Funnel Cloud, Monroe
- When
- May 18, 6:25 AM EST to 6:28 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, Marathon
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
1 mile south of Marathon
Tornado and Waterspouts in Florida, May 18 to 31, 1999
On May 30th at 1215 pm EDT, a waterspout moved onshore along the north side of Key West as a tornado but dissipated quickly after hitting land. No damage or injuries were reported with this event.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 14 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 15
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS EYW wrote it up.
On May 30th at 1215 pm EDT, a waterspout moved onshore along the north side of Key West as a tornado but dissipated quickly after hitting land. No damage or injuries were reported with this event.
The radar
The Miami radar (KAMX), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:15 UTC.
Event by event
12 waterspout, 2 funnel cloud, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 19, 11:35 AM EST to 11:37 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, Big Pine Key
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
1 mile north of Big Pine Key, did not affect land
Funnel Cloud, Monroe
- When
- May 20, 9:55 AM EST to 10:00 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, Flamingo
- Reported by
- PARK/FOREST SERVICE
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
1/2 mile south of flamingo
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 20, 2:34 PM EST to 2:40 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, (Eyw)key West Inl Ar
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
1 mile North of EYW, did not affect land
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 21, 10:55 AM EST to 11:06 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, (Eyw)key West Inl Ar
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
3 miles Northeast of EYW, did not affect land
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 24, 4:00 PM EST to 4:08 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, (Eyw)key West Inl Ar
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
4 miles east of EYW, did not affect land
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 29, 4:08 PM EST to 4:15 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, (Eyw)key West Inl Ar
- Reported by
- NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
3 miles Northwest of EYW, did not affect land
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 29, 6:40 PM EST to 6:44 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, Marathon
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
1 mile south of Marathon, did not affect land
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 29, 6:47 PM EST to 6:57 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, Big Pine Key
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
2 miles northeast of No Name Key, did not affect land
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 29, 6:49 PM EST to 7:00 PM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, Ramrod Key
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
1 mile North of Sugarloaf Key, did not affect land
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 30, 8:50 AM EST to 9:01 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, Summerland Key
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
2 waterspouts 1/2 mile south, did not affect land
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 30, 10:35 AM EST to 10:45 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, (Eyw)key West Inl Ar
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
3 miles west of EYW, did not affect land
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 30, 11:01 AM EST to 11:14 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, Key West
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
1/2 mile east of Key West, moved onshore as a tornado
Tornado, Monroe
- When
- May 30, 11:15 AM EST to 11:16 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, Key West
- Rating
- F0
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 24.550, -81.770
Waterspout dissipated quickly after moving onshore
Waterspout, Monroe
- When
- May 31, 6:50 AM EST to 6:55 AM EST
- Where
- Monroe County, Long Key
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 25.557, -80.917 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
1 mile east of Long Key, did not affect land
What these are
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
- Waterspout
- A tornado over water. One that moves ashore is filed as a tornado from the coastline on.
- Tornado
- A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornado in Florida, May 18, 1999
- Flash Flood in Kentucky, May 18, 1999
- Flash Flood and Hail in Pennsylvania, May 18 to 19, 1999
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, May 18, 1999
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, May 18, 1999
- Damaging Wind in Pennsylvania, May 18, 1999
- Lightning Strike in North Carolina, May 18, 1999
- Lightning Strike in South Carolina, May 18, 1999
- Tornado and Waterspouts in Florida, May 18 to 30, 1999
- Lightning Strike in Alabama, May 18, 1999
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Ohio, May 18, 1999
- Flash Flooding in West Virginia, May 18, 1999
More
Every storm in Florida in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Florida, 1999Warnings in Florida, May 1999
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5690152, 5690153, 5690154, 5690155, 5690156, 5690157, 5690158, 5690159, 5690160, 5690161, 5690162, 5690163, 5690164, 5690165, 5690166.