Moist and unstable westerly flow over South Florida ahead of an approaching cold front led to strong thunderstorms with hail and heavy rainfall.
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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 MFL wrote it up.
Moist and unstable westerly flow over South Florida ahead of an approaching cold front led to strong thunderstorms with hail and heavy rainfall.
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 Apr 29, 12:37 PM EST, 1 hour 13 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 137 PM EDT FRI APR 29 2011 .AVIATION...BELIEVE SHWRS/TSTMS SHOULD START TO DEVELOP SOON ALONG EASTERN AREAS WITH FEW TSTMS GETTING CLOSER TO THE TERMINALS FROM AS EARLY AS 18Z. WL KEEP A TEMPO GROUP FOR ALL THE EASTERN TERMINALS AT LEAST THROUGH 21-22Z AFTER WHICH TIME MOST GUIDANCE INDICATE THAT MOST SHWRS/TSTMS SHOULD MOVE OFFSHORE. NEVERTHELESS...WL KEEP VCSH/VCTS THROUGH EVENING. SFC WINDS FORECAST QUITE MORE DIFFICULT AS SOME OF THE GUIDANCE INDICATE A SFC THERMAL LOW DEVELOPING AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH AND SFC WINDS OVER THE ERN TERMINALS SHIFTING FROM SW TO SE AND THEN FINALLY EAST OVERNIGHT. OVER KAPF...WIND FORECAST MUCH EASIER WITH WINDS STARTING FROM SW BUT SHIFTING TO NW AFTER FRONT PASSAGE LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND NE-E OVERNIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 919 AM EDT FRI APR 29 2011/ UPDATE... THE MAIN FOCUS FOR TODAY IS THE POSSIBILITY OF STRONG STORMS OVER AND AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE. THE MID LEVEL FLOW IN THE REGION IS WITHIN 30 TO 35 KTS AND MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES BETWEEN 6.5 AND 6.8 C PER KM. THE MAIN THREAT, AS DESCRIBED BY SPC COULD BE SOME PULSE-TYPE MULTICELL STORMS WITH ISOLATED DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL. CALCULATIONS USING BUFKIT FOR FORECAST SOUNDINGS FOR THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING INDICATE THAT THE VERTICAL WIND SHEAR WILL REMAIN MARGINAL, AND WITH THE LOW LEVEL VERTICAL WIND SHEAR STAYING WEAK RELATIVE TO THE COOL POOL...STRONG CELL REGENERATION ALONG THE GUST FRONT WILL BE LIMITED. THE ACTIVITY WILL PEAK LATE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING BEFORE DIMINISHING AFTER DARK. FORECAST SOUNDINGS SHOW CAPE VALUES ABOVE 2000 J/KG AND TOTAL SHEAR AT BEST AROUND 30 KTS. SOME SPOTS COULD SEE HIGHER CAPE VALUES. CELL SPLITTING COULD OCCUR...HOWEVER, THE MARGINAL VERTICAL SHEAR WILL LEAD TO RELATIVELY SHORT-LIVED CELLS. THE ESTIMATED POTENTIAL OF THE MAGNITUDE OF THE DOWNDRAFT IS AROUND 40 KNOTS. WITH THE PRESENCE OF SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS THE WEST COAST SEA BREEZE IS FORECAST TO MAKE MORE PROGRESS THAN THE EAST COAST ONE. FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE A STORM MOTION FROM THE WEST...WHICH COULD MOVE INTO THE METRO AREAS SOME OF THE ISOLATED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS THAT FORM IN THE INTERIOR. IF CELL SPLIT OCCURS, THIS WILL ALLOW FOR THE CELL PROPAGATING TO THE SOUTHEAST TO MOVE TOWARD THE SOUTHERN METRO AREAS. THE ONLY UPDATE TO THE FORECAST WAS THE INCLUSION OF A SLIGHT RISK OF WEAK TORNADOES AND WATERSPOUTS, ESPECIALLY OVER PALM BEACH COUNTY AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. THE CONDITIONS ARE MARGINAL...BUT IF THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE INTERACTS WITH THE SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW IT COULD GENERATE A SOME LOW LEVEL SPIN NEAR THE COASTLINE... AND OVER THE COASTAL WATERS. THESE WEAK TORNADOES AND WATERSPOUTS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED WITH MARGINAL EPISODES IN THE PAST. THE FORECAST REASONING FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK CONTINUES THE SAME. THE WARMEST DAYTIME TEMPERATURES SHIFT TO THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE CWA FOR SATURDAY AS THE WINDS ARE FORECAST TO TURN FROM THE NE AFTER THE FRONT CLEARS THE FLORIDA PENINSULA LATER THIS EVENING. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 720 AM EDT FRI APR 29 2011/ AVIATION...CLOUDS AHEAD OF COLD FRONT BEGINNING TO ENTER SOUTH FLORIDA PENINSULA THIS MORNING, BUT MOST OF THESE ARE IN VFR CATEGORY, THEREFORE NO SIGNIFICANT CEILINGS AND VSBYS EXPECTED IN SHORT TERM. CONVECTION EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER SOUTH FLORIDA AFT 16Z WITH MOST STORMS OVER INTERIOR AND EASTERN SECTIONS. WENT WITH TEMPO TSRA AT PBI AND FLL AREA SITES AS GREATEST CONCENTRATION OF TSTMS SHOULD BE NEAR THESE AREAS, HOWEVER TSRA CAN'T BE RULED OUT IN MIA AREA EITHER. KAPF IS THE LEAST LIKELY TO SEE TSRA THIS AFTERNOON, BUT STILL A POSSIBILITY AS STORMS DEVELOP JUST INLAND. WIND SHIFTS TO NE TONIGHT BEHIND WEAKENING COLD FRONT WITH VCSH LINGERING AT EAST COAST SITES. PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 403 AM EDT FRI APR 29 2011/ SOME STRONG STORMS NORTHEAST AREAS OF SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY... DRY WEATHER OVER SOUTH FLORIDA THIS WEEKEND... DISCUSSION... A COLD FRONT LOCATED OVER NORTH FLORIDA EARLY THIS MORNING WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE TO THE SOUTH AND BE LOCATED OVER SOUTH FLORIDA BY THIS EVENING. THE STEERING FLOW AHEAD OF THE FRONT WILL BE FROM THE SOUTHWEST OVER THE CWA. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR THE WEST COAST SEA BREEZE TO PUSH ACROSS THE CWA TODAY WHILE KEEPING THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE OVER THE EAST COAST METRO AREAS. SO THE FOCUS FOR SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TODAY WILL BE OVER THE INTERIOR AND EAST COAST METRO AREAS WITH THE HIGHEST POPS OVER THE NORTHEAST INTERIOR AREAS. THEREFORE...THE POPS WILL BE RAISE TO HIGH END CHANCE FOR THE EAST COAST METRO AREAS WITH LIKELY POPS OVER THE NORTHEAST INTERIOR AREAS FOR THIS AFTERNOON. REST OF THE CWA WILL SEE SCATTERED POPS FOR TODAY. THE MID TO UPPER LEVEL OF THE ATMOSPHERE OVER SOUTH FLORIDA WILL REMAIN COLD (-10C TO -11C)...AS THE SURFACE TEMPERATURES WILL BE IN THE LOWER TO MID 90S. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR SOME OF THE STORMS THIS AFTERNOON TO BECOME STRONG ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORTHEAST AREAS OF THE CWA WHERE THE SEA BREEZES AND LAKE BREEZE COLLIDE. THE PRIMARY IMPACTS FROM THE STRONG STORMS WILL BE HEAVY RAINFALL...GUSTY WINDS...AND LARGE HAIL. SO WILL MENTION THIS IN THE MORNING HWO PACKAGE. THE FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO PUSH THROUGH SOUTH FLORIDA THIS EVENING AND WASH OUT OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS LATE TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY. SO THE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DISSIPATE OVER THE CWA THIS EVENING AS THE HEATING OF THE DAY IS LOST. THEREFORE...SCATTERED POPS WILL CONTINUE FOR THE EAST COAST METRO AREAS FOR THIS EVENING BEFORE GOING DRY FOR THE OVERNIGHT HOURS FRIDAY. FOR REST OF THE