Alert archive / Florida / Tornado Warnings in 2018

Tornado Warning 3, NWS Melbourne, FL

March 20, 2018Orange County, Seminole County, Florida

NWS Melbourne, FL issued this tornado warning at Mar 20, 2018, 2:26 PM EDT for Orange County, Seminole County, Florida. It was in force for 34 min. 4 reports came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The outline as issued, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued: Mar 20, 2018, 2:26 PM EDT (18:26 UTC)
Expired: Mar 20, 2018, 3:00 PM EDT
In force: 34 min
Issued by: NWS Melbourne, FL
Area: Storm-based polygon
Tornado: Radar indicated
Hail: 1.5 in

Counties Orange County, FL, Seminole County, FL

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 18:26 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.

What was reported inside it

Time	Report	Where	Remark
Mar 20, 2:32 PM EDT	HAIL 1	4 Sw Lockhart, FL	HAIL UP TO QUARTER SIZE IN PINE HILLS AREA.
Mar 20, 2:33 PM EDT	HAIL 1.75	Pine Hills, FL	GOLF BALL SIZE HAIL IN PINE HILLS. TIME ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
Mar 20, 2:40 PM EDT	HAIL 1	4 S Altamonte Springs, FL
Mar 20, 3:03 PM EDT	HAIL 1	Maitland, FL	QUARTER SIZE HAIL IN MAITLAND, RELAYED BY EM.

Local storm reports filed while the alert was in force, from inside its polygon or its counties.

The watch it was issued in

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

Issued	Product	Office	Lasted
Mar 20, 10:24 AM EDT	Tornado Watch	SPC	9 hr

The nearest sounding before it

Cape Canaveral, FL (KXMR), launched 12:00Z, 6.4 hours before the alert went out and 95 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-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

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: 860 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -124 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 864 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 45 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 155 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 213 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.2
Supercell composite: 1.5

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted.

868 
WFUS52 KMLB 201826
TORMLB
FLC095-117-201900-
/O.NEW.KMLB.TO.W.0003.180320T1826Z-180320T1900Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Melbourne FL
226 PM EDT TUE MAR 20 2018

The National Weather Service in Melbourne has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
  Southwestern Seminole County in east central Florida...
  West central Orange County in east central Florida...

* Until 300 PM EDT
    
* At 224 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
  was located over Windermere, moving east northeast at 40 mph.

  HAZARD...Tornado and ping pong ball size hail. 

  SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation. 

  IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
           shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. 
           Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree 
           damage is likely. 

* Locations impacted include...College Park, Oak Ridge, Pine Hills, Winter 
  Park, Azalea Park, Goldenrod, Union Park. 

Other locations impacted by this tornadic thunderstorm include
Edgewood.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Motorists should not take shelter under highway overpasses. If you 
cannot safely drive away from the tornado, as a last resort, either 
park your vehicle and stay put, or abandon your vehicle and lie down 
in a low lying area and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 2846 8162 2861 8162 2869 8124 2848 8124
TIME...MOT...LOC 1824Z 258DEG 30KT 2852 8155 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.50IN

$$

Ulrich

2 follow-up statements

029 
WWUS52 KMLB 201839
SVSMLB

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Melbourne FL
239 PM EDT TUE MAR 20 2018

FLC095-117-201900-
/O.CON.KMLB.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-180320T1900Z/
Seminole FL-Orange FL-
239 PM EDT TUE MAR 20 2018

...A TORNADO WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 300 PM EDT FOR
SOUTHWESTERN SEMINOLE AND CENTRAL ORANGE COUNTIES...
    
At 238 PM EDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado 
was located over Orlovista, or near College Park, moving east at 40 
mph.

HAZARD...Tornado and large hail. Quarter sized hail was recently 
         reported by a storm spotter in the Pine Hills area of 
         Orlando.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation. 

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without 
         shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage 
         to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur.  Tree damage is 
         likely. 

