Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 5, NWS Key West, FL

August 30, 2008Monroe County, Florida

NWS Key West, FL issued this tornado warning at Aug 30, 2008, 2:24 PM EDT for Monroe County, Florida. It was in force for 21 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 30, 2008, 2:24 PM EDT (18:24 UTC)
Expired
Aug 30, 2008, 2:45 PM EDT
In force
21 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 18:24 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

Key West, FL (KEYW), launched 12:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 16 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 2008-08-30Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 1273 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 2008-08-30The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 95 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
1273 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-24 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1055 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
19 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
95 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
119 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 301824
TORKEY
FLC087-301845-
/O.NEW.KKEY.TO.W.0005.080830T1824Z-080830T1845Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
224 PM EDT SAT AUG 30 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 219 PM EDT...OUR RADAR DETECTED A SMALL TORNADO OR 
  WATERSPOUT...18 MILES SOUTHEAST OF SUGARLOAF KEY...MOVING TOWARD 
  THE NORTHWEST AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  SUGARLOAF KEY AND LOGGERHEAD KEY BY 235 PM EDT.

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS ON THE LOWEST FLOOR OF THE
BUILDING IN AN INTERIOR HALLWAY OR ROOM SUCH AS A CLOSET. ALWAYS 
STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

LAT...LON 2461 8168 2463 8167 2464 8164 2470 8164
      2466 8156 2466 8153 2463 8145 2459 8146
      2460 8153 2458 8158
TIME...MOT...LOC 1821Z 110DEG 35KT 2453 8126

$$

DFM/AD
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KKEY 301848
SVSKEY

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
248 PM EDT SAT AUG 30 2008

FLC087-301857-
/O.EXP.KKEY.TO.W.0005.000000T0000Z-080830T1845Z/
LOWER KEYS IN MONROE FL-
247 PM EDT SAT AUG 30 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR LOWER KEYS IN MONROE COUNTY HAS EXPIRED...

THE WATERSPOUT OR SMALL TORNADO HAS REMAINED JUST OFF SHORE...AND 
CAN NO LONGER BE DISCERNED CLEARLY ON OUR RADAR. THEREFORE WE HAVE 
ALLOWED THIS WARNING TO EXPIRE. THE PARENT CELL REMAINS ACTIVE...AND 
WE MAY RE-ISSUE THIS WARNING AT A LATER TIME. 

LAT...LON 2461 8168 2463 8167 2464 8164 2470 8164
      2466 8156 2466 8153 2463 8145 2459 8146
      2460 8153 2458 8158
TIME...MOT...LOC 1824Z 096DEG 24KT 2453 8128

$$

DFM/AD

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 30, 12:11 AM EDTTropical Storm WarningKEY41 hr
Aug 30, 3:13 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY62 min
Aug 30, 5:39 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY51 min
Aug 30, 6:28 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY47 min
Aug 30, 9:34 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY26 min
Aug 30, 10:04 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY26 min
Aug 30, 10:45 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY49 min
Aug 30, 11:42 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY78 min
Aug 30, 12:37 PM EDTTropical Storm WarningKEYMonroe26 hr
Aug 30, 1:17 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY118 min
Aug 30, 3:22 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY113 min
Aug 30, 5:19 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY116 min
Aug 30, 7:17 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY118 min
Aug 30, 7:31 PM EDTTornado WarningKEYMonroe29 min
Aug 30, 7:39 PM EDTTornado WarningKEYMonroe19 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.