A stationary surface trough of low pressure focused thunderstorm clusters across the Florida Keys. Several gale-force wind gusts were measured in the nearshore waters, along with locally heavy rainfall across the Upper Florida Keys.
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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 stationary surface trough of low pressure focused thunderstorm clusters across the Florida Keys. Several gale-force wind gusts were measured in the nearshore waters, along with locally heavy rainfall across the Upper Florida Keys.
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 30, 9:26 AM EST, 3 hours 4 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL 1026 AM EDT MON APR 30 2012 .DISCUSSION... A CLUSTER OF STRONG STORMS REMAINS PERSISTENT IN THE ATLANTIC WATERS BEYOND 20 NM SOUTH OF THE LOWER AND MIDDLE KEYS...IN THE VICINITY OF A LOW LEVEL TROUGH AXIS. OTHER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE LIFTING NORTHWESTWARD IN THE OFFSHORE ATLANTIC WATERS AWAY FROM THE UPPER KEYS. LIGHTER AND MORE WIDELY SPACE SHOWERS ARE ACROSS THE BAY...THE FLORIDA KEYS...AND NEARBY GULF WATERS. FRESH TO OCCASIONALLY STRONG WINDS ARE MAINLY EAST ACROSS THE EASTERN HALF OF THE KEYS SERVICE AREA...WITH A NORTHEASTERLY COMPONENT IN THE WESTERN HALF. TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE MIDDLE TO UPPER 70S ALONG THE ISLAND CHAIN AT THIS HOUR. SOME BREAKS IN THE CLOUD COVER ARE MORE PREVALENT IN THE LOWER KEYS AND ADJACENT ATLANTIC WATERS...BUT OVERALL MOSTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS ARE IN PLACE. THE LARGE AREA OF RAIN WITH EMBEDDED SHOWERS/TSTMS EARLIER OVER THE EASTERN HALF OF THE KEYS HAS WANED. THE LOCAL MORNING SOUNDING SHOWS A VERY MOIST AND CONDITIONALLY UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT. WITH THE SURFACE TROUGH ALIGNED ACROSS THE SERVICE AREA...A BROAD MID LEVEL CYCLONIC CIRCULATION ALMOST DIRECTLY OVERHEAD WHICH IS NOT MOVING ANYWHERE SOON...AND A WEAK UPPER TROUGH...THE RAIN CHANCES REMAIN HIGH IN THE SHORT TERM PORTION OF THE FORECAST. HOWEVER...DUE TO THE RADAR TRENDS AND THE NATURE OF THE CONVECTION CURRENTLY DEPICTED ON KBYX DOPPLER RADAR...CUT OUR RAIN CHANCES BACK A LITTLE FROM THE EARLY MORNING ZONE ISSUANCE. LIKELY POPS REMAIN THOUGH. NO OTHER CHANGES WERE INCORPORATED IN THE RECENTLY ISSUED ZONE UPDATE. && .MARINE... DROPPED OUR EXPECTED SHOWER COVERAGE BACK TO NUMEROUS AS OPPOSED TO WIDESPREAD FOR THE DURATION OF TODAY. BUT THERE IS A HIGH PROBABILITY OF SPECIAL MARINE WARNINGS THROUGH THE AFTERNOON...AND A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN PLACE FOR ALL WATERS SURROUNDING THE FLORIDA KEYS THANKS TO FRESH TO STRONG NORTHEAST/EAST WINDS IN PLACE. LIKE THE ZONES...NO OTHER CHANGES WERE INCLUDED IN THE RECENTLY UPDATED COASTAL WATERS FORECAST. && .AVIATION... THROUGH 01/06Z: PERIODS OF SUB-VFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE AT EYW AND MTH...AS SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS DEVELOP OVER THE REGION AND MOVE QUICKLY WESTWARD. HOWEVER...TIMING AND INTENSITY OF THESE SHOWERS REMAINS IN QUESTION. PLEASE CHECK THE LATEST TERMINAL FORECASTS THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND EVENING HOURS...AS TIMELY AMENDMENTS WILL BE ISSUED AS NECESSARY BASED ON SHORT-TERM RADAR TRENDS. NORTHEAST TO EAST WINDS OF 20 TO 30 KNOTS ARE EXPECTED FROM JUST OFF THE SURFACE UP TO 4000 FEET AT EYW AND MTH. && .KEY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. GM...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY GMZ031>034-042>044-052>055-072>075. && PUBLIC/MARINE.........04 AVIATION/NOWCASTS.....NELSON DATA COLLECTION.......ULRICH VISIT US ON THE WEB AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/KEYWEST
