Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 1, NWS Key West, FL

August 18, 2008Monroe County, Florida

NWS Key West, FL issued this tornado warning at Aug 18, 2008, 12:37 PM EDT for Monroe County, Florida. It was in force for 23 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued: Aug 18, 2008, 12:37 PM EDT (16:37 UTC)
Expired: Aug 18, 2008, 1:00 PM EDT
In force: 23 min
Issued by: NWS Key West, FL
Area: Storm-based polygon

County Monroe County, FL

The radar

The Key West radar (KBYX), 41 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 16:40 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 watch it was issued in

The SPC watch in force over the same counties when this warning went out.

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Aug 18, 12:30 PM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Key West, FL (KEYW), launched 12:00Z, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 44 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 152 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -15 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 901 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 16 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 10 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 33 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 
WFUS52 KKEY 181637
TORKEY
FLC087-181700-
/O.NEW.KKEY.TO.W.0001.080818T1637Z-080818T1700Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
1237 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KEY WEST HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  LOWER KEYS IN MONROE COUNTY IN FLORIDA...
  MIDDLE KEYS IN MONROE COUNTY IN FLORIDA...

* UNTIL 100 PM EDT

* AT 1230 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  VIOLENT WATERSPOUT 7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF PIDGEON KEY...OR 6 MILES
  SOUTH OF MARATHON...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 40 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  THE SEVEN MILE BRIDGE BY 1240 PM EDT...
  PIDGEON KEY BY 1240 PM EDT...
  OHIO KEY AND BAHIA HONDA KEY BY 1245 PM EDT...
  BIG PINE KEY AND LITTLE TORCH KEY BY 1255 PM EDT...
  MIDDLE TORCH KEY BY 100 PM EDT...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF DRIVING...DO
NOT SEEK SHELTER UNDER A HIGHWAY OVERPASS.

TORNADOES ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL CYCLONES MOVE RAPIDLY...ARE OFTEN 
WRAPPED IN HEAVY RAIN...AND ARE DIFFICULT TO SEE OR HEAR UNTIL THEY 
ARE VERY CLOSE. SEEK SAFE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A 
STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN A LOW SPOT 
ON THE GROUND AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NEAREST LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT 
AGENCY OR THE U.S. COAST GUARD...AND ASK THAT YOUR REPORT BE RELAYED 
TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST. YOU MAY CONTACT THE 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DIRECTLY AT 3 0 5...2 9 5...1 3 1 
6...EXTENSION 3.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT MONDAY EVENING
FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA.

LAT...LON 2471 8151 2474 8151 2478 8149 2476 8133
      2480 8128 2477 8126 2474 8129 2468 8128
      2468 8122 2472 8117 2469 8111 2469 8120
      2462 8133
TIME...MOT...LOC 1634Z 119DEG 36KT 2464 8115

$$

11

1 follow-up statement

000 
WWUS52 KKEY 181651
SVSKEY

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
1251 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008

FLC087-181700-
/O.CON.KKEY.TO.W.0001.000000T0000Z-080818T1700Z/
LOWER KEYS IN MONROE FL-
1250 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 PM EDT FOR LOWER
KEYS IN MONROE COUNTY...

AT 1249 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED NEAR NO NAME KEY...OR
13 MILES WEST OF MARATHON...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 40 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  BIG PINE KEY...MIDDLE TORCH KEY AND LITTLE TORCH KEY BY 1255 PM
  EDT...
  BIG TORCH KEY BY 100 PM EDT...

WHEN A TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED BASED ON DOPPLER RADAR...IT MEANS
THAT STRONG ROTATION HAS BEEN DETECTED IN THE STORM. A TORNADO MAY
ALREADY BE ON THE GROUND...OR IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP SHORTLY. IF YOU
ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS DANGEROUS STORM...MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE
LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW IF YOU WAIT 
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A NEARBY REINFORCED
BUILDING. AS A LAST RESORT...SEEK SHELTER IN A LOW SPOT ON THE GROUND
AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

DO NOT USE YOUR CAR TO TRY TO OUTRUN A TORNADO. CARS ARE EASILY
TOSSED AROUND BY TORNADO WINDS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN THE PATH OF A
TORNADO...LEAVE THE CAR AND GO TO A STRONG BUILDING. IF NO SAFE
STRUCTURE IS NEARBY...SEEK SHELTER IN A LOW SPOT ON THE GROUND AND
COVER YOUR HEAD.

IF IN MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES...EVACUATE THEM AND GET INSIDE A
STURDY SHELTER. IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN A LOW SPOT
ON THE GROUND AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT MONDAY EVENING 
FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA.

LAT...LON 2471 8151 2474 8151 2478 8149 2476 8133
      2480 8128 2477 8126 2474 8129 2468 8128
      2468 8122 2472 8117 2469 8111 2469 8120
      2462 8133
TIME...MOT...LOC 1650Z 119DEG 36KT 2472 8130

$$

11

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Aug 18, 1:01 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	KEY	Monroe	22 min
Aug 18, 1:12 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	KEY	Monroe	33 min
Aug 18, 2:19 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	KEY	Monroe	26 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 2008 Every tornado warning in 2008 Tornadoes in 2008

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.