CWA...THE INTERIOR AREAS WILL HAVE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF POPS FOR THE EVENING HOURS WHILE THE WEST COAST METRO AREAS WILL REMAIN DRY FOR FRIDAY NIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE WILL THEN BUILD INTO SOUTH FLORIDA FROM THE NORTH FOR THE WEEKEND ALLOWING FOR EASTERLY WINDS OVER THE CWA. THIS WILL KEEP MOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA DRY THIS WEEKEND WITH ONLY A COUPLE OF ISOLATED SHOWERS FOR THE EAST COAST METRO AREAS. DUE TO THE SMALL COVERAGE OF THE SHOWERS FOR THE EAST COAST METRO AREAS THIS WEEKEND...PLAN ON ONLY HAVING A SLIGHT 10 POPS AT THIS TIME FOR THE EAST COAST METRO AREAS. THE WINDS WILL ALSO BECOME BREEZY OVER THE EAST COAST METRO AREAS THIS WEEKEND. THIS WILL LEAD TO AN ELEVATED RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ALONG THE EAST COAST BEACHES OF SOUTH FLORIDA FOR THIS WEEKEND. EXTENDED FORECAST... THE HIGH WILL REMAIN OVER THE FLORIDA PENINSULA EARLY NEXT WEEK BEFORE MOVING EAST INTO THE ATLANTIC WATERS BY MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR ANOTHER COLD FRONT TO WORK INTO SOUTH FLORIDA FROM THE NORTH FOR LATE NEXT WEEK. SO WILL CONTINUE THE DRY WEATHER FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK WITH THE SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS FOR THE MIDDLE TO END OF NEXT WEEK OVER THE CWA. MARINE... THE WINDS WILL BE SOUTHWEST TODAY BEFORE SWINGING TO A EASTERLY DIRECTION THIS WEEKEND OVER THE CWA WATERS. THE SPEEDS WILL BE 5 TO 10 MPH TODAY BEFORE INCREASING TO 15 TO 20 KNOTS LATE SATURDAY INTO SUNDAY FOR MOST OF THE CWA WATERS, EXCEPT FOR THE NEAR-SHORE GULF WATERS WHERE THEY WILL BE IN THE 10 TO 15 KNOT RANGE FOR THIS WEEKEND. THE SEAS WILL ALSO REMAIN BELOW 6 FEET TODAY INTO THIS WEEKEND OVER BOTH THE ATLANTIC AND GULF WATERS OF SOUTH FLORIDA. THEREFORE...BOATING CONDITIONS SHOULD BE GOOD TODAY INTO THIS WEEKEND OUTSIDE OF ANY SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THAT DO DEVELOP TODAY. FIRE WEATHER... THE RELATIVE HUMIDITIES TODAY WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE THE 35 PERCENT CRITICAL VALUE DUE TO THE TROPICAL MOISTURE OVER THE CWA. THE RELATIVE HUMIDITIES ON SATURDAY WILL ABLE TO FALL INTO THE MID 30S FOR COUPLE OF HOURS OVER THE NORTHWEST INTERIOR AREAS WITH 40S OVER REST OF THE CWA...AS DRY AIR WORKS TO THE AREA FROM THE NORTH BEHIND THE COLD FRONT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WEST PALM BEACH 73 85 75 85 / 30 10 10 10 FORT LAUDERDALE 76 85 77 85 / 30 10 10 10 MIAMI 75 86 76 86 / 30 10 10 10 NAPLES 72 91 71 91 / 10 10 - 10 && .MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. AM...NONE. GM...NONE. && DISCUSSION/MARINE...71/JE AVIATION/RADAR/FIRE...47/RGH
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH FLORIDA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 836 AM EDT FRI APR 29 2011 FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-300345- GLADES-HENDRY-INLAND PALM BEACH-METRO PALM BEACH-COASTAL COLLIER- INLAND COLLIER-INLAND BROWARD-METRO BROWARD-INLAND MIAMI DADE- METRO MIAMI DADE-MAINLAND MONROE-COASTAL PALM BEACH- COASTAL BROWARD-COASTAL MIAMI DADE-FAR SOUTH MIAMI DADE- 836 AM EDT FRI APR 29 2011 ...STRONG STORMS POSSIBLE LAKE OKEECHOBEE AREA AND PALM BEACHES... ...ISOLATED WEAK TORNADOES OR WATERSPOUTS PALM BEACH AND BROWARD AND ADJACENT WATERS... