A strong squall line developed ahead of a low pressure center and associated cold front over the Gulf of Mexico that moved onshore during the early afternoon of the 6th. The thunderstorms produced damaging wind gusts and two waterspouts that moved onshore as tornadoes.
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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 strong squall line developed ahead of a low pressure center and associated cold front over the Gulf of Mexico that moved onshore during the early afternoon of the 6th. The thunderstorms produced damaging wind gusts and two waterspouts that moved onshore as tornadoes.
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 Mar 6, 11:36 AM EST, 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL
1136 AM EST THU MAR 6 2014
.UPDATE...
A TORNADO WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PINELLAS...HILLSBOROUGH...AND
POLK COUNTIES SOUTH THROUGH LEE COUNTY. THIS WATCH ALSO INCLUDES
THE NEAR-SHORE GULF WATERS FROM TARPON SPRINGS SOUTH THROUGH
BONITA BEACH AS WELL AS TAMPA BAY AND CHARLOTTE HARBOR. THE WATCH
EXPIRES AT 00Z AS OF NOW...BUT WILL UPDATE THE FORECAST AS NEEDED.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 949 AM EST THU MAR 6 2014/
..ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE TODAY...
UPDATE...
AN UPPER LEVEL LOW IS AMPLIFYING OVER THE NORTHERN GULF COAST
REGION THIS MORNING WITH ITS ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW SPINNING OVER
THE NORTH-CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO AND A NEARLY STATIONARY FRONTAL
BOUNDARY STILL DRAPED ACROSS THE CENTRAL FLORIDA PENINSULA.
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE ONGOING ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS
AND THE WESTERN HALF OF THE AREA SO FAR THIS MORNING IN
ASSOCIATION WITH THESE FEATURES AND THIS WILL BE THE FORECAST
FOCUS FOR TODAY.
AS THE UPPER LOW AMPLIFIES...THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL START TO
DRIFT NORTHWARD AS THE CONVECTION CONTINUES ITS PUSH TO THE
EAST-SOUTHEAST AND LOW-LEVEL WAA WILL ALLOW MOISTURE TO INCREASE
ACROSS THE AREA. THE CURRENT THINKING IS THAT AREAS SOUTH OF TAMPA
BAY WILL HAVE A GREATER CHANCE OF EXPERIENCING STRONG TO SEVERE
STORMS IF THE LOWER CLOUDS CURRENTLY IN PLACE TO MIX OUT AND
ALLOW MORE HEATING TO OCCUR...SO THIS AREA IS WHERE WE EXPECT THE
MOST LIFT AND BUOYANCY TO DEVELOP TODAY. FOR THE NORTH...ABUNDANT
CLOUD COVER WILL HELP TO LIMIT SURFACE HEATING AND TEND TO KEEP
THAT REGION LESS UNSTABLE...BUT THE DYNAMICS ARE STILL IN PLACE
FOR SOME STRONGER STORMS TO DEVELOP REGARDLESS...IF ALL THE
INGREDIENTS CAN LINE UP. WITH ANY STORMS THAT DO BECOME
SEVERE...DAMAGING WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT WITH THE
POSSIBILITY OF BOWING SEGMENTS...BUT COULD ALSO SEE SOME HAIL AND
ISOLATED TORNADOES WITH H5 TEMPS AROUND -13 AND DECENT SHEAR AND
HELICITY VALUES. ANY SEA-BREEZE OR OTHER BOUNDARIES WILL ALSO AID
IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOME STRONGER CELLS AND POSSIBLY A TORNADO
OR TWO.
HI-RES MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT REGARDING THE TIMING OF RAIN FOR
TODAY...AND HAVE ADJUSTED THE FORECAST FOR TODAY ACCORDINGLY...WITH
MOST OF THE RAIN OCCURRING THIS MORNING AND THROUGH THE MID-AFTERNOON
HOURS.
AVIATION...
PATCHY FOG AND LOW CIGS WILL LINGER NEAR TERMINALS THROUGH THE
MORNING HOURS. RA IS BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO THE NORTHERN
TERMINALS AT THE MOMENT WITH THUNDERSTORMS FORECAST TO BEGIN TO
AFFECT TPA AND PIE AROUND 16Z. TERMINALS FURTHER SOUTH CAN EXPECT
VCTS TO BEGIN AROUND 18-20Z. WILL UPDATE TAFS WITH TEMPO GROUPS
AS THE THUNDERSTORMS BECOME BETTER ORGANIZED CLOSER TO THE COAST.
