Damaging Wind in Florida, February 23, 2002

Name: Damaging Wind in Florida, February 23, 2002
Start: 2002-02-23T14:37
End: 2002-02-23T14:37
Location: Florida

February 23, 2002 · NWS MFL · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Miami, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 23, 12:30 PM EST, 2 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 23, 12:30 PM EST, 2 hours 7 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1230 PM EST SAT FEB 23 2002

SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS MOVING ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA AND
WAS NEAR LAKE OKEECHOBEE AROUND NOON. BY SUNSET...THE LOW SHOULD BE
NORTH OF THE BAHAMAS WITH ITS TRAILING COLD FRONT JUST TO THE EAST
OF THE STATE. SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE
LOW AND FRONT WILL BE MOVING OVER SOUTH FLORIDA EARLY THIS AFTERNOON
WITH THE BRUNT OF THE ACTIVITY OFFSHORE AFTER SUNSET. HOWEVER...A FEW
SHOWERS MAY LINGER TONIGHT AS THE UPPER LEVEL LOW ASSOCIATED WITH
THE SURFACE WILL NOT PASS OVER FLORIDA UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT. ONCE
THE UPPER LEVEL LOW MOVES TO OUR EAST...CLOUDS SHOULD DIMINISH AND
THE THREAT OF SHOWERS WILL COME TO AN END.

SUNDAY SHOULD BE CLEAR AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BEHIND THE LOW ALONG
WITH A SURFACE RIDGE MOVE OVER FLORIDA. MONDAY SHOULD BE DRY BUT
SKIES SHOULD BECOME PARTLY CLOUDY AS BOTH THE SURFACE AND UPPER
LEVEL RIDGES MOVE TO OUR EAST AND LOW LEVEL WINDS SHIFT OUT OF THE
EAST. ANOTHER FRONT WILL BE MOVING THROUGH SOUTH FLORIDA TUESDAY
WITH SHOWERS POSSIBLE AHEAD OF THIS FRONT DURING THE AFTERNOON.

EXTENDED...WILL GO WITH CLEAR SKIES ON WEDNESDAY AS THE SURFACE HIGH
BEHIND TUESDAYS FRONT PUMPS RELATIVELY DRY AIR INTO THE STATE. DO
NOT SEE VERY COLD AIR OVER SOUTH FLORIDA WEDNESDAY AS THE SURFACE
HIGH REMAINS WELL TO OUR NORTH...OVER TENNESSEE. THURSDAY THROUGH
SATURDAY WINDS WILL BECOME EAST TO SOUTHEAST WITH PARTLY CLOUDY
SKIES AND MODERATING TEMPERATURES. SATURDAY SHOULD BE WARM AND WINDY
AS THE ENTENDED MODELS ARE SHOWING A MAJOR LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM
DEVELOPING OVER THE WESTERN GULF WITH AN IMPRESSIVE GRADIENT.

MARINE...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY OVER ALL WATERS TONIGHT AND THE
ATLANTIC WATERS SUNDAY. DECREASING AND VEERING WINDS MONDAY WITH AN
INCREASE FROM THE NORTHWEST FOLLOWING TUESDAYS FRONTAL PASSAGE.

FIRE WEATHER...RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES WILL BE IN THE 35 TO 40
PERCENT RANGE OVER THE INTERIOR REGIONS SUNDAY AFTERNOON.

PBI UB 056/074 059/076 062 10200
FLL UB 060/075 061/077 065 10200
MIA UB 061/076 062/077 065 10200
APF UB 055/074 058/079 062 10200

.MIA...SCA ALL WATERS.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 23, 10:06 AM EST, 4 hours 31 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI, FL
506 AM EST SAT FEB 23 2002

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0200 AM    3/4 MI W OF VISITOR CENTER FLAMINGOFL   WIND DAMAGE
02/23/02   MONROE                         3/4 MI WEST OF VISTOR
                                          CENTER ON
                                          COASTLINE...NUMEROUS TREES
                                          DOWNED, TENT 40 FT UP IN
                                          TREES...NUMEROUS VEHICLES
                                          DAMAGED BY BRANCHES AND
                                          DEBRIS.REPORTED BY PARK
                                          RANGERS/EVERGLADES NATIONAL
                                          PARK SVC.

RE

Local storm report, Feb 23, 1:30 PM EST, 1 hour 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...UPDATED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI, FL
130 PM EST SAT FEB 23 2002

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0145 AM    FLAMINGO RANGER STATION  FL    TORNADO
02/23/02   COLLIER                        DAMAGE WEST OF VISITOR
                                          CENTER ON COASTLINE...NUMEROUS
                                          TREES DOWNED...CABIN AND VEHICLES
                                          ALS0 DAMAGED. DAMAGE PATH WAS
                                          APPROXIMATELY 150-200 FT WIDE AND
                                          1 MILE LONG. REPORTED BY PARK RANGER.

Local storm report, Feb 23, 1:30 PM EST, 1 hour 7 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...UPDATED...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI, FL
130 PM EST SAT FEB 23 2002

TIME(EST)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION....

0145 AM    FLAMINGO RANGER STATION  FL    TORNADO
02/23/02   MONROE                         DAMAGE WEST OF VISITOR
                                          CENTER ON COASTLINE...NUMEROUS
                                          TREES DOWNED...CABIN AND VEHICLES
                                          ALS0 DAMAGED. DAMAGE PATH WAS
                                          APPROXIMATELY 150-200 FT WIDE AND
                                          1 MILE LONG. REPORTED BY PARK RANGER.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Palm Beach

When: February 23, 2:37 PM EST
Where: Palm Beach County, Palm Spgs
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Reported by: UNKNOWN
Coordinates: 26.667, -80.050

A SKYWARN spotter reported large tree branches down in his yard.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, February 2002

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: 5283583.