Strong diurnal heating and ample moisture allowed for an isolated severe thunderstorm to develop along a lingering outflow boundary across Highlands County. The storm produced gusty winds and large hail across much of Highlands County.
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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.
Strong diurnal heating and ample moisture allowed for an isolated severe thunderstorm to develop along a lingering outflow boundary across Highlands County. The storm produced gusty winds and large hail across much of Highlands 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 27, 2:18 PM EST, 1 hour 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL 318 PM EDT MON APR 27 2015 .SHORT TERM (TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY)...A ROBUST SUB-TROPICAL JET CONTINUES TO STREAM IN FROM THE EASTERN PACIFIC OVER MEXICO...INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO THEN EXITING INTO THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW REMAINS ANCHORED OVER NOVA SCOTIA AND THE ASSOCIATED TROUGH EXTENDS WEST SOUTHWEST OVER THE GREAT LAKES. WEAK ZONAL FLOW PERSISTS OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC AND FLORIDA. WEAK RIDGING OVER THE NORTHERN GULF COAST DRIFTS SLOWLY EASTWARD AND FURTHER WEAKENS AS ANOTHER UPPER LOW OVER TEXAS MOVES EASTWARD. ON THE SURFACE...A QUASI-STATIONARY FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDS FROM THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OVER NORTHERN FLORIDA...ALONG THE NORTHERN GULF COAST AND INTO SOUTHEAST TEXAS. BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING...THE UPPER LEVEL LOW AND TROUGHING COMBINED WITH STRONG UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE IN THE RIGHT REAR QUADRANT OF AN EXITING 140+ KNOT JET MAX OVER THE SOUTHEAST U.S. WILL SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANOTHER LOW OVER THE NORTHERN GULF COAST. THIS LOW WILL MOVE EAST ALONG THE STATIONARY FRONT OVER THE GULF COAST BRINGING INCREASING CHANCES OF SHOWERS AND STORMS FOR THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE...NORTHERN AND CENTRAL FLORIDA THROUGH MID WEEK. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE STRONG PRODUCING GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAINFALL AND SMALL HAIL. WITH INCREASING CLOUD COVER AND RAINFALL...TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLIGHTLY COOLER THAN WHAT WE HAVE SEEN OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS BUT WILL STILL BE ABOUT AVERAGE FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. && .MID/LONG TERM (TUESDAY NIGHT-MONDAY)...FOR TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...THE UPPER LOW OVER THE SOUTHEAST WILL OPEN UP AS IT CONTINUES TO SHIFT EASTWARD. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST-NORTHEASTWARD TO NEAR THE NORTHEAST FLORIDA COAST BY LATE WEDNESDAY AND WILL TRAIL A COLD FRONT THROUGH THE REGION. RAIN CHANCES REMAIN HIGH THROUGH MUCH OF WEDNESDAY UNTIL THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH IN THE AFTERNOON AND RAIN CHANCES FALL FROM NORTH TO SOUTH...WITH DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED BY EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD INTO THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTRY FOR THE END OF THE WEEK...WITH A SLIGHTLY COOLER AIR MASS IN PLACE GIVING US HIGH TEMPERATURES ACTUALLY A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL FOR BOTH THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. THE SURFACE HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO SINK SOUTHEASTWARD OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN U.S. FOR SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...WITH LITTLE RAIN CHANCE AND TEMPERATURES WARMING EACH DAY. WITH THE HIGH THEN MOVING OFF INTO THE EASTERN ATLANTIC FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK...THE RIDGE AXIS WILL BE NORTH OF THE AREA WITH EASTERLY WINDS IN PLACE AND A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR RAIN WITH THE SEA BREEZE. && .AVIATION...THE TIMING ON THE ARRIVAL OF THE SHOWERS HAS BEEN PUSHED TO THE RIGHT WITH RAIN NOW EXPECTED BETWEEN 03-06Z FOR THE NORTHERN TERMINALS AND 06-09Z FOR THE SOUTHERN TERMINALS. CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN VFR UNTIL 00Z, THEN CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE WITH VISIBILITY AND CEILING RESTRICTIONS PRODUCING MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. && .MARINE... A FRONTAL BOUNDARY STRETCHES FROM WEST TO EAST ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS. ASSOCIATED SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL MOVE THROUGH THE COASTAL