Florida, 2013Funnel Clouds in Florida, January 4, 2013
January 4, 2013 · NWS MFL · 2 events in 1 county or zone
The east coast sea breeze moved inland during the afternoon across Miami-Dade County producing a line of cumulus clouds and large funnel clouds.
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 east coast sea breeze moved inland during the afternoon across Miami-Dade County producing a line of cumulus clouds and large funnel clouds.
What forecasters said that day
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 Jan 4, 12:55 PM EST, 35 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jan 4, 12:55 PM EST, 35 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1255 PM EST FRI JAN 4 2013
.AVIATION...
GENERAL INSTABILITY HAS MADE THE AVIATION FORECAST A LITTLE TRICKY
FOR THIS TAF PERIOD. THE MAIN PROBLEM OF THE DAY ARE CIGS. THERE
IS A WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY LAY SW TO NE SOMEWHERE AROUND LAKE
OKEECHOBEE. IT IS MEANDERING AROUND THE AREA, BUT TOO WEAK TO
CAUSE ANY PRECIPITATION AT THIS TIME. BUT IT HAS WEAKENED THE CAP
ENOUGH TO ALLOW AREAS OF CLOUDS TO FORM AND HAVE SOME VERTICAL
HEIGHT TO THEM. ALSO, WITH PLENTY OF SFC MOISTURE, CIGS HAVE BEEN
LOWER TODAY THEN THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS. HOWEVER, THE LOWER CIGS
ARE NOT PERSISTENT IN ONE LOCATION. SO, HAVE VFR CIGS AS
PREVAILING AROUND 060 FT AND TEMPO CIGS AT EITHER 015 FT OR 025
FT, DEPENDING ON WHAT HAS BEEN REPORTED IN THOSE AREAS. WINDS
TODAY SHOULD BE EASTERLY, IF NOT LIGHT AND VARIABLE.
TONIGHT, SOME OF THE CLOUDS SHOULD DISSIPATE WITH THE LOSS OF
DAYTIME HEATING. WITH SOME CLEARING, THERE IS THE CHANCE FOR SOME
ADDITIONAL FOG OR LOW STRATUS TO FORM. SO, HAVE PLACED TEMPO
GROUPS IN THE TAFS TO REFLECT THIS.
BY AROUND 14Z TOMORROW, CONDITIONS SHOULD GO BACK TO VFR AS MODELS
ARE INDICATING THAT THE FRONT MAY RELOCATE ITSELF A LITTLE FURTHER
NORTH.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 955 AM EST FRI JAN 4 2013/
UPDATE...
MORNING FOG CONTINUES TO ERODE RAPIDLY ACROSS THE SOUTH FLORIDA
AREA. FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS NEARLY STATIONARY AT THIS POINT AND IS
DRAPED ROUGHLY ACROSS THE LAKE OKEECHOBEE AREA. AS A
RESULT...BELIEVE THE AREA WILL REMAIN PARTLY TO MOSTLY CLOUDY
THROUGH THE DAY. A FEW SHOWERS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE MAINLY ALONG THE
FRONTAL BOUNDARY THROUGH THE AFTERNOON HOURS. MADE SLIGHT
ADJUSTMENTS TO CLOUD COVER AND REMOVED DENSE FOG ADVISORY. ALL
OTHER FORECAST PARAMETERS LOOK GOOD AT THIS TIME. UPDATE SENT.
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 625 AM EST FRI JAN 4 2013/
AVIATION...
FOR THE IMMEDIATE SHORT TERM...FOG AND/OR LOW STRATUS CONTINUES TO
AFFECT TERMINALS KTMB AND KAPF. TERMINAL KTMB CURRENTLY HAS IFR
VISIBILITY RESTRICTIONS WITH DENSE FOG LIKELY OCCURRING AND LIKELY TO CLEAR
UP IN THE 14-15Z TIME FRAME. TERMINAL KAPF CURRENTLY HAS LOW LEVEL
STRATUS AFFECTING THE TERMINAL WITH IFR CEILINGS. AS A COLD FRONT
CONTINUES TO SAG SOUTHWARD IN CENTRAL FLORIDA LOW LEVEL STRATUS
COULD CONTINUE TO BE A FACTOR FOR KAPF INTO AT LEAST MID- MORNING
AND LIKELY BEYOND THAT. OTHERWISE...LIGHT ESE FLOW WILL PREVAIL
TODAY WITH LOW STRATUS POSSIBLY AFFECTING THE TERMINALS FROM TIME
TO TIME AS THE AFOREMENTIONED FRONT CONTINUES TO BECOME DIFFUSE
AND SINK SLOWLY SOUTHWARD INTO THE NORTHERN PORTION OF SOUTH
FLORIDA.
60
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
WEST PALM BEACH 65 79 67 80 / 20 20 20 20
FORT LAUDERDALE 69 80 70 80 / 10 10 10 20
MIAMI 68 81 69 81 / 10 10 10 10
NAPLES 62 81 64 80 / 20 20 20 20
&&
.MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...NONE.
AM...NONE.
GM...NONE.
&&
DISCUSSION/MARINE/FIRE...10/CD
AVIATION/RADAR...13/SI
Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 4, 10:08 AM EST, 3 hours 22 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH FLORIDA
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1008 AM EST FRI JAN 4 2013
AMZ610-630-650-651-670-671-FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-GMZ656-657-676-
050615-
LAKE OKEECHOBEE-BISCAYNE BAY-
COASTAL WATERS FROM JUPITER INLET TO DEERFIELD BEACH, FL OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM DEERFIELD BEACH TO OCEAN REEF, FL OUT 20 NM-
WATERS FROM JUPITER INLET TO DEERFIELD BEACH, FL EXTENDING FROM
20 NM TO 60 NM-
WATERS FROM DEERFIELD BEACH TO OCEAN REEF, FL EXTENDING FROM 20 NM
TO THE TERRITORIAL WATERS OF THE BAHAMAS-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-
COASTAL WATERS FROM CHOKOLOSKEE TO BONITA BEACH, FL OUT 20 NM-
COASTAL WATERS FROM EAST CAPE SABLE TO CHOKOLOSKEE, FL OUT 20 NM-
GULF WATERS FROM CHOKOLOSKEE TO BONITA BEACH, FL EXTENDING FROM
20 TO 60 NM-
1008 AM EST FRI JAN 4 2013
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA.
.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY
NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
FOR MORE INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN
MIAMI WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MIAMI.
Funnel Cloud, Miami-Dade
- When
- January 4, 1:30 PM EST to 1:42 PM EST
- Where
- Miami-Dade County, 2.38 mi WSW of South Miami Hgts
- Reported by
- NWS Employee
- Coordinates
- 25.590, -80.416
Numerous reports of a large funnel cloud were received in the South Miami-Dade County area from areas as far away as Kendall to Cutler Bay. An off duty NWS employee reported that the funnel cloud was located a few miles south-southwest of Zoo Miami near the intersection of SW 190th St. and SW 137th Ave. The funnel lasted about 12 minutes. There were no reports of touchdown. The event was covered quite extensively by broadcast and print media.
Funnel Cloud, Miami-Dade
- When
- January 4, 3:40 PM EST to 3:45 PM EST
- Where
- Miami-Dade County, 2.11 mi NW of Sweet Water
- Reported by
- NWS Employee
- Coordinates
- 25.794, -80.391
An off duty NWS employee, along with a Channel 4 helicopter and several reports from the public, indicated a funnel cloud near the Dolphin Mall in Sweetwater. The funnel lasted a few minutes and then dissipated.
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
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: 419577, 419578.