| National Weather Service |
| Tampa Bay Area - Ruskin, Florida |
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
540 PM EDT TUE SEP 2 2003
...AUGUST 2003 AND SUMMER 2003 (JUN/JUL/AUG) END UP BEING ONE OF
THE WETTEST ON RECORD...
FOR A GOOD PART OF THE SUMMER THE TYPICAL BERMUDA HIGH HAD TROUBLE
BECOMING ESTABLISHED THANKS TO REPEATED UPPER LEVEL TROUGHS SETTING
UP OVER THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. DURING TWO DIFFERENT WEEKS...ONCE
IN LATE JUNE AND ANOTHER IN EARLY AUGUST...THIS TROUGH DIPPED WELL
SOUTH INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO SETTING UP A DEEP SOUTHWEST FLOW OF
TROPICAL MOISTURE. THIS COMBINED WITH A SERIES OF ATMOSPHERIC
DISTURBANCES PRODUCED WIDESPREAD HEAVY RAINFALL ACROSS A LARGE
PORTION OF WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA...ESPECIALLY OVER
COASTAL LOCATIONS. DURING THE REST OF THE SUMMER RAINFALL WAS ABOUT
NORMAL WITH ONLY A FEW DRY DAYS.
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 ROSE SHARPLY WITH MODERATE TO MAJOR FLOODING
REPORTED ACROSS SEVERAL DIFFERENT RIVER BASINS.
MANY LOCATIONS NEAR THE COAST IN WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
RECEIVED OVER TWELVE INCHES OF RAIN IN AUGUST...AND OVER THIRTY-FIVE
INCHES OF RAIN FOR THE SUMMER. THESE TOTALS WERE ABOUT 130 TO 180
PERCENT OF NORMAL FOR AUGUST AS WELL AS FOR THE SUMMER WHICH PLACED
SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN THE TOP TEN WETTEST ON RECORD.
AN INTERESTING FACT IS THAT THE RAINFALL TOTAL AT TAMPA...LAKELAND
AND A FEW OTHERS SITES SO FAR THIS YEAR IS ALREADY MORE THAN THE
NORMAL YEARLY TOTAL. BELOW IS A TABLE SHOWING THE 2003 TOTAL
RAINFALL COMPARED TO THE 30 YEAR NORMAL AT SOME SITES AROUND WEST
CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.
2003 RAINFALL NORMAL YEARLY
TOTAL THRU AUG RAINFALL TOTAL
OBSERVING SITE COUNTY (INCHES) (INCHES)
WEEKI WACHEE HERNANDO 62.96 51.56
BROOKSVILLE CHIN HILL HERNANDO 55.04 52.57
INVERNESS 3 SE CITRUS 54.92 51.77
ST. LEO PASCO 54.77 53.84
LAKELAND LINDER POLK 52.96 49.13
AVON PARK 2 W HIGHLANDS 49.77 49.09
TAMPA INTL HILLSBOROUGH 45.36 44.77
CHIEFLAND 5 SE LEVY 54.62 59.65
PLANT CITY HILLSBOROUGH 50.42 51.17
VENICE SARASOTA 46.80 48.77
SARASOTA-BRADENTON INTL MANATEE 46.69 54.12
FORT MYERS/PAGE FIELD LEE 45.84 54.19
MOUNTAIN LAKE POLK 45.43 47.70
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FOLLOWING ARE TABLES DISPLAYING THE AUGUST AND SUMMER RAINFALL
RECORDS AT A FEW SITES...AS WELL AS THE RAINFALL TOTALS.
TOP 10 WETTEST TOP 10 WETTEST SUMMERS
AUGUST IN TAMPA: (JUN/JUL/AUG) IN TAMPA:
1 18.59 IN 1949 1 43.03 IN 1945
2 17.83 IN 1898 2 34.79 IN 1909
3 15.17 IN 1932 3 34.67 IN 1960
*4 14.90 IN 2003* 4 33.71 IN 1925
5 14.66 IN 1905 5 33.68 IN 1896
6 14.29 IN 1939 6 33.66 IN 1995
7 13.75 IN 1995 7 33.46 IN 1957
8 13.01 IN 1925 8 32.98 IN 1939
8 13.01 IN 1909 9 32.64 IN 1899
10 12.76 IN 1979 10 32.36 IN 1890
SUMMER 2003 (JUN/JUL/AUG) TOTAL AT
TPA = 31.72 INCHES WHICH WAS 12.13
INCHES ABOVE NORMAL. THIS PLACED THE
SUMMER OF 2003 AS THE 12TH WETTEST
SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN APRIL 1890.
