Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Key West, FL

August 18, 2008Monroe County, Florida

NWS Key West, FL issued this tornado warning at Aug 18, 2008, 1:12 PM EDT for Monroe County, Florida. It was in force for 33 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, 1:12 PM EDT (17:12 UTC)
Expired
Aug 18, 2008, 1:45 PM EDT
In force
33 min
Issued by
NWS Key West, FL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Monroe County, FL

The radar

The Key West radar (KBYX), 57 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 17:12 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 18, 12:30 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC10 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Key West, FL (KEYW), launched 12:00Z, 5.2 hours before the alert went out and 60 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, Key West, FL at 12:00Z on 2008-08-18Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 152 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, Key West, FL at 12:00Z on 2008-08-18The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 10 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 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
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 181712
TORKEY
FLC087-181745-
/O.NEW.KKEY.TO.W.0003.080818T1712Z-080818T1745Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
112 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 145 PM EDT

* AT 108 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR PIDGEON    
  KEY...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 39 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  OHIO KEY AND BAHIA HONDA KEY BY 120 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

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

LAT...LON 2475 8151 2479 8146 2476 8133 2480 8130
      2478 8126 2474 8129 2472 8127 2473 8117
      2469 8112 2468 8117 2473 8118 2470 8127
      2465 8124
TIME...MOT...LOC 1712Z 117DEG 34KT 2469 8117

$$

AL
2 follow-up statements
000 
WWUS52 KKEY 181731
SVSKEY

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

FLC087-181745-
/O.CON.KKEY.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-080818T1745Z/
LOWER KEYS IN MONROE FL-
130 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 145 PM EDT FOR LOWER
KEYS IN MONROE COUNTY...

AT 126 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED 11 MILES WEST OF 
MARATHON...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 39 MPH. THIS TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO 
AFFECT NO NAME KEY WITHIN THE NEXT 5 MINUTES.

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

LAT...LON 2477 8132 2478 8132 2481 8128 2478 8126
      2477 8126 2475 8128 2475 8130
TIME...MOT...LOC 1730Z 117DEG 34KT 2477 8129

$$

AL
000 
WWUS52 KKEY 181741
SVSKEY

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

FLC087-181751-
/O.EXP.KKEY.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-080818T1745Z/
LOWER KEYS IN MONROE FL-
141 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR LOWER KEYS IN MONROE COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
145 PM EDT...

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

LAT...LON 2477 8132 2478 8132 2481 8128 2478 8126
      2477 8126 2475 8128 2475 8130
TIME...MOT...LOC 1741Z 117DEG 34KT 2482 8139

$$

AL

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 18, 12:37 PM EDTTornado WarningKEYMonroe23 min
Aug 18, 1:01 PM EDTTornado WarningKEYMonroe22 min
Aug 18, 2:19 PM EDTTornado WarningKEYMonroe26 min

Nearby

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