Scattered afternoon thunderstorms moved east off the Gulf of Mexico and across the Florida Peninsula. One of these storms produced damaging wind gusts over Lee 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 TBW wrote it up.
Scattered afternoon thunderstorms moved east off the Gulf of Mexico and across the Florida Peninsula. One of these storms produced damaging wind gusts over Lee 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 Aug 16, 12:44 PM EST, 37 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL 144 PM EDT Wed Aug 16 2017 .AVIATION... Scattered thunderstorms across the area today, but only imminent chances over the next few hours looks to be at KLAL. Have tempoed there and VCed elsewhere. Storms should end by 00z, with skies clearing out some and winds becoming light and variable. NW winds then increase late morning/early afternoon Thursday with scattered storms possible by noon. && .Prev Discussion... /issued 822 AM EDT Wed Aug 16 2017/ DISCUSSION... Weak high pressure is in place across the area. Light winds will be dominated by diurnal sea breezes and outflow boundaries. Scattered thunderstorms are expected to develop along these boundaries through the afternoon. Temperatures will be in the lower to mid 90s for highs. Current forecast is on track and have no update planned. AVIATION... Light winds and mostly clear skies will become scattered with westerly flow setting up with the sea breeze late this morning. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop in the afternoon through the early evening. Winds becoming light and variable and skies clearing mainly after 17/01z. MARINE... Light winds and slight seas for the next several days with high pressure in place across the area. Wind directions will vary with the diurnal circulations and scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible. Winds and seas higher near the storms. Current forecast is on track and have no major changes for the update. && .Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs... TPA 80 91 79 89 / 20 40 30 50 FMY 77 93 77 91 / 30 50 20 50 GIF 77 94 76 91 / 30 60 20 60 SRQ 79 90 78 88 / 20 30 30 40 BKV 76 92 75 89 / 20 40 30 50 SPG 80 92 79 89 / 20 30 30 40 && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. Gulf waters...None. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION/MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...24/Hubbard MID TERM/LONG TERM/DECISION SUPPORT...99
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL 448 AM EDT Wed Aug 16 2017 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- 873-876-170900- 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- 448 AM EDT Wed Aug 16 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for West Central And Southwest Florida. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... Scattered to numerous thunderstorms are expected to develop during the afternoon. Any storms will be capable of gusty winds, heavy rain and frequent lightning. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Thursday through Tuesday. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... Scattered thunderstorms can be expected each day through Tuesday. Any storms will be capable of gusty winds, heavy rainfall, and frequent lightning...however no organized severe weather is expected. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed today. McKaughan
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1023 AM EDT WED AUG 16 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1000 AM WATER SPOUT 5 SE FORT DESOTO PARK 27.57N 82.67W
08/16/2017 GMZ830 FL BROADCAST MEDIA
BROADCAST MEDIA RELAYED A PUBLIC REPORT OF A WATERSPOUT
OFF OF FORT DESOTO IN TAMPA BAY.
&&
JHUBBARDThe Tampa radar (KTBW), 140 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:23 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Lee County Emergency Management relayed a call from a resident that a tree had fallen on a roof in Lehigh Acres. The Sheriff's Department also reported power lines down in the same area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, August 2017
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: 710214.