NORMAL AUGUST TOTAL AT NORMAL SUMMER TOTAL AT TPA = 19.59 IN.
TPA = 7.60 IN. RECORDS RECORDS BEGAN APRIL 1890.
BEGAN APRIL 1890.
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TOP 10 WETTEST TOP 10 WETTEST SUMMERS
AUGUST IN LAKELAND: (JUN/JUL/AUG) IN LAKELAND:
1 15.57 IN 1948 1 33.29 IN 1994
2 14.15 IN 1935 2 32.12 IN 1968
3 13.49 IN 1915 3 31.87 IN 2001
4 11.97 IN 1928 4 31.78 IN 1948
5 11.93 IN 1949 5 31.59 IN 1995
6 10.93 IN 1988 6 31.23 IN 1945
7 10.69 IN 1939 7 30.26 IN 1939
8 10.52 IN 1975 *8 30.12 IN 2003*
9 10.47 IN 1917 9 29.46 IN 1935
10 10.45 IN 1992 10 29.45 IN 1917
AUGUST 2003 TOTAL AT
LAL = 9.88 IN. WHICH WAS
THE 14TH WETTEST AUGUST
SINCE RECORDS BEGAN IN
JANUARY 1915.
NORMAL AUGUST TOTAL AT NORMAL SUMMER TOTAL AT LAL = 21.84 IN.
LAL = 7.33 IN. RECORDS RECORDS BEGAN JANUARY 1915.
BEGAN JANUARY 1915.
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TOP 10 WETTEST TOP 10 WETTEST SUMMERS
AUGUST IN SARASOTA-BRADENTON: (JUN/JUL/AUG) IN SARASOTA-BRADENTON:
1 24.42 IN 1981 1 39.63 IN 1992
2 19.97 IN 1959 2 35.21 IN 1959
*3 17.74 IN 2003* 3 35.12 IN 1981
4 17.72 IN 1949 *4 34.51 IN 2003*
5 15.92 IN 1962 5 33.08 IN 1960
6 14.44 IN 1967 6 32.44 IN 1986
7 13.63 IN 1998 7 31.80 IN 1968
8 13.34 IN 1971 8 31.42 IN 1978
9 13.04 IN 2002 9 30.32 IN 1974
10 11.51 IN 1974 10 30.27 IN 1965
NORMAL AUGUST TOTAL AT NORMAL SUMMER TOTAL AT SRQ = 25.55 IN.
SRQ = 9.43 IN. RECORDS RECORDS BEGAN JULY 1948.
BEGAN JULY 1948.
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TOP 10 WETTEST TOP 10 WETTEST SUMMERS
AUGUST IN FORT MYERS: (JUN/JUL/AUG) IN FORT MYERS:
1 17.64 IN 1932 1 42.27 IN 1974
*2 16.80 IN 2003* 2 40.01 IN 1995
3 16.73 IN 1981 3 36.90 IN 1982
4 16.22 IN 1972 4 36.89 IN 1943
5 15.86 IN 1967 5 36.76 IN 1981
6 14.97 IN 1990 6 36.32 IN 1968
7 14.79 IN 1979 7 36.29 IN 1936
8 13.90 IN 1995 8 35.44 IN 1945
9 13.41 IN 1961 9 34.91 IN 1992
10 12.63 IN 2002 *10 34.32 IN 2003*
NORMAL AUGUST TOTAL AT NORMAL SUMMER TOTAL AT FMY = 28.29 IN.
FMY = 9.54 IN. RECORDS RECORDS BEGAN JANUARY 1931.
BEGAN JANUARY 1931.
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FOLLOWING ARE PRELIMINARY AND UNOFFICIAL RAINFALL TOTALS FOR THE
MONTH OF AUGUST...AS WELL AS FOR THE SUMMER (JUN/JUL/AUG) AT
SELECTED LOCATIONS ACROSS WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA.
THEY ARE SORTED FROM HIGHEST TO LOWEST SUMMER TOTAL RAINFALL.
OBSERVING SITE COUNTY AUGUST TOTAL SUMMER TOTAL
(INCHES) (INCHES)
...AIRPORTS...