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL 910 PM EDT SUN APR 29 2012 FLZ076>078-GMZ031>034-042>044-052>055-072>075-301000- MONROE UPPER KEYS-MONROE MIDDLE KEYS-MONROE LOWER KEYS- FLORIDA BAY INCLUDING BLACKWATER AND BUTTONWOOD SOUNDS- BAYSIDE AND GULF SIDE FROM CRAIG KEY TO HALFMOON SHOAL OUT TO 5 FATHOMS- GULF WATERS FROM EAST CAPE SABLE TO CHOKOLOSKEE 20 TO 60 NM OUT AND BEYOND 5 FATHOMS- GULF OF MEXICO INCLUDING DRY TORTUGAS AND REBECCA SHOAL CHANNEL- HAWK CHANNEL FROM OCEAN REEF TO CRAIG KEY OUT TO THE REEF- HAWK CHANNEL FROM CRAIG KEY TO WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE OUT TO THE REEF- HAWK CHANNEL FROM WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO HALFMOON SHOAL OUT TO THE REEF- STRAITS OF FLORIDA FROM OCEAN REEF TO CRAIG KEY OUT 20 NM- STRAITS OF FLORIDA FROM CRAIG KEY TO WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE OUT 20 NM- STRAITS OF FLORIDA FROM WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO SOUTH OF HALFMOON SHOAL OUT 20 NM- STRAITS OF FLORIDA FROM HALFMOON SHOAL TO 20 NM WEST OF DRY TORTUGAS OUT 20 NM- STRAITS OF FLORIDA FROM OCEAN REEF TO CRAIG KEY 20 TO 60 NM OUT- STRAITS OF FLORIDA FROM CRAIG KEY TO WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE 20 TO 60 NM OUT- STRAITS OF FLORIDA FROM WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO SOUTH OF HALFMOON SHOAL 20 TO 60 NM OUT- STRAITS OF FLORIDA FROM HALFMOON SHOAL TO 20 NM WEST OF DRY TORTUGAS 20 TO 60 NM OUT- 910 PM EDT SUN APR 29 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT THE FLORIDA KEYS AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. THE PRIMARY THUNDERSTORM HAZARDS WILL BE CLOUD TO SURFACE LIGHTNING STRIKES AND WIND GUSTS NEAR 45 MPH. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE IN PORTIONS OF THE UPPER AND MIDDLE KEYS...WHICH MAY RESULT IN STREET FLOODING AND PONDING OF WATER IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR THE COASTAL WATERS OF THE GULF OF MEXICO...FLORIDA BAY...AND THE EASTERN PORTIONS OF HAWK CHANNEL AND THE FLORIDA STRAITS DUE TO SUSTAINED NORTHEAST TO EAST SURFACE WINDS OF 20 TO 25 KNOTS...WITH GUSTS NEAR 30 KNOTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL IS POSSIBLE IN PORTIONS OF THE UPPER AND MIDDLE KEYS MONDAY...WHICH MAY RESULT IN STREET FLOODING AND PONDING OF WATER IN POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. THE PRIMARY THUNDERSTORM HAZARDS WILL BE CLOUD TO SURFACE LIGHTNING STRIKES AND WIND GUSTS NEAR 40 MPH. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE REQUIRED FOR ALL KEYS COASTAL WATERS MONDAY. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY WILL LIKELY BE REQUIRED FOR ALL KEYS COASTAL WATERS MONDAY NIGHT. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE REQUIRED FOR ALL KEYS COASTAL WATERS TUESDAY. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THE COASTAL WATERS OF THE ATLANTIC TUESDAY NIGHT. NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WE ARE ALWAYS INTERESTED IN RAINFALL AND THUNDERSTORM WIND GUST MEASUREMENTS. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REPORT THESE AT ANY TIME. BS
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
One lane of U.S. Highway 1 was closed near Mile Marker 103.5 due to heavy rainfall, which flooded the median of the highway and inundated the left southbound lane.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, April 2012
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: 380108.