Locations impacted include...
Orlando, Altamonte Springs, Winter Springs, Winter Park and
Casselberry.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Motorists should not take shelter under highway overpasses. If you
cannot safely drive away from the tornado, as a last resort, either
park your vehicle and stay put, or abandon your vehicle and lie down
in a low lying area and protect yourself from flying debris.

&&

LAT...LON 2848 8146 2864 8144 2869 8124 2849 8124
TIME...MOT...LOC 1838Z 258DEG 30KT 2854 8142 

TORNADO...RADAR INDICATED
HAIL...1.00IN

$$

Ulrich

682 
WWUS52 KMLB 201859
SVSMLB

Severe Weather Statement
National Weather Service Melbourne FL
259 PM EDT TUE MAR 20 2018

FLC095-117-201907-
/O.EXP.KMLB.TO.W.0003.000000T0000Z-180320T1900Z/
Seminole FL-Orange FL-
259 PM EDT TUE MAR 20 2018

...THE TORNADO WARNING FOR SOUTHWESTERN SEMINOLE AND CENTRAL ORANGE
COUNTIES WILL EXPIRE AT 300 PM EDT...
        
The storm which prompted the warning has moved out of the area.
Therefore the tornado warning will be allowed to expire. However 
large hail up to golf ball size and damaging wind gusts up to 60 to 
70 mph are still possible with this thunderstorm as it moves east 
toward Oviedo and Chuluota in southern Seminole County. 

A tornado watch remains in effect until 700 PM EDT for east central
Florida.

Remember, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning still remains in effect for 
southeastern Seminole County and northeastern Orange County until 
3:15 PM. 

LAT...LON 2848 8146 2864 8144 2869 8124 2849 8124
TIME...MOT...LOC 1857Z 258DEG 30KT 2857 8125 

$$

Ulrich

The office that day

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

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Mar 20, 3:13 AM EDT	Lake Wind Advisory	MLB	Lake, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Seminole, Volusia	17 hr
Mar 20, 3:17 AM EDT	Gale Warning	MLB		31 hr
Mar 20, 9:19 AM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MLB	Volusia	56 min
Mar 20, 9:30 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Volusia	45 min
Mar 20, 9:39 AM EDT	Tornado Warning	MLB	Volusia	51 min
Mar 20, 10:31 AM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Volusia	29 min
Mar 20, 10:33 AM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MLB		42 min
Mar 20, 1:39 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Lake	36 min
Mar 20, 1:57 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	MLB	Lake, Orange	33 min
Mar 20, 2:17 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MLB	Lake, Orange, Seminole, Volusia	58 min
Mar 20, 2:24 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Lake	36 min
Mar 20, 2:32 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	MLB	Lake	18 min
Mar 20, 2:48 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Orange, Seminole	27 min
Mar 20, 3:03 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Orange	27 min
Mar 20, 3:09 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MLB		111 min
Mar 20, 3:18 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Orange	27 min
Mar 20, 3:20 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MLB	Lake, Orange, Seminole, Volusia	55 min
Mar 20, 3:42 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Brevard	48 min
Mar 20, 4:14 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MLB	Volusia	61 min
Mar 20, 4:50 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MLB	Lake, Orange	55 min
Mar 20, 5:05 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MLB	Indian River, Okeechobee, Osceola, Saint Lucie	85 min
Mar 20, 5:20 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MLB		115 min
Mar 20, 5:25 PM EDT	Tornado Warning	MLB	Okeechobee	35 min
Mar 20, 5:26 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MLB	Volusia	49 min
Mar 20, 5:32 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Volusia	28 min
Mar 20, 5:38 PM EDT	Special Marine Warning	MLB		2 hr
Mar 20, 5:56 PM EDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MLB	Indian River, Okeechobee, Saint Lucie	34 min
Mar 20, 6:00 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MLB	Orange, Seminole	60 min
Mar 20, 6:35 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MLB	Saint Lucie	25 min
Mar 20, 7:25 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MLB	Saint Lucie	20 min
Mar 20, 7:50 PM EDT	Special Weather Statement	MLB	Martin	25 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Florida, 2018 Every tornado warning in 2018 Tornadoes in 2018

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; local storm reports from the same archive; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.