A fast-moving squall line producing damaging winds and a tornado in Key Largo. The tornado was observed as a waterspout in Florida bay just offshore, which made landfall.
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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.
The episode as NWS KEY wrote it up.
A fast-moving squall line producing damaging winds and a tornado in Key Largo. The tornado was observed as a waterspout in Florida bay just offshore, which made landfall.
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 Key West, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 26, 8:20 AM EST, 3 hours 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL 920 AM EDT MON APR 26 2010 ...STRONG TO LOCALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON... .DISCUSSION... .CURRENTLY... KBYX DETECTS SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE OFFSHORE WATERS WEST OF MAINLAND MONROE COUNTY. ELSEWHERE...KBYX DETECTS NO PRECIPITATION ECHOES IN THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST AREA. SKIES OVER THE ISLAND CHAIN ARE PARTLY CLOUDY. WINDS OVER LAND ARE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 15 MPH. C-MAN WINDS...ON AVERAGE...ARE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST AT 15 TO 20 KNOTS. TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE LOWER 80S. .SHORT TERM (THIS AFTERNOON)... A SQUALL LINE OVER SOUTH FLORIDA WILL APPROACH THE FLORIDA KEYS THIS AFTERNOON. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN THIS SQUALL LINE MAY BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING AN ISOLATED...SHORT-LIVED TORNADO AND WIND GUSTS NEAR 45 MPH. DAMAGING WINDS THAT COULD BRIEFLY TOP 58 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IF THERE IS ANY INTENSIFICATION OF THIS SQUALL LINE BEFORE IT REACHES THE FLORIDA KEYS. && .MARINE... MARINES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR FREQUENT CLOUD TO WATER LIGHTNING STRIKES AND WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 40 KNOTS IN THUNDERSTORMS TODAY. THESE THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD BE SOUTH OF THE FLORIDA KEYS BY SUNSET THIS EVENING. NO ADVISORIES OR CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS EXPECTED TUESDAY THROUGH AT LEAST THURSDAY MORNING. SUSTAINED EAST SURFACE WINDS OF 15 TO 20 KNOTS ARE POSSIBLE ON ALL KEYS COASTAL WATERS THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH AT LEAST FRIDAY. && .AVIATION... MVFR CEILINGS ARE POSSIBLE AT EYW AND MTH THIS MORNING AHEAD OF A SQUALL LINE. BEST TIMING OF THUNDERSTORM IMPACTS AT BOTH TERMINAL ARE FROM NOON UNTIL 400 PM. WINDS WILL SHIFT TO NORTHWEST THIS EVENING AND VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL TONIGHT. && .CLIMATE... ON THIS DATE IN KEYS WEATHER HISTORY...IN 1948...2.79 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN KEY WEST. THIS SET THE DAILY RECORD FOR MAXIMUM RAINFALL MEASURED IN KEY WEST ON APRIL 26TH...A RECORD WHICH STILL STANDS 62 YEARS LATER. && .KEY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. GM...NONE. && BS VISIT US ON THE WEB AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/KEYWEST
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL 1020 AM EDT MON APR 26 2010 FLZ076-077-078-GMZ031-032-033-052-053-054-072-073-074-075-271000- MONROE UPPER KEYS-MONROE MIDDLE KEYS-MONROE LOWER KEYS- FLORIDA BAY-GULF SIDE OF THE LOWER KEYS OUT 20 NM- GULF WATERS FROM EAST CAPE SABLE TO CHOKOLOSKEE 20 TO 60 NM OUT- OCEAN REEF TO CRAIG KEY OUT 20 NM- CRAIG KEY TO THE WEST END OF THE 7 MILE BRIDGE OUT 20 NM- WEST END OF THE 7 MILE BRIDGE TO KEY WEST OUT 20 NM- OCEAN REEF TO CRAIG KEY 20 TO 60 NM OUT- CRAIG KEY TO THE WEST END OF THE 7 MILE BRIDGE 20 TO 60 NM OUT- WEST END OF THE 7 MILE BRIDGE TO KEY WEST 20 TO 60 NM OUT- KEY WEST TO 20 NM WEST OF DRY TORTUGAS OUT 60 NM- 1020 AM EDT MON APR 26 2010 ...STRONG TO LOCALLY SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A SQUALL LINE OVER SOUTH FLORIDA WILL APPROACH THE FLORIDA KEYS THIS AFTERNOON. THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS WITHIN THIS SQUALL LINE MAY BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING AN ISOLATED...SHORT-LIVED TORNADO AND WIND GUSTS NEAR 45 MPH. DAMAGING WINDS THAT COULD BRIEFLY TOP 58 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IF THERE IS ANY INTENSIFICATION OF THIS SQUALL LINE BEFORE IT REACHES THE FLORIDA KEYS. IN ADDITION...