Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2009

Tornado Warning 16, NWS Melbourne, FL

May 21, 2009Brevard County, Florida

NWS Melbourne, FL issued this tornado warning at May 21, 2009, 1:44 AM EDT for Brevard County, Florida. It was in force for 31 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, 1:44 AM EDT (05:44 UTC)
Expired
May 21, 2009, 2:15 AM EDT
In force
31 min
Issued by
NWS Melbourne, FL
Area
Storm-based polygon

County Brevard County, FL

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 43 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 05:44 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, 5.7 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 210544
TORMLB
FLC009-210615-
/O.NEW.KMLB.TO.W.0016.090521T0544Z-090521T0615Z/

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

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MELBOURNE HAS ISSUED A

* TORNADO WARNING FOR...
  NORTHEASTERN BREVARD COUNTY IN FLORIDA...

* UNTIL 215 AM EDT.

* AT 141 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
  SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAPABLE OF PRODUCING A TORNADO 13 MILES
  SOUTHEAST OF KENNEDY SPACE CENTER...OR NEAR PORT CANAVERAL...MOVING
  NORTHWEST AT 15 MPH.

* THE TORNADO WILL BE NEAR...
  6 MILES EAST OF KENNEDY SPACE CENTER BY 215 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.

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 2843 8056 2841 8058 2843 8061 2853 8058
      2858 8060 2858 8061 2854 8060 2846 8065
      2850 8071 2860 8060 2857 8057 2845 8052
TIME...MOT...LOC 0544Z 149DEG 14KT 2842 8052

$$



MOSES
1 follow-up statement
000 
WWUS52 KMLB 210608
SVSMLB

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

FLC009-210618-
/O.EXP.KMLB.TO.W.0016.000000T0000Z-090521T0615Z/
BREVARD-
208 AM EDT THU MAY 21 2009

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL BREVARD COUNTY WILL EXPIRE AT
215 AM EDT...

NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED THE SEVERE STORM 
THAT PROMPTED THE WARNING HAD WEAKENED AND NO LONGER APPEARED 
CAPABLE OF PRODUCING TORNADOES...THUS THE WARNING WILL BE ALLOWED 
TO EXPIRE. HOWEVER...HEAVY RAIN...GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS 
LIGHTNING STRIKES WILL CONTINUE TO BE POSSIBLE.

LAT...LON 2843 8056 2841 8058 2843 8061 2853 8058
      2858 8060 2858 8061 2854 8060 2846 8065
      2850 8071 2860 8060 2857 8057 2845 8052
TIME...MOT...LOC 0608Z 149DEG 14KT 2850 8057

$$



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, 1:03 AM EDTTornado WarningMLBBrevard42 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.