Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 4, NWS Key West, FL

August 18, 2008Monroe County, Florida

NWS Key West, FL issued this tornado warning at Aug 18, 2008, 2:19 PM EDT for Monroe County, Florida. It was in force for 26 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, 2:19 PM EDT (18:19 UTC)
Expired
Aug 18, 2008, 2:45 PM EDT
In force
26 min
Issued by
NWS Key West, FL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Monroe County, FL

The radar

The Key West radar (KBYX), 13 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:23 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, 6.3 hours before the alert went out and 17 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 181819
TORKEY
FLC087-181845-
/O.NEW.KKEY.TO.W.0004.080818T1819Z-080818T1845Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
219 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...

* UNTIL 245 PM EDT

* AT 218 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  VIOLENT WATERSPOUT NEAR CUDJOE KEY...OR 20 MILES EAST OF KEY
  WEST...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 45 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  UPPER SUGARLOAF KEY...CUDJOE KEY...SUGARLOAF KEY AND BAY POINT BY
  225 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

PLEASE REPORT SEVERE WEATHER TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST
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 2462 8165 2465 8164 2470 8170 2472 8167
      2467 8159 2473 8161 2475 8158 2465 8144
      2460 8145 2459 8158
TIME...MOT...LOC 1819Z 123DEG 40KT 2462 8147

$$

11
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KKEY 181838
SVSKEY

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

FLC087-181846-
/O.EXP.KKEY.TO.W.0004.000000T0000Z-080818T1845Z/
LOWER KEYS IN MONROE FL-
236 PM EDT MON AUG 18 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR LOWER KEYS IN MONROE COUNTY HAS BEEN 
CANCELED...

AT 232 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDICATED THAT THE TORNADO THAT 
WAS MOVING ACROSS THE LOWER KEYS NEAR SUGARLOAF HAS DISSIPATED...AND 
NO REPORTS OF TORNADOES HAVE BEEN RECEIVED. THEREFORE THE TORNADO 
WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1100 PM EDT MONDAY EVENING 
FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA...AND CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR TORNADO 
DEVELOPMENT ALONG RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH TROPICAL STORM FAY.

LAT...LON 2462 8165 2465 8164 2470 8170 2472 8167
      2467 8159 2473 8161 2475 8158 2465 8144
      2460 8145 2459 8158
TIME...MOT...LOC 1836Z 123DEG 40KT 2472 8165

$$

11

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, 1:12 PM EDTTornado WarningKEYMonroe33 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.