WATERS TODAY AND TUESDAY. GUSTY WINDS...HEAVY RAINS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE VICINITY OF THESE STORMS. WINDS AND SEAS WILL INCREASE ON WEDNESDAY AS ANOTHER AREA OF LOW PRESSURE AND FRONTAL BOUNDARY APPROACHES THE EASTERN GULF OF MEXICO. WINDS WILL APPROACH SMALL CRAFT EXERCISE CAUTION LEVEL AND SEAS BUILD TO 4 TO 6 FEET BY THURSDAY. HIGH PRESSURE MOVES OVER THE SOUTHEAST U.S. BY THE END OF THE WEEK ALLOWING FOR DECREASING WINDS AND ABATING SEAS INTO NEXT WEEKEND. && .FIRE WEATHER...A FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDING OVER THE FLORIDA PENINSULA COMBINED WITH ABUNDANT TROPICAL MOISTURE WILL KEEP FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS AT BAY THROUGH THE WEEK. WIDESPREAD DENSE FOG IS NOT EXPECTED BUT WILL NOT COMPLETELY RULE OUT PATCHY FOG OVER LOW LYING INLAND AREAS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TPA 73 83 72 84 / 60 80 80 80 FMY 75 89 75 86 / 40 50 70 80 GIF 70 83 69 83 / 60 80 80 70 SRQ 72 84 74 83 / 50 70 80 80 BKV 68 82 68 83 / 60 90 70 70 SPG 75 82 73 82 / 60 70 80 80 && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...MODERATE RIP CURRENT RISK THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR COASTAL CHARLOTTE-COASTAL HILLSBOROUGH-COASTAL LEE- COASTAL MANATEE- COASTAL SARASOTA-PINELLAS. GULF WATERS...NONE. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION/MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...74/WYNN MID/LONG TERM...05/CARLISLE DECISION SUPPORT...05/CARLISLE
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL 514 AM EDT MON APR 27 2015 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- 873-876-280915- 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- COASTAL WATERS FROM TARPON SPRINGS TO SUWANNEE RIVER FL OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM ENGLEWOOD TO TARPON SPRINGS FL OUT 20 NM- COASTAL WATERS FROM BONITA BEACH TO ENGLEWOOD FL OUT 20 NM- WATERS FROM TARPON SPRINGS TO SUWANNEE RIVER FL OUT 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM ENGLEWOOD TO TARPON SPRINGS FL OUT 20 TO 60 NM- WATERS FROM BONITA BEACH TO ENGLEWOOD FL OUT 20 TO 60 NM- 514 AM EDT MON APR 27 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT...WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE NATURE COAST OVERNIGHT. THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS... AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING STRIKES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AS A FRONTAL SYSTEM LINGERS AROUND THE AREA THROUGH MID WEEK. THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG GUSTY WINDS...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS...AND FREQUENT DEADLY LIGHTNING STRIKES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER AND SELF ACTIVATE IF NEEDED. GARCIA
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA / RUSKIN FL 431 PM EDT MON APR 27 2015 FLZ056-057-061-272115- HIGHLANDS-DESOTO-HARDEE- 431 PM EDT MON APR 27 2015 ...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN DESOTO... SOUTHEASTERN HARDEE AND SOUTHWESTERN HIGHLANDS COUNTIES... AT 428 PM EDT...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WAS 8 MILES NORTHEAST OF ARCADIA...MOVING EAST AT 20 MPH. WINDS IN EXCESS OF 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM. LOCATIONS IMPACTED INCLUDE... SEBRING...SWEETWATER...ZOLFO SPRINGS...LIMESTONE...BROWNVILLE... CREWSVILLE...LAKE JOSEPHINE...GARNDER AND PLACID LAKES. TORRENTIAL RAINFALL IS ALSO OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM...AND MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED FLOODING. DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE THROUGH FLOODED ROADWAYS. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS OCCURRING WITH THIS STORM. LIGHTNING CAN STRIKE 15 MILES AWAY FROM A THUNDERSTORM. SEEK A SAFE SHELTER INSIDE A BUILDING OR VEHICLE. LAT...LON 2729 8196 2750 8185 2750 8136 2705 8147 TIME...MOT...LOC 2028Z 287DEG 17KT 2733 8178 MCKAUGHAN
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 102 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:55 UTC.
3 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotted, HIG-308, relayed a report of nickel size hail at the Leisure Lakes subdivision in Highlands County.
The Highlands County Emergency Manager relayed numerous reports of quarter size hail in downtown Lake Placid.
The Highlands County Sheriffs office reported numerous downed power lines in Lake Placid.
Pictures and video were received via social media of quarter to golf ball size hail falling in Lake Placid.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, April 2015
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: 563533, 563240, 563242, 563243.