Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 1998
Severe Thunderstorm Warning 3, NWS Miami, FL
NWS Miami, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Feb 2, 1998, 5:27 PM EST for Monroe County, Florida. It was in force for 93 min. 5 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.
The area
The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.
The facts
- Issued
- Feb 2, 1998, 5:27 PM EST (22:27 UTC)
- Expired
- Feb 2, 1998, 7:00 PM EST
- In force
- 93 min
- Issued by
- NWS Miami, FL
- Area
- Whole counties
County Monroe County, FL
What was reported inside it
| Time | Report | Where | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2, 5:35 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind 61 | Marathon, FL | Recorded at C-MAN SMKF. |
| Feb 2, 5:40 PM EST | Thunderstorm Wind 85 | Duck Key, FL | Sustained wind 50 KTS at 1740 EST...Sustained 65 KTS at 1745...Gust to 85 KTS at 1750 EST. |
| Feb 2, 6:45 PM EST | Hail 1.75 | Marathon, FL | Golf ball size hail. Several trees blown down. |
| Feb 2, 6:47 PM EST | Tornado F1 | Marathon, FL | Tornado moved from south across Grassy Key near MM 56.5. |
| Feb 2, 7:10 PM EST | Tornado F0 | Islamorada, FL | Tornado moved from the south across Islamorada near MM 80. Extensive damage to homes and businesses. Widespread tree and vegetation loss. |
NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in.
The watch it was issued in
The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.
| Issued | Product | Office | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2, 2:00 PM EST | Tornado Watch | SPC | 6 hr |
The nearest sounding before it
Miami, FL (KMFL), launched 12:00Z, 10.5 hours before the alert went out and 69 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.
- Mixed-layer CAPE
- 121 J/kg
- Mixed-layer CIN
- -25 J/kg
- Mixed-layer LCL
- 715 m above ground
- 0-6 km bulk shear
- 52 kt
- 0-1 km storm-relative helicity
- 176 m²/s²
- 0-3 km storm-relative helicity
- 279 m²/s²
- Significant tornado parameter
- 0.1
- Supercell composite
- 0.3
The text
As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.
868 WUUS1 KMIA 022229 RRA SVRMIA FLC087-030000- BULLETIN - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 527 PM EST MON FEB 2 1998 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIAMI FL HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL 700 PM EST FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS... IN SOUTHERN FLORIDA ...MONROE UPPER KEYS ...MONROE MIDDLE KEYS ...MONROE LOWER KEYS AT 523 PM EST... DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LARGE AREA OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE FLORIDA STRAITS AND OVER THE LOWER AND MIDDLE KEYS. THE THUNDERSTORMS ARE MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 TO 50 MPH. THE STORMS WILL MOVE INTO THE UPPER KEYS WITHIN THE NEXT 15 MINUTES. KEY WEST AIRPORT REPORTED A WIND GUST OF 68 MPH WITH THESE STORMS. A TORNADO WATCH IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR THE WARNED AREA. REMEMBER... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAN AND OCCASIONALLY DO PRODUCE TORNADOES WITH LITTLE OR NO ADVANCE WARNING. REMAIN ALERT TO RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS. WHEN THUNDERSTORMS ARE OCCURRING...PEOPLE SHOULD MOVE INSIDE A STRONG BUILDING. DO NOT STAND BY WINDOWS. DO NOT USE TELEPHONES OR ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES UNLESS IN AN EMERGENCY UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED. &
What forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
In the hours before
Special weather statement, Feb 2, 11:43 AM EST, 5 hours 44 minutes before
