Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 7, NWS Key West, FL

August 30, 2008Monroe County, Florida

NWS Key West, FL issued this tornado warning at Aug 30, 2008, 7:39 PM EDT for Monroe County, Florida. It was in force for 19 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, 7:39 PM EDT (23:39 UTC)
Expired
Aug 30, 2008, 7:58 PM EDT
In force
19 min
Issued by
NWS Key West, FL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Monroe County, FL

The radar

The Key West radar (KBYX), 70 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 23:42 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.

The watch it was issued in

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

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 30, 5:05 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Key West, FL (KEYW), launched 12:00Z, 11.7 hours before the alert went out and 73 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 302339
TORKEY
FLC087-310015-
/O.NEW.KKEY.TO.W.0007.080830T2339Z-080831T0015Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
739 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...
  MIDDLE KEYS IN MONROE COUNTY IN FLORIDA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE COMMUNITY OF MARATHON...

* UNTIL 815 PM EDT

* AT 733 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED
  A VIOLENT WATERSPOUT 6 MILES SOUTHEAST OF DUCK KEY...MOVING WEST
  AT 25 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  DUCK KEY BY 745 PM EDT...
  GRASSY KEY BY 750 PM EDT...
  MARATHON BY 800 PM EDT...
  MARATHON AND BOOT KEY BY 805 PM EDT...
  KNIGHT KEY BY 810 PM EDT...
  PIDGEON KEY BY 815 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. 

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

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING SITUATION. THIS 
STORM IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING STRONG TO VIOLENT TORNADOES. 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.

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 100 AM EDT SUNDAY MORNING FOR
ALL OF THE FLORIDA KEYS.

LAT...LON 2469 8117 2472 8117 2476 8100 2480 8095
      2480 8088 2477 8088 2475 8090 2470 8105
      2467 8108
TIME...MOT...LOC 2338Z 103DEG 24KT 2471 8089

$$

11
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KKEY 302358
SVSKEY

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

FLC087-310005-
/O.CAN.KKEY.TO.W.0007.000000T0000Z-080831T0015Z/
LOWER KEYS IN MONROE FL-MIDDLE KEYS IN MONROE FL-
755 PM EDT SAT AUG 30 2008

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR MIDDLE KEYS IN MONROE COUNTY IS 
CANCELED...

AT 751 PM...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THAT 
THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE TORNADO WARNING FOR MARATHON IN THE 
MIDDLE KEYS...HAS MOVED NORTH OF THE ISLAND CHAIN. THEREFORE...THE 
TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED.

A TORNADO WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 100 AM EDT SUNDAY MORNING FOR
ALL OF THE FLORIDA KEYS...AND CONDITIONS REMAIN FAVORABLE FOR 
TORNADO DEVELOPMENT ALONG RAINBANDS ASSOCIATED WITH HURRICANE GUSTAV.

LAT...LON 2469 8117 2472 8117 2476 8100 2480 8095
      2480 8088 2477 8088 2475 8090 2470 8105
      2467 8108
TIME...MOT...LOC 2355Z 103DEG 24KT 2474 8101

$$

11

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, 2:24 PM EDTTornado WarningKEYMonroe21 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

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.