Updated 6:24p: Incredible weather has just passed through Treasure Island meeting all the strong and severe expectations that the National Weather Service forecasted, as well as setting a new record on my weather station.

As of this post the severe line of storms has passed Treasure Island but the weather is not done yet since extremely strong winds are forecast for this afternoon with gusts up to 50mph possible.

The storms that did pass through so far have set off numerous alarms and even suprized me at their intensity. I should learn to start trusting my own SmartForecast because once again it was right on the nose for intensity, wind speed and rainfall ammount. It predicted strong to severe storms, 35mph gusts and 0.75 to 1.00 inches of rain.

Actual observations before/during line of storms:

• Average Wind Speed: 25mph
• Peak Wind Speed: 31mph (set this peak at 2:08a, 2:22a, 9:06a)
• Temp 75 / Dew Point 72 / Humidity 93% for over 12 hours
• Minimum Barometric Pressure: 29.65 at 9:00am
• Peak Rainfall Rate: 9.000 inches per hour!* (new record at 9:21a)
  • Sustained rainfall rate exceeding 5.0 inches per hour for seven minutes!
• Total rainfall in 20 minutes: 0.82 inches (9:05a-9:25a)
• Total rainfall in 1 hour: 0.88 inches (9:00a-10:00a)

Other observations from around the area:

• 44mph Wind Gust at Albert Whitted Airport (9:12a, 8.0mi East from my location)

Observations after the line of storms:

• Peak Wind Speed: 33mph from the WNW (3:26p, 4:45p, 6:24p) **
• UV Index Peak: 11.3 (just 0.6 shy of the record set 4/14/07)
• Solar Radiation Peak: 1238 (just 3 w/sqm shy of the record set 3/29/07)

*Rainfall rate record for ALL TIME: 13.3 inches per hour set on 04/24/03
This rainfall rate sets the new high record for my new weather station and sets my 2nd all time high for rainfall rate since I began observing weather with instruments in March 2003.

**Tied for my new weather station‘s high wind speed that was set on 3/1/07 of 33mph. All Time high wind speed is 38mph measured with my old weather station on 6/12/06 during a tropical storm, however this measurement is likely to be lower than actual due to inferior hardware at the time.

I will keep this post updated with new information since the interesting weather has not completely passed yet. Very high winds are forecast for this afternoon along with minor coastal flooding. Since I live on the coast I will definately post the interesting information regarding that here.

The National Weather Service has issued a statement concerning an upcoming severe weather event. Currently I am more inclined to believe my own personal SmartForecast at this juncture in predicting only a moderate chance of strong to severe weather as it is currently at a -1 on the Forecast Ticker. However it is forecast to have extremely severe weather Saturday Night and into Sunday Morning. This time of April, four years ago I personally experienced the most severe weather I have ever witnessed and if these upcoming storms are as intense as the weather service forecasts then we could be in for an interesting night Saturday/Sunday. The statement is below:

215 PM EDT Fri Apr 13 2007 …Strong to possibly severe weather arriving early Sunday including damaging winds…high surf…and possible tidal flooding… A strong cold front will move across the state on Sunday and bring several weather hazards to west central and southwest Florida beginning late Saturday. Ahead of the front winds will pick up from the south and southwest…allowing water to pile up along the Nature Coast and possibly further south along the Suncoast. At this time we are expecting water levels along the Nature Coast to rise to 1 to 3 feet above normal tide. This rise could bring minor flooding during high tide…expected soon after midnight early Sunday. In addition there will be a higher threat for rip currents and high surf. A squall line is expected to develop ahead of the main front and this line should push through the Nature Coast early Sunday morning…then across the Tampa Bay area around daybreak and be clear of points further south by mid morning. At this time…the main threats along the line will be damaging winds…as well as an isolated tornado across the central and North Florida peninsula. When the squall line pushes through…the threat for coastal flooding may increase as winds shift sharply to the west…bringing in more water especially along west facing shorelines between Sarasota and Citrus County. Winds will pick up behind the front on Sunday. Sustained winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph or greater likely which could move unfastened light weight objects around. Mariners…especially in smaller craft…should consider postponing any trips on Sunday either out into the Gulf or on area lakes. In addition…these winds will create rough and dangerous surf conditions and a continuing threat for rip currents. Stay tuned to NOAA Weather Radio or your local media for further updates and possible watches…warnings…and advisories this weekend.

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UPDATED: Strong and some severe thunderstorms finally came through the Tampa Bay Area late Wednesday evening. SmartForecast once again accurately predicted the severe weather at least 12 hours in advance with a ForecastTicker of -10 all day today. The National Weather Service issued two severe thunderstorm warnings for Hillsborough county mainly due to hail and [read more...]

Today, I witnessed a strange weather event that I had never witnessed before since I began using a weather station to observe weather. The air pressure dropped 0.10 inches in 5 minutes setting off the pressure rate alarm on my weather station. The event began at 2:12pm 4/9/07 and dropped from 30.11 to 30.01, which [read more...]

The NWS has issued a statement indicating that this weekend will have cooler than normal temperatures as well as an increased chance for rainfall starting Monday. SmartForecast indicates a strong potential for rainfall within the next 36 hours with rain chances anywhere from 25% to 85% late thursday to friday morning. Personally I estimate 25% [read more...]

The NWS has published this statement documenting a cause for our dryer than normal dry season. Notably, the nearest ASOS station is Albert Whitted Airport (KSPG) in Downtown St. Pete(8.5 Miles away due East). In summary, this is the 13th driest March on record, and the 27th driest dry season since records began in 1914. [read more...]

March so far is on track to be one of the driest months I have personally observed since I started monitoring weather. Total rain for March is 0.69in and only two storm systems have produced any measurable rain (3/3 had 0.09in and 3/15 thru 3/16 had 0.60in). There are only 6 days remaining in the [read more...]

The storm didn‘t produce as strong of weather as I had anticipated and once again SmartForecast was more accurate. It was alternating between -3 and -6 which indicates moderate to strong weather. My personal predictions were strong to possibly one or two severe storms. SmartForecast was the winner. As the storm front approached the Tampa [read more...]

According to my SmartForecast, the radar, and satellite images it looks like there may be some fun weather on the way for the Tampa Bay area in the next 6 to 12 hours. From aproximately midnight Friday March 16 through mid afternoon Friday expect heavy rains covering the entire Tampa area. The leading edge of [read more...]