An extended period of dry weather led to a wildfire near Fort Myers that grew to 20 acres before being put out. The fire damaged homes and cars and also killed 2 pets.
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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.
An extended period of dry weather led to a wildfire near Fort Myers that grew to 20 acres before being put out. The fire damaged homes and cars and also killed 2 pets.
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 27, 1:42 PM EST, 3 hours 18 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL 242 PM EDT Tue Mar 27 2018 .SHORT TERM (Tonight - Wednesday)... Strong upper level ridging building in over the region from the Gulf combined with surface high pressure building down the eastern sea board and moving into the western Atlantic waters east of Florida on Wednesday will maintain pleasant dry weather across the entire forecast area through the period. The breezy easterly wind flow will continue through tonight, then will diminish on Wednesday as the surface high builds south and the gradient weakens with the flow veering into the southeast during the day. Temperatures tonight will fall into the lower to mid 50s across the Nature Coast, and mid to upper 50s central and south except lower 60s along the immediate coast. Highs on Wednesday will climb into the upper 70s to around 80 along the coast, and lower to mid 80s inland. .LONG TERM (Wednesday Night - Tuesday)... High pressure will be in place across the area from just offshore of the east FL coast. Drier air will be in place with this through Thursday. Highs will range from the upper 70s to mid 80s, with lows in the mid 50s to mid 60s through Thursday night. The next cold front then pushes into the area later Friday, and gradually settles across the area before stalling across south FL Saturday and gradually dissipating through Sunday. High pressure ridges back into the area for the rest of the period. Will have scattered rain chances in for Friday through Saturday, and then clearing out Saturday night with the front. Lingering moisture will then allow for some scattered afternoon rain chances mainly inland for Sunday and Monday, with isolated chances Tuesday. Highs will generally be in the upper 70s to mid 80s through the period. Lows Friday night in the upper 50s to mid 60s, cooling a bit Saturday night into the mid 50s to lower 60s, and then back into the upper 50s to mid 60s Sunday and Monday nights. && .AVIATION... VFR is expected during the next 24 hours. East winds in the 14 to 16 knot range with gusts up to 25 knots this afternoon will diminish to 6 to 8 knots after 02Z tonight. Winds will become southeast at 8 to 10 knots after 14Z on Wednesday. && .MARINE... Surface high pressure building down the eastern sea board this afternoon will maintain a gusty easterly wind flow over the Gulf water through tonight. On Wednesday the high will sink southeast into the western Atlantic and will extend west across the peninsula and into the eastern Gulf through the end of the week. As the high move in lighter and veering winds into the southeast and south can be expected across the waters Wednesday through Friday with a weaker pressure pattern supporting an onshore sea breeze component developing along the coast each afternoon. The high will move further to the east on Friday as a cold front approaches from the west with the front sinking southeast through the waters during Friday night into Saturday bringing with it chances for showers and storms along with winds becoming north to northeasterly in the wake of the front late Saturday through Sunday as surface high pressure builds in northeast of the waters. && .FIRE WEATHER... Breezy 20 foot winds and transport winds will continue to support high dispersion indices across the region through sunset. Sufficient low level moisture will keep humidity values above critical levels through the end of the week with no fire weather issues expected. && .Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs... TPA 60 81 63 81 / 0 0 0 0 FMY 59 83 62 85 / 0 0 0 0 GIF 57 83 61 85 / 0 0 0 0 SRQ 59 78 61 81 / 0 0 0 0 BKV 55 83 55 83 / 0 0 0 0 SPG 62 80 66 81 / 0 0 0 0 && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. Gulf waters...None. && SHORT TERM/AVIATION/MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...57/McMichael LONG TERM/DECISION SUPPORT...24/Hubbard
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL 438 AM EDT Tue Mar 27 2018 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- 873-876-272045- 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- 438 AM EDT Tue Mar 27 2018 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for West Central And Southwest Florida. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. A rather benign weather pattern will hold, with warm temperatures and dry conditions. No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Wednesday through Monday. A few showers may affect the region late in the week, but no hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation will not be needed today. Austin
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A 20 acre wildfire between Briarcliff Lane and Shamrock Street in Fort Myers destroyed 1 home, damaged another home, and destroyed 2 cars. Two pets were also lost to the fire. Another 50 homes were threatened, prompting temporary evacuation orders.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, March 2018
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: 737649.