AMZ610-630-631-650>654-656-670>676-FLZ063-066>078-022200- SOUTH FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 1140 AM EST MON FEB 3 1998 ...GALE WARNING THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ...RIP CURRENTS LIKELY ALONG SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST TODAY... ...WIND ADVISORY ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY... GALE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL WATERS OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE MAINLAND AND THE KEYS. SOUTHEAST WINDS OF 30 TO 35 KTS OVER THE WATER AND 25 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS OVER THE MAINLAND AND THE KEYS WILL CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT. THESE STRONG SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL MAKE RIP CURRENTS LIKELY ALONG PALM BEACH...BROWARD...AND DADE COUNTY BEACHES THIS AFTERNOON. SURF CONDITIONS WILL BE VERY ROUGH AND SWIMMING COULD BE DEADLY. MOTORISTS ...ESPECIALLY THOSE DRIVING HIGH WIND PROFILE VEHICLES ARE ADVISED TO DRIVE WITH EXTRA CARE DUE TO STRONG WIND GUSTS. HIGHER THAN NORMAL TIDE CONDITIONS ARE ALSO EXPECTED WITH MINOR COASTAL FLOODING POSSIBLE ACROSS THE KEYS DURING THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE. THE WINDS ARE THE RESULT OF A DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE IN THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO. AS THE LOW PRESSURE STRENGTHENS...A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE NORTHWARD OVER SOUTH FLORIDA. SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER SOUTH FLORIDA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO TONIGHT. THESE STORMS WILL BRING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN... STRONG WIND GUSTS AND POSSIBLE TORADOES. DB/AZ
Special weather statement, Feb 2, 11:44 AM EST, 5 hours 43 minutes before
AMZ610-630-631-650>654-656-670>676-FLZ063-066>078-022200- SOUTH FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 1140 AM EST MON FEB 3 1998 ...GALE WARNING THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT... ...RIP CURRENTS LIKELY ALONG SOUTHEAST FLORIDA COAST TODAY... ...WIND ADVISORY ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY... GALE WARNINGS ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL WATERS OF SOUTH FLORIDA AND A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE MAINLAND AND THE KEYS. SOUTHEAST WINDS OF 30 TO 35 KTS OVER THE WATER AND 25 TO 30 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS OVER THE MAINLAND AND THE KEYS WILL CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT. THESE STRONG SOUTHEAST WINDS WILL MAKE RIP CURRENTS LIKELY ALONG PALM BEACH...BROWARD...AND DADE COUNTY BEACHES THIS AFTERNOON. SURF CONDITIONS WILL BE VERY ROUGH AND SWIMMING COULD BE DEADLY. MOTORISTS ...ESPECIALLY THOSE DRIVING HIGH WIND PROFILE VEHICLES ARE ADVISED TO DRIVE WITH EXTRA CARE DUE TO STRONG WIND GUSTS. HIGHER THAN NORMAL TIDE CONDITIONS ARE ALSO EXPECTED WITH MINOR COASTAL FLOODING POSSIBLE ACROSS THE KEYS DURING THE TIME OF HIGH TIDE. THE WINDS ARE THE RESULT OF A DEEPENING LOW PRESSURE IN THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO. AS THE LOW PRESSURE STRENGTHENS...A WARM FRONT WILL MOVE NORTHWARD OVER SOUTH FLORIDA. SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP OVER SOUTH FLORIDA LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND INTO TONIGHT. THESE STORMS WILL BRING PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN... STRONG WIND GUSTS AND POSSIBLE TORNADOES. DB/AZ
The office that day
Everything else NWS Miami, FL issued on the same UTC day.
| Issued | Product | Office | Counties | Lasted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 2, 3:32 PM EST | Tornado Warning | MFL | Monroe | 118 min |
| Feb 2, 3:51 PM EST | Tornado Warning | MFL | Monroe | 119 min |
| Feb 2, 4:16 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MFL | Monroe | 59 min |
| Feb 2, 4:54 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MFL | Collier, Monroe | 91 min |
| Feb 2, 5:38 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MFL | Miami-Dade | 57 min |
| Feb 2, 6:00 PM EST | Tornado Warning | MFL | Monroe | 65 min |
| Feb 2, 6:19 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MFL | Broward | 61 min |
| Feb 2, 6:25 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MFL | Collier, Monroe | 95 min |
| Feb 2, 6:39 PM EST | Severe Thunderstorm Warning | MFL | Miami-Dade | 61 min |
Nearby
Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Florida, 1998Every severe thunderstorm warning in 1998
Sources
The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.