BROOKSVILLE/HERNANDO CO HERNANDO 10.47 41.31
ST PETE/CLEARWATER INTL PINELLAS 12.82 38.46
SARASOTA-BRADENTON INTL MANATEE 17.74 34.51
FORT MYERS/PAGE FIELD LEE 16.80 34.32
TAMPA INTL HILLSBOROUGH 14.90 31.72
LAKELAND LINDER POLK 9.88 30.12
FORT MYERS/SW FLORIDA INTL LEE 11.85 29.56
PUNTA GORDA/CHARLOTTE CO CHARLOTTE 7.60 29.16
ST PETE/ALBERT WHITTED PINELLAS 12.34 28.39
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE HILLSBOROUGH 11.11 26.70
...OTHERS...
HOLIDAY 5 E PASCO 21.36 47.98
WEEKI WACHEE HERNANDO 13.23 45.27
SARASOTA 5 ESE SARASOTA 19.42 44.91
BONITA SPRINGS LEE 16.39 44.47
CHASSAHOWITZKA CITRUS 7.69 41.60
LAND O LAKES PASCO 14.94 41.19
VENICE 3 NE SARASOTA 15.95 40.91
POINT LONESOME CHARLOTTE 13.18 39.84
MYAKKA CITY MANATEE 9.80 38.43
CLEARWATER PINELLAS 11.34 38.28
FLORAL CITY CITRUS 7.30 38.22
CHIEFLAND 5 SE LEVY 13.01 37.78
ODESSA 3 S HILLSBOROUGH 13.49 37.45
BRADENTON 5 ESE MANATEE 15.37 36.90
COLEMAN 2 W SUMTER 11.40 36.82
WARES CREEK MANATEE 18.66 36.74
DUETTE MANATEE 13.80 36.69
CRYSTAL RIVER 4 S CITRUS 8.46 36.59
VENICE SARASOTA 10.29 36.53
INVERNESS 3 SE CITRUS 8.80 36.34
OLGA (CALOOSAHATCHEE RVR) LEE 11.45 34.85
ENGLEWOOD 4 NNW SARASOTA 16.21 34.75
PINELLAS PARK PINELLAS 14.02 34.48
LAKE PANASOFFKEE SUMTER 8.16 34.35
DADE CITY 10 E (GREEN SWAMP) SUMTER 12.70 34.28
PUNTA GORDA 8 NE CHARLOTTE 10.53 34.14
ARCADIA 8 WNW DESOTO 12.31 33.75
BROOKSVILLE CHIN HILL HERNANDO 7.17 33.74
GULFPORT PINELLAS 15.07 33.53
RUSKIN/NWS HILLSBOROUGH 12.36 33.42
MASARYKTOWN 5 W HERNANDO 11.41 33.37
ST LEO PASCO 11.36 33.33
AVON PARK 2 W HIGHLANDS 9.04 33.22
BROOKSVILLE 8 NNW HERNANDO 7.89 33.01
NORTH PORT SARASOTA 10.65 32.81
MULBERRY POLK 13.59 32.79
GARDNER HARDEE 10.58 32.35
FOUR CORNERS POLK 11.21 32.00
GOWERS CORNER 2 N PASCO 11.82 31.65
NOCATEE DESOTO 11.45 31.59
FORT OGDEN 14 E DESOTO 9.44 31.51
PALMA SOLA MANATEE 13.41 31.42
APOLLO BEACH HILLSBOROUGH 12.85 31.05
HOLDER (WITHLACOOCHEE RVR) CITRUS 8.76 30.88
SAFETY HARBOR PINELLAS 9.25 30.79
ONA HARDEE 10.09 30.40
VALRICO HILLSBOROUGH 10.77 29.91
FROSTPROOF POLK 11.35 29.54
MOUNTAIN LAKE POLK 9.46 29.52
TRILBY (WITHLACOOCHEE RVR) HERNANDO 11.17 29.46
BARTOW POLK 8.29 28.74
PLANT CITY HILLSBOROUGH 9.23 27.95
BOWLING GREEN HARDEE 11.52 27.74
FORT MEADE POLK 12.25 26.74
FORT OGDEN DESOTO 7.36 25.56
WAUCHULA 9 SW HARDEE 7.85 25.14
WILLISTON LEVY 7.65 24.68
BUSHNELL SUMTER 10.85 24.14
ARCHBOLD BIO STN HIGHLANDS 7.82 22.92
INGLIS LEVY 7.20 21.92
LAKE GIBSON POLK 6.34 21.24
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LINK: HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW/ AND THEN CLICK ON THE CLIMATE
PAGE LINK.
$$
PRC