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS: SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING OVER MOST OF SOUTH FLORIDA. THE MOST CONCENTRATED AREA OF STORMS IS EXPECTED TO BE OVER THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE REGION AND PALM BEACH COUNTY, WITH LESS COVERAGE ALONG THE GULF COAST. WIND: GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED WITH THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING, EXCEPT POSSIBLY UP TO 60 MPH AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE AND PALM BEACH COUNTY. TORNADOES: WEAK TORNADOES OR WATERSPOUTS ARE POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGEST STORMS THIS AFTERNOON OVER PALM BEACH AND BROWARD COUNTIES AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. HAIL: LARGE HAIL IS POSSIBLE IN THE STRONGEST STORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING AROUND LAKE OKEECHOBEE AND PALM BEACH COUNTY, WITH SMALL HAIL A POSSIBILITY ELSEWHERE. VISIBILITY: REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN FOG AND SMOKE ARE POSSIBLE OVER GLADES, HENDRY AND INLAND SECTIONS OF COLLIER COUNTY EARLY THIS MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE RISK OF RIP CURRENTS WILL SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE ALONG THE ATLANTIC BEACHES THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK AS EASTERLY WINDS INCREASE TO 15 TO 20 MPH. AS THE EASTERLY WINDS INCREASE OVER SOUTH FLORIDA BEGINNING ON SATURDAY, THIS COULD PRESENT A PROBLEM WITH THE FIRE IN THE GOLDEN GATE ESTATES AREA. IF THE FIRE IS NOT CONTAINED BY THE TIME THE WINDS INCREASE OUT OF THE EAST THIS WEEKEND, IT COULD RESULT IN EVACUATIONS ORDERS FOR A FEW OF THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES WEST OF THE FIRE. RESIDENTS IN THAT AREA ARE ADVISED TO REMAIN ON THE ALERT AND STAY TUNED WITH INFORMATION COMING FROM THE LOCAL AUTHORITIES. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE NEEDED LATER TODAY. SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT HIGH WIND, HAIL AND FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN MIAMI. FOR MORE INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIAMI WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MIAMI.
The Miami radar (KAMX), 50 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:52 UTC.
4 hail, 1 heavy rain, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter reported penny-sized hail near the intersection of SW 199th avenue and Griffin Road.
A member of the public reported quarter-sized hail near the intersection of SW 70th Street and SW 85th Avenue in Kendall.
Dime to quarter-sized hail was observed near the intersection of SW 64th Avenue and SW 14th Street in West Miami.
A member of the public reported nickel-sized hail at the intersection of Miller Road and SW 87th Avenue.
The roof of the four-story Whispering Palms apartment complex in Lauderdale Lakes collapsed during a heavy rain storm. The roof was being repaired and had been fitted with drains, but the drains were clogged with debris. More than 50 families were displaced by the water.
1.45 inches of rain was measured at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport in just over an hour, about 3 miles to the northeast. Radar estimated as much as three inches of rain in less than 5 hours over parts of that area.
A pilot reported several funnel clouds about 4 to 5 nautical miles west of the intersection of I-95 and Yamato Road.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, April 2011
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: 305086, 305088, 305093, 305094, 305096, 305095.