A stalled frontal system over southeast Florida led to the development of heavy showers over coastal sections of Miami-Dade County, as well as strong afternoon thunderstorms over inland sections of the southern peninsula.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
A stalled frontal system over southeast Florida led to the development of heavy showers over coastal sections of Miami-Dade County, as well as strong afternoon thunderstorms over inland sections of the southern peninsula.
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 6, 6:33 AM EST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 733 AM EDT FRI MAY 6 2011 .AVIATION...THE OLD STALLED FRNT OVR FLA STRAITS BEGINNING TO MOVE N AS A WRM FRNT. AN UPR LVL DISTURBANCE MOVG ACRS THE GUF OF MEX WL MOV ACRS THE FLA PENINSULA THIS AFTN. SCT SHRA DURING THE MORNING HRS ALONG THE SE CST WITH SCT SHRA/TSRA DVLPG MAINLY IN THE INTERIOR AFT 18Z WHCH WL MOV FM SW-W TWD THE E CST. ATTM ONLY VCTS IN E CST TAFS AFT 18-19Z BUT ONLY VCSH AT KAPF. SFC WNDS N OF WRM FRNT ENE 7-10 KTS AND E-ESE 7-10 KTS S OF THE WRM FNT. WNDS BCM SSE 10-12 KTS BY AFTN WITH SEA BREEZE DVLPG AT KAPF. JR/KOB && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 501 AM EDT FRI MAY 6 2011/ DISCUSSION... LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH A LINGERING FRONTAL BOUNDARY CONTINUES ACROSS THE REGION...WITH LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATING CONSIDERABLE CLOUDINESS ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA AND ADJACENT GULF AND ATLANTIC WATERS. REGIONAL PWAT VALUES ARE CURRENTLY AROUND 1.6 INCHES AND SHOULD CONTINUE NEAR THOSE VALUES THROUGH TODAY WITH THE LINGERING FRONTAL BOUNDARY MOISTURE AND LOW LEVEL FLOW SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW ACROSS THE GULF IS FORECAST TO BRING ADDITIONAL LOW LEVEL MOISTURE ACROSS THE REGION. ADDITIONAL SYNOPTIC FEATURES THAT WILL INFLUENCE THE CHANCES FOR CONVECTION ACROSS THE REGION TODAY INCLUDE AN UPPER LEVEL JET FORECAST TO PASS ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTION OF SOUTH FLORIDA BY THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING...WITH A WEAK MID LEVEL SHORT WAVE INFLUENCING THE REGION AT THE SAME TIME. SO ALTHOUGH THE CLOUDINESS WILL HAMPER THE DAY TIME HEATING...GIVEN THE AVAILABLE MOISTURE AND POSSIBLE DYNAMICS INFLUENCING CONVECTION A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WAS ADDED FOR MOST OF THE CWA...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WITH A CHANCE OF A FEW THUNDERSTORMS BECOMING STRONG. BY SATURDAY LINGERING BOUNDARY MOISTURE ACROSS THE REGION MAY RESULT IN SOME ISOLATED SHOWERS ACROSS THE CWA...WITH THE MID TO UPPER LEVELS NOT FAVORABLE FOR SUPPORTING CONVECTION. THEN BY SUNDAY INTO NEXT WEEK DRIER AIR IS FORECAST TO ENTER THE REGION WITH THE LATEST GUIDANCE INDICATING LITTLE CHANCE OF PRECIP ACROSS THE REGION. MARINE... EASTERLY WINDS ACROSS THE LOCAL ATLANTIC WATERS IN THE 10 TO 15 KNOT RANGE ARE FORECAST TO LESSEN AND BECOME SOUTHEASTERLY LATER TODAY AND SOUTHERLY THIS EVENING...WITH LOCAL ATLANTIC WATERS SLOWLY SUBSIDING THROUGH THE DAY. THROUGH THE WEEKEND INTO NEXT WEEK MAINLY TRANQUIL MARINE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. FIRE WEATHER... LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND CLOUDINESS CONTINUE TO LINGER ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AS A DIFFUSE FRONTAL BOUNDARY CONTINUES ACROSS THE REGION. CHANCES OF CONVECTION TODAY ARE MAINLY EXPECTED IN THE INTERIOR AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE PENINSULA...BUT A CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE FORECAST FOR THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE PENINSULA AND MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON. LINGERING CLOUDINESS WILL LIMIT FULL DEVELOPMENT OF WEST COAST SEA BREEZE TODAY BUT LATEST GUIDANCE SUGGESTS A WEAK ONE WILL DEVELOP BUT NOT PENETRATE TOO FAR INLAND. ON SATURDAY SOME DRIER AIR IS FORECAST TO ENTER THE NORTHERN PART OF THE CWA...WITH THE NORTHWEST INTERIOR PORTIONS POSSIBLY REACHING NEAR CRITICAL MINIMUM RELATIVE HUMIDITIES FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS IN THE AFTERNOON. