Florida, 2002

Hail and Damaging Wind in Florida, May 31, 2002

May 31, 2002 · NWS MFL · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Several carports, awnings and screened porches were damaged 8 miles northeast of Ortona. Trees, signs and power lines were also blown down and one diameter hail was observed at several locations from 5 miles east southeast to 5 miles northeast of Ortona.

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
$50,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 MFL wrote it up.

Several carports, awnings and screened porches were damaged 8 miles northeast of Ortona. Trees, signs and power lines were also blown down and one diameter hail was observed at several locations from 5 miles east southeast to 5 miles northeast of Ortona.

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 May 31, 11:30 AM EST, 6 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 31, 11:30 AM EST, 6 hours 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1230 PM EDT FRI MAY 31 2002

12Z MFL SOUNDING STILL MOIST AND UNSTABLE WITH PW ALMOST 1.7 AND
K-INDEX OF 36. CROSS AND VERTICAL TOTALS ADDED TO 48. SURFACE
WEAKNESS IN THE PRESSURE FIELD CONTINUES OVER THE PENINSULA... WITH
VERY LIGHT SURFACE GRADIENT. THIS WILL MEAN A CONTINUATION OF THE
AFTERNOON SEA BREEZES ALONG BOTH COASTS TO SERVE AS A FOCUSING
MECHANISM FOR AFTERNOON CONVECTION. ALOFT TROUGH CONTINUES TO DIG
SOUTHWARD FROM THE GULF COAST INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO... BUT MODELS
DIFFER ON WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN TO THIS SYSTEM. ETA GRADUALLY
RETROGRADES THIS SYSTEM TOWARD MEXICO... WHILE AVN (AT LEAST THE 06Z
AVN RUN) LEAVES IT STATIONARY ACROSS THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO...
WHILE BEGINNING TO BUILD A RIDGE BACK NORTHWARD FROM THE CARIBBEAN
ACROSS THE FLORIDA STRAITS AND INTO THE SOUTH PENINSULA. THESE TWO
COMPETING SOLUTIONS WOULD LEAD TO SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT FORECAST
OUTCOMES FOR OUR AREA... BUT FOR RIGHT NOW WOULD TEND TO GO MORE
WITH THE 06Z AVN AND LEAVE THE GULF LOW ABOUT STATIONARY (AT LEAST
THROUGH SUNDAY). NGM MOS POP NUMBERS ALL LOOK WAY TOO DRY FOR MY
TASTE ...ACTUALLY SO DO THE AVN NUMBERS... SO 40-50% DAYTIME POPS
AND 20-30% NIGHTTIME SEEM TO BE THE WAY TO GO. LITTLE CHANGE IN
TEMPERATURES.

FOR THE MARINE...BASICALLY LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS WITH A VERY LAX
GRADIENT CONTINUING PRPBABLY ON THROUGH THE ENTIRE FORECAST PERIOD.
SLIGHT SEAS CONTINUING.

FOR THE EXTENDED...MEDIUM RANGE MODEL FINALLY BEGINS TO MOVE THE
GULF LOW ACROSS THE PENINSULA TUESDAY... THEN OUT INTO THE ATLANTIC
BY WEDNESDAY... REBUILDING THE RIDGE ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN...
FLORIDA... AND THE GULF OF MEXICO THURSDAY AND FRIDAY. SO LITTLE
CHANGE IN THE EXTENDED EXCEPT WILL INDICATE SLIGHTLY LOWER CHANCES
OF PRECIPITATION FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

NO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS.

PBI TT 072/089 073/091 073 4535
FLL TT 074/089 074/090 075 4535
MIA TT 074/089 074/091 075 4535
APF BB 072/089 072/089 073 2424

.MIA...NONE.

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, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Glades

When
May 31, 5:45 PM EST
Where
Glades County, Ortona
Measured
70 kt (81 mph)
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
26.817, -81.317

Hail, Glades

When
May 31, 5:50 PM EST
Where
Glades County, 5 mi NE of Ortona
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
26.867, -81.267

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Florida in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, May 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: 5296450, 5296451.