Alert archive / Florida / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2002

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 10, NWS Melbourne, FL

April 30, 2002Seminole County, Florida

NWS Melbourne, FL issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Apr 30, 2002, 3:43 PM EDT for Seminole County, Florida. It was in force for 47 min. 2 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
Apr 30, 2002, 3:43 PM EDT (19:43 UTC)
Expired
Apr 30, 2002, 4:30 PM EDT
In force
47 min
Issued by
NWS Melbourne, FL
Area
Whole counties

County Seminole County, FL

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 88 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 19:42 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.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
Apr 30, 4:05 PM EDTHail 1.75Lake Mary, FL
Apr 30, 4:20 PM EDTHail 1.75Oviedo, FL

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 nearest sounding before it

Cape Canaveral, FL (KXMR), launched 12:00Z, 7.7 hours before the alert went out and 77 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 2002-04-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 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 2002-04-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity -22 square meters per square second.1939587897Sfc1 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
1 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-200 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
985 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
31 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
-22 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
2 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

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

729 
WUUS52 KMLB 301943
SVRMLB
FLC117-302030-

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
340 PM EDT TUE APR 30 2002

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE HAS ISSUED A

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...
  NORTHWESTERN SEMINOLE COUNTY
  IN EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA

* UNTIL 430 PM EDT.

* AT 340 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM OVER EXTREME NORTHWESTERN SEMINOLE COUNTY...
  MOVING SOUTHEAST AT 15 MPH.

* THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WILL BE...
NEAR SANFORD AND LAKE MARY AT 410 PM EDT

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.

REPORT LARGE HAIL...DIME SIZE OR LARGER...OR SIGNIFICANT WIND DAMAGE
TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELAY TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE.

$$

LAT...LON 2880 8144 2868 8128 2879 8119 2889 8135

BRAGAW

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 Apr 30, 1:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 13 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 30, 1:30 PM EDT, 2 hours 13 minutes before
EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
130 PM EDT TUE APR 30 2002

...NEAR RECORD HEAT WED/THU...

CURRENTLY/SHORT TERM...HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE WEAK FRONT DROPPED
TO ABOUT CANAVERAL WITH SURGE OF LOWER DEW POINTS MAKING IT INTO
VOLUSIA COUNTY (BELOW 60 FOR A FEW HOURS).  TWO THINGS TO WATCH OUT
FOR.  ONE IS THAT THE FURTHER SOUTH SURGE OF NORTHEAST FLOW MAY
SHOVE THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE FURTHER WEST THAN EARLIER THOUGHT.
WILL CONTINUE CURRENT FORECAST BUT MAY HAVE TO ADJUST SMALL POPS AT
THE LAST MINUTE.  OTHER ITEM OF INTEREST IS THE PROPENSITY FOR
STORMS FAR TO THE NORTH TO KICK OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES TO THE
SOUTHEAST.  NOT SURE IF THIS WILL PLAY A PART IN THE MIX ACROSS
NORTHERN SECTIONS THIS EVENING.

WED/THU...LOOKS LIKE HOT WEATHER SETTING UP WITH MODEL PROGS SHOWING
850 TEMPS WARMING TO NEAR 20 DEGREES.  THIS SHOULD SUPPORT THE MID
90S THAT ETA/AVN MOS ARE SHOWING.  TREND HAS BEEN UPWARD SO WILL
MENTION ACROSS THE NORTH HALF.  WITH NEXT SYSTEM WINDING UP IN THE
MID SECTION OF THE COUNTRY WEDNESDAY AND MOVING INTO THE NORTHEAST
THURSDAY...SOUTHWEST GRADIENT FLOW SHOULD INCREASE AND SEA BREEZE
PROBABLY WILL NOT FORM OVER THE SOUTH...SO THINKING ABOUT LOW/MID
90S THERE.  UPPER RIDGING BUILDING IN BEHIND DISTURBANCE THAT MOVES
BY TO THE NORTH EARLY WED EXPECTED TO STABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE SO
WILL CONTINUE WITH A DRY FORECAST.

FRI/SAT...AVN SEEMS TO HAVE SETTLED INTO A WEAKENING BOUNDARY
STALLING ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA AS 500 MB HEIGHTS NEAR 590M
REMAIN ACROSS THE PENINSULA.  THE MODEL CONTINUES ITS DAILY
AFTERNOON PRECIPITABLE WATER INCREASE BUT THINK THAT SUBSIDENCE WILL
RULE AND ANY CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT WILL BE TOO ISOLATED TO PUT IN
THE FORECAST.  WILL HAVE TO SEE MORE THAN A SLIGHT MOISTURE INCREASE
TO PULL US OUT OF THE DRY SPELL...WILL NEED EITHER *SUBSTANTIAL*
INCREASE...OR A MODEST INCREASE ACCOMPANIED BY MODEST LAPSE RATE
(RATHER THAN WARMING TEMPS ALOFT HINTED AT BY GUIDANCE). THERE
SHOULD BE SLIGHT RELIEF FROM THE HEAT ALONG THE COAST AS ONSHORE
FLOW DEVELOPS...BUT NOT MUCH FOR THE INTERIOR.

SUN-TUE...LOOKS LIKE DEEP LAYER RIDGING WITH SURFACE AXIS BECOMING
ESTABLISHED ACROSS THE CENTRAL PENINSULA WILL CONTINUE THE DRY
PATTERN.  ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS TO CONTINUE...ESPECIALLY INLAND.

FIRE WEATHER...MODEL SOUNDINGS ARE INDICATING MARGINAL FIRE WX CONDS
ON WED WITH PW VALUES 1.3 W/SOLID 15-20KT WINDS THROUGH MOST OF
THE MIXING LAYER.  WINDS SHOULD BE STRONG ENOUGH TO SUPPRESS THE SEA
BREEZE...TEMPS AOA 90 EXPECTED AREA WIDE.  RH VALUES MAY BE MARGINAL
...ESPECIALLY OVER THE SE HALF OF THE AREA WHERE LOW LVL CONV MAY
CONCENTRATE MOISTURE.  HOWEVER...THERE WILL BE PLENTY OF DRY AIR
ALOFT...AND WITH FCST MIXING HEIGHTS 5KFT...DISPERSION INDICES
EXPECTED TO BE HIGH.  WILL GO AHEAD AND HOIST A FIRE WX WATCH OVR
THE NW HALF OF THE CWA.

MARINE...DO NOT SEE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WITH INCREASE IN
OFFSHORE FLOW OCCURRING WED/THU.  THIS WILL MAINLY BE AN OFFSHORE
ISSUE WITH SEAS INCREASING BUT ONLY TO 4-5 FEET.

RECORD HIGHS (WED-FRI)...

        MAY 1      MAY 2      MAY 3
DAB   93 (1953)  95 (1953)  94 (1951)
MCO   94 (1990)  95 (1990)  94 (1978)
MLB   93 (1953)  94 (1953)  93 (1997)

PRELIM...
DAB BU 068/093 069/095 070 2000
MCO BU 069/093 070/095 070 2000
MLB BU 070/093 071/093 071 1000

.MLB...FIRE WEATHER WATCH WED AFTN LAKE...ORANGE...SEMINOLE...VOLUSIA
       OSCEOLA...NORTH BREVARD.

PUBLIC/MARINE...LASCODY
AVIATION/FIRE WX...BRAGAW

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Apr 30, 4:31 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBSeminole29 min
Apr 30, 4:40 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningMLBOrange65 min
Apr 30, 5:09 PM EDTTornado WarningMLBOrange36 min
Apr 30, 5:30 PM EDTTornado WarningMLBOsceola45 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; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.