Thunderstorms produced rainfall of 2 to 3 inches across Key West, resulting in street flooding in the low-lying sections of Old Town.
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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.
Thunderstorms produced rainfall of 2 to 3 inches across Key West, resulting in street flooding in the low-lying sections of Old Town.
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 Aug 20, 8:15 AM EST, 6 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL 915 AM EDT TUE AUG 20 2013 .DISCUSSION...IN THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS...LATEST AVAILABLE SATELLITE IMAGERY OVERLAID WITH RELIABLE MODEL STREAMLINE ANALYSIS CONTINUE TO DETAIL ANOMALOUSLY LOWER HEIGHTS WITH AMPLIFIED SYNOPTIC SCALE TROUGHING OVER THE MIDDLE AND EASTERN CONUS. THE CENTER OF DEEP AND WARM MID AND UPPER RIDGING IS LOCATED NEAR 33 NORTH 65 WEST...WITH THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDING POKING ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHERN FLORIDA. ACROSS THE TROPICS...A NEARLY SLOW MOVING/STATIONARY MID AND UPPER LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM AND ASSOCIATED VORTICITY MAXIMUM LOCATED JUST WEST OF THE KEYS CONTINUES TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR EPISODIC CONFLAGRATION OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...HOWEVER...THE LATEST MIMIC (SATELLITE ANALYSIS OF INTEGRATED PRECIPITABLE WATER) IMAGERY FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN DETAILS THE APPROACH OF A NARROW SWATH OF LOWER PWAT(NEAR 1.50 INCHES) NOW ENTERING THE EASTERN STRAITS WATERS...WHICH WILL GRADUALLY WARM UP AND DRY OUT THE MID AND UPPER LEVELS THROUGH THE COURSE OF THE MORNING. .AT THE SURFACE AND IN THE LOWER LEVELS...THE WESTERN PERIPHERY OF A 1020 MB SURFACE RIDGE IS POSITIONED ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA FROM THE WEST CENTRAL ATLANTIC. WELL WEST OF THAT...THE LOW LEVEL AXIS OF A TROPICAL WAVE NOW BISECTS THE EAST CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO TO THE YUCATAN. AS A RESULT...THE 12Z SOUNDING AT KEY WEST CONTINUES TO SHOW AN EXCEEDINGLY MOIST GENTLE EASTERLY FLOW FROM THE SURFACE TO 700 MB...WITH 2 DEGREES OF COOLING IN 24 HOURS FROM 1000 TO 750 MB. .CURRENTLY...SKIES ARE MOSTLY CLOUDY ACROSS THE ISLANDS AND ADJOINING WATERS. TEMPERATURES ARE IN THE LOWER 80S OUTSIDE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS. C-MAN STATIONS AND ISLAND STATIONS ARE RECORDING EAST WINDS BETWEEN 10 AND 15 MPH...WITH C-MAN STATIONS ON THE REEF AND ACROSS THE STRAITS NEAR 15 KNOTS WINDS OUTSIDE OF CONVECTION. .SHORT TERM (REST OF TODAY)...AVAILABLE GUIDANCE COMBINED WITH THE SATELLITE TRENDS HIGHLIGHTED ABOVE CONTINUE TO SHIFT DEEPER MOISTURE AND HIGHER SHOWER COVERAGES WESTWARD. AND SINCE PRESENT RADAR JUST SHOWS WIDELY SEPARATED LOWER TOPPED SHOWERS UPSTREAM...RAIN CHANCES WILL RETURN CLOSER TO CLIMATOLOGY. HOWEVER...GIVEN THE ABUNDANCE OF THE DRIER AIR IN THE MID LEVELS AND EXPECTED MIXING GIVEN THE HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM POKING ACROSS THE PENINSULA TO OUR NORTH AND A DECENT GRADIENT...WOULD EXPECT REDUCTION OF SHOWER COVERAGES TO ISOLATED BY LATER IN THE MORNING. THEREFORE A MINOR ADJUSTMENT MAY BE MADE LATER IN THE MORNING TO REDUCE RAIN CHANCES TO 20 PERCENT...ISOLATED. && .MARINE...EASTERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO AVERAGE 10 TO 15 KNOTS INSIDE THE REEF AND ACROSS SHALLOWER WATERS TO THE NORTH...WITH NEAR 15 KNOTS ACROSS THE FLORIDA STRAITS...EXCEPT OF COURSE WILL BE VARIABLE AND HIGHER IN AND NEAR ANY SHOWERS AND STORMS. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL BECOME ISOLATED BY AFTERNOON. && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT EYW AND MTH TODAY AND TONIGHT. SHORT-LIVED MVFR CONDITIONS ARE CONCEIVABLE AT EYW AND MTH TONIGHT. THIS POSSIBILITY IS NOT GREAT ENOUGH TO PLACE IN THE TERMINAL FORECASTS AT THIS TIME. SUSTAINED EAST WINDS NEAR 15 KNOTS ARE EXPECTED FROM JUST OFF THE SURFACE TO ABOUT 5000 FEET. && .CLIMATE... ON THIS DATE IN KEYS WEATHER HISTORY...IN 1963...2.06 INCHES OF RAIN FELL IN KEY WEST. THIS SET THE DAILY RECORD FOR MAXIMUM RAINFALL MEASURED IN KEY WEST ON AUGUST 20TH...A RECORD WHICH STILL STANDS 50 YEARS LATER. RAINFALL RECORDS AT KEY WEST DATE BACK TO 1871. && .KEY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. GM...NONE. && PUBLIC/MARINE/GRIDS...................DAF AVIATION/NOWCASTS/CLIMATE.............BS DATA COLLECTION/UPPER AIR.............MP/FJ VISIT US ON THE WEB AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/KEYWEST
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL 605 AM EDT TUE AUG 20 2013 FLZ076>078-GMZ031>035-042>044-052>055-072>075-211015- MONROE UPPER KEYS-MONROE MIDDLE KEYS-MONROE LOWER KEYS- FLORIDA BAY INCLUDING BARNES SOUND, BLACKWATER SOUND, AND BUTTONWOOD SOUND- BAYSIDE AND GULF SIDE FROM CRAIG KEY TO WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE- 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- GULF OF MEXICO FROM WEST END OF SEVEN MILE BRIDGE TO HALFMOON SHOAL OUT TO 5 FATHOMS- 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- 605 AM EDT TUE AUG 20 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT THE FLORIDA KEYS...AS WELL AS NEARSHORE AND OFFSHORE WATERS SURROUNDING THE ISLAND CHAIN. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WILL BE LIGHTNING STRIKES AND LOCALLY GUSTY WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE ALONG THE FLORIDA KEYS...AS WELL AS NEARSHORE AND OFFSHORE WATERS SURROUNDING THE ISLAND CHAIN. THE PRIMARY HAZARDS WILL BE LIGHTNING STRIKES. A SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY MAY BE REQUIRED FOR THE FLORIDA STRAITS...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. CLR
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy rainfall of 2 to 3 inches resulted in street flooding, with Greene and Front Streets closed in Old Town Key West. Lower Duval Street and Caroline Street were also flooding.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, August 2013
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: 474458.