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National Weather Service
Tampa Bay Area - Ruskin, Florida

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1010 PM EDT MON AUG 11 2003

                   ...RAIN...RAIN GO AWAY...

FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS SUMMER...A STRONG UPPER LEVEL TROUGH SETUP
OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES SOUTHWARD INTO THE CENTRAL GULF OF
MEXICO CHANNELING DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE ACROSS THE FLORIDA
PENINSULA.  THIS COMBINED WITH ATMOSPHERIC DISTURBANCES MOVING
THROUGH THIS FLOW LED TO HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS A LARGE PORTION OF
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...ESPECIALLY OVER COASTAL
LOCATIONS.

FLOODING WAS REPORTED IN NUMEROUS LOCATIONS ACROSS THE REGION WHICH
CAUSED SEVERAL ROAD CLOSURES.  ALSO...DUE TO THE WIDESPREAD NATURE 
OF THE RAIN...MANY RIVERS HAVE RISEN ABOVE FLOOD STAGE WITH MINOR 
TO MODERATE FLOODING REPORTED ACROSS SEVEN DIFFERENT RIVER BASINS.

MANY LOCATIONS IN WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HAVE RECEIVED
OVER SIX INCHES OF RAIN IN THE LAST FIVE DAYS...OR SINCE MIDNIGHT
THURSDAY AUGUST 7TH.  FORTUNATELY...THE PATTERN IS BEGINNING TO
CHANGE AS A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE BUILDS IN FROM THE EAST...AND THIS
SHOULD LOWER THE CHANCES OF RAIN OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS AND
RETURN THE AREA TO A MORE TYPICAL SUMMERTIME PATTERN WITH MAINLY
SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS.

FOLLOWING ARE PRELIMINARY AND UNOFFICIAL TOTALS FROM MIDNIGHT
AUGUST 7TH THROUGH 8 PM AUGUST 11TH AT SELECTED LOCATIONS ACROSS
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA:


OBSERVING SITE                COUNTY           EVENT TOTAL
                                                (INCHES)
...AIRPORTS...
SARASOTA-BRADENTON INTL       MANATEE             7.40
TAMPA INTL                    HILLSBOROUGH        6.51
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE        HILLSBOROUGH        6.30
ST PETE/CLEARWATER INTL       PINELLAS            5.66
ST PETE/ALBERT WHITTED        PINELLAS            5.49
BROOKSVILLE/HERNANDO CO       HERNANDO            4.67
FORT MYERS/PAGE FIELD         LEE                 3.45
LAKELAND LINDER               POLK                3.16
PUNTA GORDA/CHARLOTTE CO      CHARLOTTE           2.42
FORT MYERS/SW FLORIDA INTL    LEE                 2.26

...OTHERS...
BRADENTON 5 SE                MANATEE            10.90
GULFPORT                      PINELLAS            9.97
ONECO                         MANATEE             9.85
SAWGRASS LAKE                 PINELLAS            8.04
WEST BRADENTON                MANATEE             7.78
MYAKKA CITY                   MANATEE             7.24
PALMA SOLA                    MANATEE             7.21
VENICE                        SARASOTA            6.27
PINELLAS PARK                 PINELLAS            6.16
POINT LONESOME                CHARLOTTE           5.94
ODESSA 3 S                    HILLSBOROUGH        5.90
RYE BRIDGE                    MANATEE             5.78
DUNEDIN                       PINELLAS            5.77
HOLIDAY 5 E                   PASCO               5.62
BRADENTON 5 ESE               MANATEE             5.57
NORTH PORT                    SARASOTA            4.97
NOCATEE                       DESOTO              4.59
MASARYKTOWN 5 W               HERNANDO            4.35
GOWERS CORNER 2 NW            PASCO               4.15
CLEARWATER                    PINELLAS            4.00
RUSKIN/NWS                    HILLSBOROUGH        3.95
WIMAUMA                       HILLSBOROUGH        3.90
AVON PARK 2 W                 HIGHLANDS           3.75
MYAKKA HEAD                   MANATEE             3.74
GARDNER                       HARDEE              3.73
CHASSAHOWITZKA                CITRUS              3.57
CRYSTAL RIVER 4 S             CITRUS              3.57
BOWLING GREEN                 HARDEE              3.42
ARCADIA 8 WNW                 DESOTO              3.15
BROOKSVILLE 8 NNW             HERNANDO            3.09
FORT MEADE                    POLK                2.95
ST LEO                        PASCO               2.82
TRILBY (WITHLACOOCHEE RVR)    HERNANDO            2.80
DUETTE                        MANATEE             2.92
WAUCHULA 9 SW                 HARDEE              2.66
DADE CITY 10 E (GREEN SWAMP)  SUMTER              2.64
FOUR CORNERS                  POLK                2.60
BROOKSVILLE CHIN HILL         HERNANDO            2.49
PLANT CITY                    HILLSBOROUGH        2.43
ONA                           HARDEE              2.22
BARTOW                        POLK                2.22
INVERNESS 3 SE                CITRUS              1.97
LAKE GIBSON                   POLK                1.97
PUNTA GORDA 8 NE              CHARLOTTE           1.93
FORT OGDEN 14 E               DESOTO              1.88
HOLDER (WITHLACOOCHEE RVR)    CITRUS              1.84
MULBERRY                      POLK                1.76
OLGA (CALOOSAHATCHEE RVR)     LEE                 1.76
FLORAL CITY                   CITRUS              1.73
SAN ANTONIO                   PASCO               1.69
FORT OGDEN                    DESOTO              1.62
BONITA SPRINGS                LEE                 1.48


FOR MORE CLIMATE INFORMATION VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT THE FOLLOWING
LINK:  HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW/  AND THEN CLICK ON THE CLIMATE
PAGE LINK.

$$
PRC