Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 15, NWS Melbourne, FL

May 21, 2009Brevard County, Florida

NWS Melbourne, FL issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2009, 1:03 AM EDT for Brevard County, Florida. It was in force for 42 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
May 21, 2009, 1:03 AM EDT (05:03 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2009, 1:45 AM EDT
In force
42 min
Issued by
NWS Melbourne, FL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Brevard County, FL

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 42 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:02 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

Cape Canaveral, FL (KXMR), launched 00:00Z, 5.1 hours before the alert went out and 10 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, Cape Canaveral, FL at 00:00Z on 2009-05-21Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 880 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, Cape Canaveral, FL at 00:00Z on 2009-05-21The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 124 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
880 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-2 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
561 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
14 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
124 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
156 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 KMLB 210503
TORMLB
FLC009-210545-
/O.NEW.KMLB.TO.W.0015.090521T0503Z-090521T0545Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
103 AM EDT THU MAY 21 2009

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN BREVARD COUNTY IN FLORIDA...
  THIS INCLUDES THE CITIES OF...PORT CANAVERAL...CAPE CANAVERAL...

* UNTIL 145 AM EDT.

* AT 1259 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 9 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF PORT CANAVERAL...OR 8 MILES EAST OF COCOA BEACH...
  MOVING NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CAPE CANAVERAL BY 130 AM EDT...
  PORT CANAVERAL BY 135 AM EDT...
  7 MILES SOUTHEAST OF KENNEDY SPACE CENTER BY 145 AM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

THE SAFEST PLACE TO BE DURING A TORNADO IS IN A STRONG BUILDING ON
THE LOWEST FLOOR...IN AN INTERIOR ROOM SUCH AS A BATHROOM OR CLOSET.
KEEP AWAY FROM WINDOWS. GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR OTHER PIECE OF
STURDY FURNITURE. USE BLANKETS OR PILLOWS TO COVER YOUR BODY.

EVACUATE MOBILE HOMES OR VEHICLES FOR MORE SUBSTANTIAL SHELTER. IF NO
SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER LOW
SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS. ABANDON YOUR VEHICLE IF THE
TORNADO IS NEARBY.

&&

LAT...LON 2844 8053 2842 8057 2837 8060 2840 8063
      2843 8061 2853 8058 2858 8060 2852 8061
      2842 8066 2850 8074 2852 8073 2864 8061
      2859 8057 2849 8054 2846 8052
TIME...MOT...LOC 0503Z 143DEG 12KT 2835 8048

$$



MOSES
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KMLB 210520
SVSMLB

SEVERE WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL
120 AM EDT THU MAY 21 2009

FLC009-210545-
/O.CON.KMLB.TO.W.0015.000000T0000Z-090521T0545Z/
BREVARD-
120 AM EDT THU MAY 21 2009

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 145 AM EDT FOR
NORTHEASTERN BREVARD COUNTY...

AT 117 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR CONTINUED TO 
INDICATE A TORNADO.  THIS TORNADO WAS LOCATED EAST OF PORT 
CANAVERAL...MOVING NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH.

THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  CAPE CANAVERAL BY 125 AM EDT...
  PORT CANAVERAL AND JETTY PARK BY 130 AM EDT...
  KENNEDY SPACE CENTER BY 145 AM EDT...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

HEAVY RAINFALL MAY OBSCURE THIS TORNADO. TAKE COVER NOW IF YOU WAIT
TO SEE OR HEAR IT COMING...IT MAY BE TOO LATE TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE.

&&

LAT...LON 2844 8053 2842 8057 2837 8060 2840 8063
      2843 8061 2853 8058 2858 8060 2852 8061
      2842 8066 2850 8074 2852 8073 2864 8061
      2859 8057 2849 8054 2846 8052
TIME...MOT...LOC 0520Z 138DEG 14KT 2840 8054

$$



MOSES

The office that day

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

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 20, 9:16 PM EDTAreal Flood AdvisoryMLBOrange, Seminole3 hr
May 20, 11:20 PM EDTSpecial Marine WarningMLB85 min
May 21, 12:30 AM EDTSpecial Marine WarningMLB90 min
May 21, 1:44 AM EDTTornado WarningMLBBrevard31 min
May 21, 8:49 AM EDTAreal Flood WarningMLBLake12 hr
May 21, 10:22 AM EDTRiver Flood WarningMLBLake, Volusia5 days
May 21, 6:01 PM EDTAreal Flood WarningMLBVolusia12 hr

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 2009Every tornado warning in 2009Tornadoes in 2009

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.