A round of strong to isolated severe storms moved across portions of northwest Florida as a late season cold front moved through.
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.
A round of strong to isolated severe storms moved across portions of northwest Florida as a late season cold front moved through.
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 May 4, 5:54 AM EST, 2 hours 53 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tallahassee FL
654 AM EDT Thu May 4 2017
.AVIATION [Through 12Z Friday]...
Periods of rain will occur through the morning today, with
occasional thunderstorms possible. Occasional MVFR cigs and
visibility are likely, with brief IFR/LIFR possible in strongest
storms mainly at ECP, TLH and possibly VLD. VFR conditions should
return during the afternoon, but another brief period of scattered
showers/storms is possible as a cold front moves through this
evening. After this moves east of the area, VFR conditions are
expected on Thursday night.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION [604 AM EDT]...
.NEAR TERM [Through Today]...
This evening's synoptic pattern featured a developing deep trough
over the Southern Plains, and an attendant surface cold front,
extending from an intensifying low over central AR through coastal
TX. However, the low-level synoptic environment east of this cold
front has been significantly disrupted by large cold pools/outflow
boundaries generated by numerous thunderstorm clusters. There was
a weak "wake low" over southeast AL, and a trailing mesoscale
boundary through coastal LA. The 04 UTC RAP/HRRR appeared to have
initialized reasonably well, and forecasts this east-west
oriented boundary to propagate eastward to a position roughly
along I-10 in the FL Panhandle by daybreak.
Based on recent radar trends, the HRRR, and multiple CAMs (most of
which were performing surprisingly well), we think an MCS will
spread east across our forecast area this morning. There is
likely to be sufficient (if not impressive) buoyancy and strong
vertical wind shear for storm organization with this morning's
MCS, mainly in the form of bow echoes posing a damaging wind
threat. The greatest threat will be in our FL zones where storms
may be surface-based (as opposed to more elevated storms in GA
and AL). The presence of the aforementioned mesoscale boundary
suggests at least some tornado threat as well. While more
convection may develop along the cold front later today, it
appears the lower troposphere will have been overturned too much
to support a significant severe threat later today.
.SHORT TERM [Tonight Through Saturday]...
The strong surface cold front will continue moving east, and out
of our forecast area this evening, followed by an end to the rain.
Despite this frontal passage, lingering mid-upper level moisture,
as well as mid-tropospheric frontogenesis, will lead to periods
of cloudiness and even some showers on Friday, followed by
clearing Friday night and Saturday as the mid-layer front finally
passes to our east. High temperatures Friday will actually be
below average, in the upper 60s (north) to mid 70s (south). Highs
on Saturday will be in the mid to upper 70s. Low temperatures will
also be below average for a change- in the lower to mid 50s
Friday morning, and in the upper 40s Saturday morning.
.LONG TERM [Saturday Night Through Thursday]...
A deep-layer ridge will gradually build over the Southeast next
week. High temperatures will return to average (mid 80s) Sunday,
then above average mid week. Lows will generally be in the 50s.
PoPs will be less than 20%.
.MARINE...
Strong south winds will develop today ahead of an approaching
cold front, with frequent gusts to gale-force (35 knots). Winds
will become west-northwest behind the cold front later today and
tonight, with another period of gale-force gusts Friday afternoon.
Winds and seas will gradually subside Saturday and Saturday
night, with low winds and seas on Sunday. High surf and dangerous
rip currents are expected later today. Tides will only be slightly
above normal, barring any mesoscale features that could drive
tides higher for a brief time.
.FIRE WEATHER...
No concerns.
.HYDROLOGY...
The consensus QPF for our region for today's storm ranges from 1-2
inches north and west of Tallahassee, to less than inch south and
east of Tallahassee. NWP guidance forecasts PWAT values to be nearly
twice that of the climatological average, and GOES sounder data
confirms this. Thus we expect a narrow band or two of heavier
rain in the FL Panhandle, southeast AL, and southwest GA, where as
much as 6 inches of rain is possible. Because there is only a 15%
probability of exceeding 6 inches of rain (within 25 miles of a
point), we will not issue a Flood Watch at this time. However,
isolated flooding could occur if the rain were to affect a larger
urban area. Today's rain will likely cause sharp rises along some
of our rivers, but most were well below action stage from the
recent dry spell.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
Tallahassee 78 51 74 50 77 / 100 40 10 10 0
Panama City 76 57 72 57 74 / 100 10 10 10 0
Dothan 76 50 68 49 75 / 100 10 10 10 0
Albany 76 50 69 48 74 / 100 40 10 10 0
Valdosta 82 52 74 49 75 / 80 60 10 10 0
Cross City 83 56 74 53 76 / 60 70 30 30 0
Apalachicola 78 56 75 55 75 / 90 30 10 30 0
&&
.TAE WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...High Rip Current Risk through Friday evening for Coastal Bay-
Coastal Franklin-Coastal Gulf-South Walton.
High Surf Advisory until 8 PM EDT /7 PM CDT/ Friday for Coastal
Bay-Coastal Gulf-South Walton.
GA...None.
AL...None.
GM...Gale Warning until 8 PM EDT this evening for Apalachee Bay or
Coastal Waters From Keaton Beach to Ochlockonee River Fl
out to 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-Coastal waters from
Apalachicola to Destin FL out 20 NM-Waters from Suwannee
River to Apalachicola FL from 20 to 60 NM-Waters from
Apalachicola to Destin FL from 20 to 60 NM.
&&
NEAR TERM...Fournier
SHORT TERM...Fournier
LONG TERM...Fournier
AVIATION...Lahr
MARINE...Lahr
FIRE WEATHER...Fournier
HYDROLOGY...FournierPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TALLAHASSEE FL
929 AM EDT THU MAY 04 2017
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0923 AM TSTM WND GST APALACHICOLA AIRPORT 29.72N 85.03W
05/04/2017 M54 MPH FRANKLIN FL ASOS
47 KNOT WIND GUSTS AT KAAF
&&
CAMPThe Tallahassee radar (KTLH), 96 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:48 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A 49 mph wind gust was measured by a personal weather station on St George Island with a power line down nearby.
A tree was blown down on New Monticello Road near Highway 90.
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, May 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: 684038, 684040.