Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 1, NWS Melbourne, FL

March 26, 2002Indian River County, Saint Lucie County, Florida

NWS Melbourne, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Mar 26, 2002, 3:03 PM EST for Indian River County, Saint Lucie County, Florida. It was in force for 57 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Mar 26, 2002, 3:03 PM EST (20:03 UTC)
Expired
Mar 26, 2002, 4:00 PM EST
In force
57 min
Issued by
NWS Melbourne, FL
Area
Whole counties

Counties Indian River County, FL, Saint Lucie County, FL

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 65 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 20:05 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Cape Canaveral, FL (KXMR), launched 12:00Z, 8.1 hours before the alert went out and 104 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.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Cape Canaveral, FL at 12:00Z on 2002-03-26Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 2317 joules per kilogram.LCLEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Cape Canaveral, FL at 12:00Z on 2002-03-26The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -38 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
2317 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
545 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
18 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-38 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
-19 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
0.0

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WUUS52 KMLB 262003
SVRMLB
FLC061-111-262100-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
301 PM EST TUE MAR 26 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  INDIAN RIVER COUNTY
  ST. LUCIE COUNTY
  IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA

* UNTIL 400 PM EST.

* AT 300 PM EST...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A 
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM ABOUT 8 MILES WEST OF VERO BEACH... MOVING SOUTH 
SOUTHEAST AT 10 MPH. A STORM SPOTTER REPORTED DIME TO NICKEL SIZE 
HAIL AND 55 MPH WINDS WITH THIS STORM.

* THE STORM WILL DRIFT INTO ST LUCIE COUNTY AND AFFECT AREAS NEAR 
THE TURNPIKE AND INTERSTATE 95. OTHER LOCATIONS IN THE WARNING 
INCLUDE FORT PIERCE...LAKEWOOD PARK AND PORT SAINT LUCIE.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 58 MILES AN
HOUR...DESTRUCTIVE HAIL...DEADLY LIGHTNING AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. IF
THE STORM APPROACHES YOU...MOVE TO AN INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR.

THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM. PREPARE FOR DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 58
MILES AN HOUR...LARGE HAIL AND DEADLY...EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING. MOVE
INDOORS TO A STURDY BUILDING AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

$$

LAT...LON 2771 8049 2764 8067 2728 8055 2739 8027

52

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.

NWS Melbourne, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Mar 26, 2:25 PM EST, 38 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 26, 2:25 PM EST, 38 minutes before
EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
225 PM EST TUE MAR 26 2002

CURRENTLY LOCAL RADAR BECOMING VERY ACTIVE WITH SLOW MOVING
LIGHTNING STORMS ON THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE MAINLY WEST OF
INTERSTATE 95 FROM VOLUSIA TO MARTIN COUNTY...AND AROUND LAKE
OKEECHOBEE.

MODEL COMPARSION...AVN AND NGM STILL FAST IN DRYING OUT THE AREA.
LIKE MY MIDSHIFT COUNTERPART...PREFER THE SLIGHTLY SLOWER ETA
SOLUTIONS WITH RESPECT TO MOISTURE FIELDS.

REST OF THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...WITH LIGHTNING STORMS GOING ON
ALREADY  ON THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE WILL BUMP UP POPS INDIAN RIVER
NORTH. WEST COAST SEA BREEZE DID NOT HAVE MUCH CONVECTION WITH IT AS
IT PUSHES INLAND. LOOKING FOR BOTH SEA BREEZE TO S COLLIDE OVER MY
INTERIOR COUNTIES. A WEAK PACKET OF MID/ UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT AND
COOL...-12C...TEMPERATURES AT 500MB MOVING OVER THE CWA IN THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOULD MAKE A FEW STORMS A LITTLE STRONGER
THAN THE USUAL GARDEN VARIETY LIGHTNING STORMS. WITH STEERING WINDS
FORECAST TO BECOME MORE SOUTH THEN SOUTHWESTERLY AS THE AFTERNOON
AND EVENING WEAR ON...ANY STORMS THAT HAVE FORMED OVER THE INTERIOR
WILL BE PUSHED TOWARD THE COAST...MAINLY VOLUSIA...AND MAYBE NORTH
BREVARD COUNTIES...LATE AFTERNOON AND INTO THE EVENING. WILL MAKE
LAST MINUTE PRECIP CALL BASED ON RADAR COVERAGE.

WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. LIGHT WIND FIELDS WILL AGAIN ALLOW
SEA BREEZES TO FORM...PUSH INLAND...AND FORM LIGHTNING STORMS OVER
THE INTERIOR. STEERING WINDS WILL PUSH THE SHOWERS AND STORMS TO THE
EAST AGAIN.

