An upper level disturbance and cold front moved into the region on April 20th. Although the thunderstorms that developed across the Florida Big Bend were not severe, one storm did produce dime to penny sized hail in Dixie 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 TAE wrote it up.
An upper level disturbance and cold front moved into the region on April 20th. Although the thunderstorms that developed across the Florida Big Bend were not severe, one storm did produce dime to penny sized hail in Dixie 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 Tallahassee, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 20, 9:31 AM EST, 4 hours 44 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 1031 AM EDT WED APR 20 2011 .DISCUSSION... THE 12 UTC REGIONAL SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWED A 1011 MB OVER KY WITH A COLD FRONT EXTENDING SOUTHWESTWARD TO NORTHEAST TX...AND A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE ACROSS NORTH FL AND SOUTHEAST AL. A BAND OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS (ORIENTED PARALLEL TO THE COLD FRONT) WAS LOCATED SOUTHEAST OF THE FRONT BUT WELL NORTH OF OUR FORECAST AREA. VAPOR IMAGERY AND UPPER AIR DATA SHOWED MOSTLY ZONAL FLOW ALOFT...WITH ONE SHORT WAVE PASSING OVER THE TN VALLEY AND ANOTHER OVER THE FOUR CORNERS REGION. THE 12 UTC KTAE SOUNDING SHOWED A LOT OF MOISTURE NEAR THE SURFACE AND VERY DRY...WARM AIR ALOFT. THUS WE EXPECT CLEARING SKIES AND WARM TEMPERATURES BY THIS AFTERNOON. THE ELEVATED MIXED LAYER BEGINNING AT 800 MB IS UNUSUALLY STEEP AND DEEP FOR THIS AREA...AND IF WE WERE EXPECTING THUNDERSTORMS WE MIGHT BE CONCERNED ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR LARGE HAIL. HOWEVER...THE CAP AT 800 MB WILL PREVENT ANY MOIST CONVECTION FROM BECOMING VERY DEEP. SOME OF THE NWP GUIDANCE SHOWS A FEW SHALLOW SHOWERS DEVELOPING ALONG THE NORTHWEST PERIPHERY OF OUR FORECAST AREA...WHICH DOES NOT SEEM UNREASONABLE GIVEN THE LOW LAYER THERMODYNAMICS AND PROXIMITY TO THE CURRENT ONGOING STORMS TO THE NORTH. && .AVIATION... AREAS OF LOW LEVEL STRATUS ARE QUICKLY LIFTING/SCATTERING OUT THIS MORNING. STILL SEEING SOME POCKETS OF MVFR CIGS...BUT THESE SHOULD COME TO AN END BY MIDDAY. PREVAILING VFR CONDITIONS ARE THEN EXPECTED THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. AREAS OF LOWER STRATUS ARE LIKELY TO RE-DEVELOP DURING THE LATE EVENING AND ESPECIALLY AFTER MIDNIGHT...ALONG WITH PATCHY FOG. EXPECTING TO SEE AT LEAST MVFR AT ALL TERMINALS BY THE LATE NIGHT HOURS...WITH GOOD CHANCES AT AT LEAST A PERIOD OF IFR/LIFR. && .TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... AL...NONE. GA...NONE. FL...NONE. GM...NONE. && AVIATION...MROCZKA REST OF DISCUSSION...FOURNIER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL 313 PM EDT WED APR 20 2011 ALZ065>069-FLZ007>019-026>029-034-108-112-114-115-118-127-128-134- GAZ120>131-142>148-155>161-GMZ730-750-755-765-770-775-211915- COFFEE-DALE-HENRY-GENEVA-HOUSTON-INLAND WALTON-CENTRAL WALTON- HOLMES-WASHINGTON-JACKSON-INLAND BAY-CALHOUN-INLAND GULF- INLAND FRANKLIN-GADSDEN-LEON-INLAND JEFFERSON-MADISON-LIBERTY- INLAND WAKULLA-INLAND TAYLOR-LAFAYETTE-INLAND DIXIE-SOUTH WALTON- COASTAL BAY-COASTAL GULF-COASTAL FRANKLIN-COASTAL JEFFERSON- COASTAL WAKULLA-COASTAL TAYLOR-COASTAL DIXIE-QUITMAN-CLAY- RANDOLPH-TERRELL-DOUGHERTY-LEE-WORTH-TURNER-TIFT-BEN HILL-IRWIN- EARLY-MILLER-BAKER-MITCHELL-COLQUITT-COOK-BERRIEN-SEMINOLE- DECATUR-GRADY-THOMAS-BROOKS-LOWNDES-LANIER- APALACHEE BAY OR COASTAL WATERS FROM KEATON BEACH TO OCHLOCKONEE RIVER FL OUT TO 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM APALACHICOLA TO DESTIN FL OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM OCHLOCKONEE RIVER TO APALACHICOLA FL OUT TO 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM SUWANNEE RIVER TO KEATON BEACH OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM APALACHICOLA TO DESTIN FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM SUWANNEE RIVER TO APALACHICOLA FL FROM 20 TO 60 NM- 313 PM EDT WED APR 20 2011 /213 PM CDT WED APR 20 2011/ THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHEAST ALABAMA... SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL GEORGIA...AND THE FLORIDA BIG BEND AND PANHANDLE...AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ...SLIGHT RISK OF SEVERE STORMS THROUGH EARLY THIS EVENING... ...MODERATE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE COAST... ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY THIS EVENING. THE BEST CHANCE FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE IN SOUTHEAST ALABAMA AND SOUTHWEST GEORGIA...WHERE THE COMBINATION OF COLD DRY AIR ALOFT AND WARM MOIST AIR AT THE SURFACE HAS CREATED AN UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT. OUTFLOW FROM THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL ALABAMA AND CENTRAL GEORGIA COULD CAUSE ADDITIONS STORMS TO DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHERN ALABAMA AND GEORGIA. THE UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL MAKE IT MORE FAVORABLE FOR SOME STORMS TO PRODUCE LARGE HAIL OR DAMAGING WIND GUSTS. CONDITIONS DO NOT APPEAR FAVORABLE FOR TORNADOES...OR FOR A WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER EVENT COMPARABLE TO APRIL 5 OR MARCH 26 AND 27 OF THIS YEAR. ELSEWHERE THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE AS INTENSE...WITH SMALL HAIL...FREQUENT LIGHTNING...AND GUSTS TO 40 MPH BEING THE MAIN THREAT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN ASSOCIATION WITH A STALLED FRONTAL BOUNDARY CAN BE EXPECTED ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON. DRIER CONDITIONS WILL RETURN FOR THE WEEKEND...WHEN THE MAIN FOCUS WILL BE ON UNSEASONABLY WARM AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER 90S BY SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE ON THE INTERNET AT WEATHER.GOV...THEN CLICK ON YOUR AREA OF INTEREST ON THE NATIONAL MAP. FOURNIER
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
309 PM EDT WED APR 20 2011
FLZ029-034-134-202000-
COASTAL DIXIE-INLAND 'DIXIE-LAFAYETTE-
309 PM EDT WED APR 20 2011
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR DIXIE AND LAFAYETTE
PARISHES...
* UNTIL 400 PM EDT
AT 305 PM EDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DETECTED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 18 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LIVE
OAK TO 59 MILES SOUTH OF LIVE OAK...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM
ALTON TO YELLOW JACKET. THESE STORMS WERE NEARLY STATIONARY.
DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS.
THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS WHICH MAY
CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS...AND IS ALSO
PRODUCING FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. MOVE INDOORS
IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS.
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
LAT...LON 2954 8297 2947 8298 2937 8314 3012 8332
3014 8326 3014 8322 3011 8321 3011 8312
3009 8307 2996 8293 2971 8293 2969 8295
2961 8296 2958 8294
TIME...MOT...LOC 1909Z 270DEG 2KT 3008 8315 2944 8298
42-DVDSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
311 PM EDT WED APR 20 2011
FLZ029-034-134-202000-
COASTAL DIXIE-INLAND 'DIXIE-LAFAYETTE-
311 PM EDT WED APR 20 2011
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FOR DIXIE AND LAFAYETTE
COUNTIES...
* UNTIL 400 PM EDT
AT 305 PM EDT...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS DETECTED STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM 18 MILES SOUTHWEST OF LIVE
OAK TO 59 MILES SOUTH OF LIVE OAK...OR ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM
ALTON TO YELLOW JACKET. THESE STORMS WERE NEARLY STATIONARY.
DIME SIZE HAIL...AND WINDS AROUND 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THESE
STORMS.
THIS STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORRENTIAL DOWNPOURS WHICH MAY
CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING OF STREETS AND LOW LYING AREAS...AND IS ALSO
PRODUCING FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING. MOVE INDOORS
IMMEDIATELY! LIGHTNING IS ONE OF NATURES NUMBER ONE KILLERS.
REMEMBER...IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER...YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO BE
STRUCK BY LIGHTNING.
LAT...LON 2954 8297 2947 8298 2937 8314 3012 8332
3014 8326 3014 8322 3011 8321 3011 8312
3009 8307 2996 8293 2971 8293 2969 8295
2961 8296 2958 8294
TIME...MOT...LOC 1909Z 270DEG 2KT 3008 8315 2944 8298
42-DVDThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Dime to penny sized hail fell from 3:15 pm EDT until 4:00 pm EDT and covered the ground near Old Town.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, April 2011
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: 303505.