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WEST PALM BEACH 83 70 85 70 / 50 30 20 10 FORT LAUDERDALE 83 72 85 73 / 40 30 20 10 MIAMI 84 70 87 72 / 50 30 20 10 NAPLES 85 70 87 69 / 30 20 20 10 && .MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. AM...NONE. GM...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH FLORIDA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 400 AM EDT FRI MAY 6 2011 FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-062200- 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- 400 AM EDT FRI MAY 6 2011 ...FEW STRONG THUNDERSTORMS POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON/EVENING... ...SLIGHT RISK OF RIP CURRENTS ATLANTIC BEACHES... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT VISIBILITY: PATCHY SMOKE OVER INLAND COLLIER COUNTY FROM WILDFIRES, COMBINED WITH SOME FOG, WILL LEAD TO LOCALIZED AREAS OF VISIBILITY BELOW ONE HALF OF A MILE OR LESS. AREAS MOST LIKELY TO BE IMPACTED INCLUDE TAMIAMI TRAIL. THE DENSE SMOKE AND FOG WILL RESULT IN EXTREMELY HAZARDOUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS. RIP CURRENTS: EAST SOUTH WINDS OF 10 WILL RESULT IN A SLIGHT RISK OF RIP CURRENTS AT THE BEACHES OF MIAMI DADE, BROWARD, AND PALM BEACH COUNTIES. THUNDERSTORMS: SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE INTO THE EARLY EVENING WITH THE HIGHEST RISK OVER THE INTERIOR AND NORTHEAST PORTIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA. A FEW THUNDERSTORMS MAY CONTAIN OCCASIONAL TO FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES, LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL, GUSTY WINDS, AND SMALL HAIL. WATERSPOUTS: AN ISOLATED WATERSPOUT IS POSSIBLE OVER THE ATLANTIC WATERS, MAINLY THROUGH LATE THIS MORNING. WIND: GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH MAY OCCUR WITH THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. HAIL: PEA TO DIME SIZE HAIL IS POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SOME RISK OF RIP CURRENTS WILL REMAIN AT THE SOUTHEAST FLORIDA BEACHES THROUGH THE WEEKEND. DUE TO ONGOING WILDFIRES, DENSE SMOKE AND FOG ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS PORTIONS OF INLAND COLLIER COUNTY, MAINLY DURING THE LATE NIGHT AND EARLY MORNING HOURS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WIDESPREAD SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED, HOWEVER INDIVIDUAL SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT HIGH WIND AND HAIL 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), 42 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 12:45 UTC.
1 heavy rain, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rain fell on Key Biscayne and the surrounding coastal Miami-Dade County areas flooding some roadways in Surfside near Collins Ave and 91st and on Key Biscayne. Over 5 inches fell on Key Biscayne at Bill Baggs State Park and 3.5 inches fell on Virginia Key at RSMAS.
Hail up to 1 inch in diameter was reported by Hendry County Sheriff's Office.
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, May 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: 309762, 313783.