THURSDAY...BOH ETA MODELS SHOWING A WEAK WESTERLY GRADIENT FLOW.
THIS MAY ALLOW FOR SEA BREEZES TO BE PINNED ALONG THE EAST COAST
THURSDAY AFTERNOON. WILL PUT IN A SMALL POP FOR AFTERNOON SHOWERS
AND STORMS SOUTH BREVARD TO MARTIN.

FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...HIGH PRESSURE MOVING ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST
AND FLORIDA WILL BE THE MAIN WEATHER FEATURE. EXPECT WINDS TO COME
AROUND TO THE EAST AND NORMAL TO A LITTLE ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES
WITH THE ONSHORE FLOW.

MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY...ECMWF AND MRF SHOW A FRONT MOVING ACROSS
THE SOUTHEAST AND INTO THE PANHANDLE/NORTH FLORIDA MONDAY NIGHT AND
TUESDAY. ALTHOUGH GRAPHICAL PROGS SHOW SOME MID/UPPER LEVEL SUPPORT
...THE NUMERICAL PROGS ARE JUST SHOWING PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES AND POPS
IN THE TEENS. WILL NOT INTRODUCE ANY POPS THIS CYCLE.

COASTAL WATERS...SOUTH WINDS BECOMING SOUTHWEST AS FRONT APPROACHES
TONIGHT THEN VEERING TO THE WEST AND NORTHWEST BEHIND THE FRONT.
WINDS CONTINUE SHIFTING TO THE NORTHEAST BY THURSDAY AS HIGH
PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE SOUTHEAST.

DAB BB 063/079 055/076 055 510
MCO BB 065/083 057/081 057 310
MLB BB 067/080 059/077 059 420

.MLB...NONE.

PUBLIC/MARINE...WIMMER
AVIATION/FIRE WX...GLITTO

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Mar 26, 11:40 AM EST, 3 hours 23 minutes before
AMZ550-555-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147-270000-

EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
1140 AM EST TUE MAR 26 2002

...ISOLATED LATE AFTERNOON AND EVENING LIGHTNING STORMS...

DAYTIME HEATING AND SUFFICIENT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN
AN INCREASINGLY MORE UNSTABLE AIR MASS OVER FLORIDA TODAY. THE
INTERACTION BETWEEN THE GULF AND ATLANTIC SEA BREEZES THIS AFTERNOON
...ALONG WITH A WEAK UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE MOVING INTO THE
AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON...WILL PRODUCE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND A FEW
LIGHTNING STORMS FROM LATE AFTERNOON INTO THE EVENING HOURS.

STORMS WILL DEVELOP AND INTENSIFY AS THE SEA BREEZE BOUNDARIES
COLLIDE OVER THE INTERIOR DURING THE LATE AFTERNOON...WITH STEERING
WINDS PUSHING THE STORMS TO THE NORTHEAST AT 10 TO 15 MPH TOWARD THE
COASTAL COUNTIES. LIGHTNING STORMS MAY LINGER WELL INTO THE EVENING
IN VOLUSIA AND NORTH LAKE COUNTIES AS OUTFLOWS FROM EXISTING STORMS
TRIGGER ADDITIONAL STORMS.

FREQUENT LIGHTNING...RAINFALL AMOUNTS IN EXCESS OF TWO INCHES...BRIEF
GUSTY WINDS...AND EVEN SOME SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH THE
STRONGEST STORMS...WHICH WILL OCCUR OVER THE INTERIOR DURING THE
INITIAL COLLISION OF THE SEA BREEZES.

ALTHOUGH SUMMER IS MONTHS AWAY...CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING DOES NOT
DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN SEASONS. ALWAYS MOVE INDOORS TO A SAFE LOCATION
WHEN SKIES THREATEN.

THE GRAPHICAL VERSION OF THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS AVAILABLE
AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/MLB/HWOFILES/HWOMAIN.HTML

WIMMER
Local storm report, Mar 26, 2:06 PM EST, 57 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
206 PM EST TUE MAR 26 2002

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION..... STATE  ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0200 PM    PALM BAY                  FL   HEAVY RAIN
03/26/02   BREVARD                        3.18 INCHES OF RAIN PAST
                                          90 MINUTES, PEA SIZE HAIL
                                          AND GUST TO 41 MPH.
                                          REPORT FROM WEATHER
                                          SPOTTER

The office that day

Everything else NWS Melbourne, FL issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Mar 26, 4:26 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBMartin34 min
Mar 26, 6:27 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBVolusia48 min
Mar 26, 6:29 PM ESTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBOrange61 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Florida, 2002Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2002

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.