OF TARPON SPRINGS. && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. GULF WATERS...NONE. && UPDATE/MARINE...JILLSON AVIATION...PETRO
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL 527 AM EST TUE JAN 22 2008 FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-221600- LEVY-CITRUS-SUMTER-HERNANDO-PASCO-PINELLAS-HILLSBOROUGH-POLK- MANATEE-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-SARASOTA-DE SOTO-CHARLOTTE-LEE- 527 AM EST TUE JAN 22 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ...WIND AND SEA IMPACT... EAST WINDS OF 15 TO 20 KNOTS ON THE GULF WATERS...WITH SEAS UP TO 5 FEET BEYOND 20 NM...WILL BE DIMINISHING DURING THE MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY. ...WIND AND SEA IMPACT... WINDS AND SEAS WILL INCREASE ON THE COASTAL WATERS THURSDAY INTO FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY. RKR
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
610 PM EST TUE JAN 22 2008
FLZ055-060-230000-
MANATEE-SARASOTA-
610 PM EST TUE JAN 22 2008
...FUNNEL CLOUDS ARE POSSIBLE IN SOUTHERN MANATEE AND NORTHWESTERN
SARASOTA COUNTIES...
AT 6 PM EST...A REPORT OF A FUNNEL CLOUD NEAR NORTH PORT AT 525 PM
WAS RELAYED TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. THERE WERE NO REPORTS
OF THE FUNNEL REACHING THE GROUND...AND THERE IS NO INDICATION OF A
TORNADO AT THIS TIME. DOPPLER RADAR SHOWED THESE SHOWERS MOVING
NORTH AT 15 MPH.
THESE SHOWERS ARE NOW MOVING THROUGH NORTHERN SARASOTA AND SOUTHERN
MANATEE COUNTIES...FROM JUST EAST OF FRUITVILLE TO NEAR HIDDEN RIVER.
FUNNEL CLOUDS CAN BECOME BRIEF...SMALL...BUT DANGEROUS TORNADOES.
MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY...AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.
&&
LAT...LON 2759 8257 2745 8220 2720 8215 2731 8246
2748 8267
TIME...MOT...LOC 2304Z 164DEG 14KT 2734 8241 2727 8222
63SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 630 PM EST TUE JAN 22 2008 FLZ051-230015- HILLSBOROUGH- 630 PM EST TUE JAN 22 2008 ...GUSTY SHOWERS WILL AFFECT NORTHWEST HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY... SHOWERS...AND PERHAPS A THUNDERSTORM...MOVING NORTH AT 15 MPH... WILL AFFECT TOWN N COUNTRY AND WEST PARK...UNTIL 715 PM EST. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH WILL OCCUR WITH THESE SHOWERS. EJ
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1018 PM EST TUE JAN 22 2008 FLZ042-048-230400- HERNANDO-CITRUS- 1018 PM EST TUE JAN 22 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT CITRUS COUNTY... A THUNDERSTORM...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH...WILL AFFECT CHASSAHOWITZKA...HOMOSASSA SPRINGS AND CRYSTAL RIVER...UNTIL 1100 PM EST. GUSTY WINDS OF 30 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. THIS STORM WILL PRODUCE PEA SIZE HAIL. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. RD
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 1040 PM EST TUE JAN 22 2008 FLZ049-051-230415- HILLSBOROUGH-PASCO- 1040 PM EST TUE JAN 22 2008 ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT NORTHWEST HILLSBOROUGH AND SOUTH CENTRAL PASCO COUNTIES... ...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH...WILL AFFECT ODESSA...LUTZ AND LAND O LAKES...UNTIL 1115 PM EST. GUSTY WINDS OF 30 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. HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER IS EXPECTED. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. RD
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 54 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:52 UTC.
2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail with the diameter of a penny was reported to have fallen for 15 minutes and covered the ground.
Hail the size of a quarter was reported.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, January 2008
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: 66551, 67676.