High pressure in place across the area along with a warm and moist environment allowed for numerous late morning and afternoon thunderstorms. One developing thunderstorm caused lightning strike injuries.
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.
High pressure in place across the area along with a warm and moist environment allowed for numerous late morning and afternoon thunderstorms. One developing thunderstorm caused lightning strike injuries.
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 Aug 15, 8:00 AM EST, 55 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL 900 AM EDT MON AUG 15 2011 .UPDATE... FORECAST UPDATE THIS MORNING WAS CENTERED ON ADJUSTING POPS AND WEATHER FOR THE MORNING HOURS. CHANCE POPS MOVED FARTHER TO THE NORTH WHERE RADAR INDICATES DECENT COVERAGE ALREADY ONGOING. THE 12Z SOUNDING FROM TBW SHOWS MORE MOISTURE THAN YESTERDAY WITH 2.10 INCHES PWAT. ALSO INDICATED IS A DEEP WESTERLY FLOW THROUGH THE ENTIRE COLUMN DUE TO A LOW PRESSURE TROUGH OVER THE NORTHERN GULF. WHILE HEAVY DOWNPOURS ARE EXPECTED...THE BRISK MOTION AT 10-15 KNOTS WILL KEEP MOST STORMS MOVING ALONG BUT SOME POTENTIAL FOR TRAINING IN THE UNIDIRECTIONAL WIND FIELD. TEMPERATURES THIS MORNING ARE GENERALLY ON TRACK AND NO ADJUSTMENTS NEEDED TO THEM. && .AVIATION... WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH IN THE VICINITY OF TPA...PIE AND SRQ THROUGH THE MORNING HOURS. WITH THE MAJORITY OF CONVECTION FOCUSED AROUND TPA AND PIE THIS MORNING...WILL INCLUDE A TEMPO -TSRA FOR THE LATE MORNING HOURS. VCSH AND VCTS EXPECTED TO AFFECT FMY AND RSW DURING THE EARLY AFTERNOON HOURS. BY TONIGHT...CONVECTION WILL DECREASE WITH LIGHTER WINDS ESTABLISHING. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 341 AM EDT MON AUG 15 2011/ SHORT TERM (TODAY-WEDNESDAY)... DURING THE SHORT TERM PERIOD THE TROUGH IN THE MID/UPPER LEVELS OVER THE EASTERN U.S. WILL WEAKEN AS IT MOVES EAST WITH SOME RIDGING BUILDING IN FROM THE WEST. AT THE SURFACE THE REMNANTS OF A COOL FRONT WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION TODAY WITH A BAND OF DEEPER MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH IT SHIFTING SOUTH ACROSS THE AREA. BEHIND THIS BOUNDARY SOME DRIER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE REGION TONIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH THE RIDGE AXIS REMAINING SOUTH OF THE AREA. ON WEDNESDAY THE SURFACE RIDGE WILL BEGIN TO DRIFT BACK NORTH WITH A RATHER LIGHT AND VARIABLE FLOW ACROSS THE REGION. FOR TODAY EXPECT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP OVER THE COASTAL WATERS AND MOVE ONSHORE INTO THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ZONES THIS MORNING AS THE DEEPER MOISTURE MOVES SOUTH. THIS CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD SOUTH AND EAST THIS AFTERNOON AND SHOULD BECOME NUMEROUS OVER THE INTERIOR AND SOUTHERN INLAND PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL AND CLIMB INTO THE UPPER 80S ALONG THE COAST TO THE MID 90S INLAND. TONIGHT INTO TUESDAY THE WESTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE WITH SOME DRIER AIR MOVING INTO THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL PORTIONS OF THE AREA. CONVECTION WILL WIND DOWN THIS EVENING OVER LAND WITH ISOLATED CONVECTION CONTINUING OVER THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN COASTAL WATERS POSSIBLY MOVING ONSHORE AFFECTING AREAS FROM TAMPA BAY SOUTH. ON TUESDAY WITH SOME DRIER AIR IN PLACE...PRECIPITABLE WATER LESS THAN 1.5 INCHES FROM THE INTERSTATE 4 CORRIDOR NORTHWARD...AND THE WESTERLY FLOW PERSISTING THE RAIN CHANCES WILL DECREASE TO 10 PERCENT FAR NORTH TO 40 PERCENT INTERIOR AND SOUTH. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL WITH LOWS TONIGHT MOSTLY IN THE 70S AND HIGHS ON TUESDAY FROM THE UPPER 80S ALONG THE COAST TO THE MID 90S INLAND. TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY THE FLOW WILL BECOME LIGHT AND VARIABLE WITH THE DEEPEST MOISTURE SHIFTING EAST OUT INTO THE ATLANTIC WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER VALUES RANGING FROM LESS THAN 1.5 INCHES ACROSS THE NATURE COAST TO AROUND 1.8 INCHES ACROSS THE SOUTH. THE LIGHT FLOW WILL ALLOW THE SEA BREEZES TO DEVELOP WHICH SHOULD HELP CAUSE SCATTERED CONVECTION MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON. OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR NORMAL WITH SOME SPOTS ACROSS THE NATURE COAST FALLING INTO THE UPPER 60S...WITH MAINLY 70S ELSEWHERE. DAYTIME HIGHS ON WEDNESDAY WILL CONTINUE NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL RANGING FROM NEAR 90 ALONG THE COAST TO THE MID 90S INLAND. LONG TERM (WEDNESDAY NIGHT-SUNDAY)... MID LEVEL RIDGING DOMINATES THE SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH-CENTRAL STATES WHILE TROUGHING CONTINUES OVER OR JUST OFFSHORE THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. A BROAD SURFACE RIDGE INITIALLY ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA SLOWLY LIFTS NORTH THROUGH FRIDAY AS A TROPICAL WAVE TRACKS WEST ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN. THE RIDGE REACHES THE GA/FL BORDER EARLY SATURDAY AND LINGERS THERE FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND. THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS UP AS THE RIDGE AXIS MOVES NORTH BUT WILL REMAIN RELAXED ENOUGH FOR A SEA BREEZE EACH AFTERNOON. THERE WILL BE ADEQUATE MOISTURE FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOONS AND EVENINGS. TEMPERATURES REMAIN NEAR TO A COUPLE OF DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. MARINE... THE WESTERLY FLOW WILL PERSIST THROUGH TUESDAY THEN BECOME RATHER LIGHT AND VARIABLE ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE BECOMING EAST TO SOUTHEAST LATE IN THE WEEK. WIND SPEEDS WILL REMAIN LESS THAN 15 KNOTS AND SEAS LESS THAN 3 FEET. FIRE WEATHER... AS SOME DRIER AIR MOVES INTO THE REGION TONIGHT AND TUESDAY WE COULD SEE RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES FALL TO NEAR 35 PERCENT ACROSS INLAND LEVY AND NORTHERN CITRUS TUESDAY AFTERNOON. OTHERWISE... THERE ARE NO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TPA 92 79 93 78 / 50 20 20 20 FMY 93 77 93 76 / 60 20 40 20 GIF 95 76 95 75 / 50 20 30 20 SRQ 92 78 92 76 / 50 20 30 20 BKV 94 71 95 70 / 40 20 20 20 SPG 91 82 92 81 / 50 20 20 20 && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. GULF WATERS...NONE. && UPDATE...JOHNSON AVIATION...BARRON MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...CLOSE LONG TERM...RUDE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL 535 AM EDT MON AUG 15 2011 FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-152100- LEVY-CITRUS-SUMTER-HERNANDO-PASCO-PINELLAS-HILLSBOROUGH-POLK- MANATEE-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-SARASOTA-DE SOTO-CHARLOTTE-LEE- 535 AM EDT MON AUG 15 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. THE MAIN THREATS FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE GUSTY WINDS... FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL THAT COULD CAUSE MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. ALWAYS BE SAFE AND REMEMBER THAT IF YOU CAN HEAR THUNDER THEN YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE STORM TO BE STRUCK BY LIGHTNING. ...WATERSPOUT IMPACT... MARINERS ARE URGED TO REMAIN ALERT FOR POSSIBLE WATERSPOUTS FROM ALMOST ANY OF THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS TODAY. ...EXCESSIVE HEAT IMPACT... HIGH TEMPERATURES AND ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BRING HEAT INDEX VALUES TO BETWEEN 100 AND 105 IN MANY LOCATIONS DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED EACH DAY WITH THE MAIN THREATS BEING GUSTY WINDS...FREQUENT LIGHTNING AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. ...EXCESSIVE HEAT IMPACT... HIGH TEMPERATURES AND ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL BRING HEAT INDEX VALUES TO BETWEEN 100 AND 105 IN MANY LOCATIONS TUESDAY EACH AFTERNOON. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER AND SELF ACTIVATE IF NEEDED. PRC
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:55 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Five men were working on a roof when a bolt from the blue struck them. One of the men, 35-years-old, went into cardiac arrest as a result, and CPR was performed on him for three minutes before he was resuscitated. He was later hospitalized.
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, August 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: 336977.