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS LIKELY WITH THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. THIS RAINFALL MAY CAUSE LOCALIZED STREET FLOODING... AS WELL AS FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WIDESPREAD SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED HOWEVER... INDIVIDUAL SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT HIGH WINDS AND POSSIBLE FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN KEY WEST. BS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL 1104 AM EDT MON APR 26 2010 FLZ076-077-261600- MONROE/MIDDLE KEYS FL-MONROE/UPPER KEYS FL- 1104 AM EDT MON APR 26 2010 ...A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MIDDLE KEYS IN MONROE AND UPPER KEYS IN MONROE COUNTIES FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS VALID UNTIL NOON EDT... AT 1101 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 20 MILES WEST OF KEY LARGO TO 11 MILES WEST OF MARATHON...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. THIS LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE AND UPPER KEYS FROM LONG KEY TO OCEAN REEF THROUGH NOON EDT. GUSTY WINDS TO 45 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG WITH POSSIBLE MINOR WIND DAMAGE. REPORT DAMAGE TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR YOUR COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...OR YOU CAN CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KEY WEST DIRECTLY AT 3 0 5...2 9 6...1 3 1 6...EXTENSION 3. BS
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL 1152 AM EDT MON APR 26 2010 FLZ076-261700- MONROE UPPER KEYS- INCLUDING THE CITY OF...KEY LARGO 1152 AM EDT MON APR 26 2010 ...A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR MIDDLE KEYS IN MONROE AND UPPER KEYS IN MONROE COUNTIES FOR STRONG THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL 1 PM EDT... AT 1101 AM EDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM 20 MILES WEST OF KEY LARGO TO 11 MILES WEST OF MARATHON...MOVING EAST AT 40 MPH. THIS LINE OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT PORTIONS OF THE MIDDLE AND UPPER KEYS FROM LONG KEY TO OCEAN REEF THROUGH NOON EDT. GUSTY WINDS TO 45 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG WITH POSSIBLE MINOR WIND DAMAGE. REPORT DAMAGE TO THE NEAREST LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY OR YOUR COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT...OR YOU CAN CALL THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN KEY WEST DIRECTLY AT 3 0 5...2 9 6...1 3 1 6...EXTENSION 3. BWC
The Miami radar (KAMX), 47 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:28 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Estimated southwest wind gusts to 45 mph shifted to northwest, gusting to about 60 mph as a line of thunderstorms moved through the Jewfish Creek area of North Key Largo. Filled trash cans were blown across a property with a mailbox destroyed.
Multiple spotters reported several downed tree limbs ranging from 8 to 12 inches in diameter at the intersection of Dolphin and Biscayne Roads in Key Largo.
A waterspout accompanying a line of severe thunderstorms moved onshore the Florida Bay side of Key Largo at the Marriott Florida Bay Resort. A tree was blown down blocking part of U.S. Highway 1 in front of the hotel. An outdoor day spa consisting of a thatched roof and bamboo shutters and interior mirrors was destroyed. Weighted deck loungers were blown across the pool deck and significant landscaping damage occurred on the waterfront side of the hotel. The tornado quickly dissipated over U.S. Highway 1, and was likely a non-supercell spawned waterspout. Estimated maximum winds were near 70 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Florida, 2010Warnings in Florida, April 2010
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: 229016, 229014, 229015.