Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2008

Tornado Warning 8, NWS Key West, FL

August 30, 2008Monroe County, Florida

NWS Key West, FL issued this tornado warning at Aug 30, 2008, 10:37 PM EDT for Monroe County, Florida. It was in force for 12 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, 10:37 PM EDT (02:37 UTC)
Expired
Aug 30, 2008, 10:49 PM EDT
In force
12 min
Issued by
NWS Key West, FL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Monroe County, FL

The radar

The Miami radar (KAMX), 89 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 02:40 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.

IssuedProductOfficeLasted
Aug 30, 5:05 PM EDTTornado WatchSPC9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Key West, FL (KEYW), launched 00:00Z, 2.6 hours before the alert went out and 106 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 00:00Z on 2008-08-31Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 671 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 00:00Z on 2008-08-31The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 320 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 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
671 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-14 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
734 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
43 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
320 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
454 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
1.2
Supercell composite
6.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WFUS52 KKEY 310237
TORKEY
FLC087-310300-
/O.NEW.KKEY.TO.W.0008.080831T0237Z-080831T0300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
1037 PM EDT SAT AUG 30 2008

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KEY WEST HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  UPPER KEYS IN MONROE COUNTY IN FLORIDA...

* UNTIL 1100 PM EDT

* AT 1035 PM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO NEAR LOWER
  MATECUMBE KEY...OR 25 MILES EAST OF MARATHON...MOVING NORTHWEST AT
  36 MPH.

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. 

IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF THIS STORM...SEEK SAFE SHELTER 
IMMEDIATELY MOVE INDOORS AND TO THE LOWEST LEVEL OF THE BUILDING. 
STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS.

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 2483 8072 2483 8074 2482 8075 2484 8079
      2489 8073 2491 8073 2492 8071 2487 8067
TIME...MOT...LOC 0237Z 134DEG 32KT 2484 8072

$$

11
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KKEY 310249
SVSKEY

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
1049 PM EDT SAT AUG 30 2008

FLC087-310257-
/O.CAN.KKEY.TO.W.0008.000000T0000Z-080831T0300Z/
UPPER KEYS IN MONROE FL-
1047 PM EDT SAT AUG 30 2008

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

THE STORM THAT PROMPTED THE TORNADO WARNING FOR THE UPPER 
KEYS...NEAR LOWER MATECUMBE...HAS MOVED OFF TO THE NORTHWEST. 
THEREFORE...THE TORNADO WARNING HAS BEEN CANCELED.

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

LAT...LON 2483 8072 2483 8074 2482 8075 2484 8079
      2489 8073 2491 8073 2492 8071 2487 8067
TIME...MOT...LOC 0247Z 134DEG 32KT 2490 8079

$$

11

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Aug 30, 8:42 PM EDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningKEYMonroe33 min
Aug 30, 9:21 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY114 min
Aug 30, 11:30 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY105 min
Aug 31, 12:45 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY45 min
Aug 31, 1:15 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY30 min
Aug 31, 1:38 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY52 min
Aug 31, 2:30 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY60 min
Aug 31, 3:30 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY60 min
Aug 31, 4:31 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY59 min
Aug 31, 5:30 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY60 min
Aug 31, 6:30 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY60 min
Aug 31, 7:30 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY60 min
Aug 31, 8:01 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY59 min
Aug 31, 8:57 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY63 min
Aug 31, 9:51 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY54 min
Aug 31, 10:45 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY60 min
Aug 31, 5:59 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY61 min
Aug 31, 7:49 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningKEY36 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.