THREAT OF THUNDERSTORMS IS EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BEGINNING AROUND
22-00Z.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TPA 72 59 69 49 / 90 30 20 0
FMY 81 65 76 52 / 80 30 20 0
GIF 77 60 73 47 / 70 30 20 0
SRQ 75 64 71 51 / 90 30 20 0
BKV 71 52 69 42 / 90 30 20 0
SPG 73 63 69 54 / 90 30 20 0
&&
.TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...RIP CURRENT RISK UNTIL 9 PM EST THIS EVENING FOR COASTAL
CHARLOTTE-COASTAL HILLSBOROUGH-COASTAL LEE-COASTAL
MANATEE-COASTAL SARASOTA-PINELLAS.
GULF WATERS...NONE.
&&
UPDATE...05/CARLISLEHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL 448 AM EST THU MAR 6 2014 FLZ043-050-052-056-057-061-139-142-148-149-151-155-160-162-165- 239-242-248-249-251-255-260-262-265-GMZ830-836-850-853-856-870- 873-876-071000- SUMTER-PINELLAS-POLK-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-DESOTO-COASTAL LEVY- COASTAL CITRUS-COASTAL HERNANDO-COASTAL PASCO- COASTAL HILLSBOROUGH-COASTAL MANATEE-COASTAL SARASOTA- COASTAL CHARLOTTE-COASTAL LEE-INLAND LEVY-INLAND CITRUS- INLAND HERNANDO-INLAND PASCO-INLAND HILLSBOROUGH-INLAND MANATEE- INLAND SARASOTA-INLAND CHARLOTTE-INLAND LEE-TAMPA BAY WATERS- CHARLOTTE HARBOR AND PINE ISLAND SOUND- TARPON SPRINGS TO SUWANNEE RIVER OUT 20 NM- ENGLEWOOD TO TARPON SPRINGS OUT 20 NM- BONITA BEACH TO ENGLEWOOD OUT 20 NM- TARPON SPRINGS TO SUWANNEE RIVER OUT 20 TO 60 NM- ENGLEWOOD TO TARPON SPRINGS OUT 20 TO 60 NM- BONITA BEACH TO ENGLEWOOD OUT 20 TO 60 NM- 448 AM EST THU MAR 6 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... A LARGE AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS IS CURRENTLY MOVING EAST THROUGH THE GULF OF MEXICO AHEAD OF A GULF LOW AND COLD FRONT. THESE STORMS WILL EXPAND ONSHORE LATE THIS MORNING AND THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. THE PRIMARY THREATS WILL BE DAMAGING WIND GUSTS...SMALL HAIL...AND ISOLATED TORNADOES AND WATER SPOUTS. ...RIP CURRENT IMPACT... WINDS WILL TURN ONSHORE THIS AFTERNOON AT AREA BEACHES...INCREASING THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS. RIP CURRENTS CAN PULL EVEN A STRONG SWIMMER OUT INTO DEEPER WATER. USE CAUTION WHEN SWIMMING AT UNGUARDED BEACHES. ...WIND AND SEA IMPACT... WINDS AND SEAS WILL INCREASE AHEAD OF A STRONG GULF LOW AND COLD FRONT TODAY...WITH WINDS OF UP TO 15-20 KNOTS AND SEAS OF 2-4 FEET EXPECTED OFFSHORE. OPERATORS OF SMALL CRAFT SHOULD EXERCISE CAUTION. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE NEEDED LATER TONIGHT AND FRIDAY AS HAZARDOUS BOATING CONDITIONS CONTINUE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED TODAY. FLEMING
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:59 UTC.
2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A social media report was received of a waterspout moving onshore at Indian Shores. The tornado quickly dissipated without causing significant damage.
Reports were received from the public of several large branches down, as well as fence and shed damage between Largo and Belleair.
Broadcast media relayed reports of a waterspout moving onshore as a tornado near the east end of the Courtney Campbell Causeway. Debris was reported in the air as the tornado moved through mangroves.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Florida, 2014Warnings in Florida, March 2014
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: 493361, 494570, 493362.