An isolated thunderstorm near the lower Florida Keys produced a damaging lightning strike to a residence on Ramrod Key.
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 KEY wrote it up.
An isolated thunderstorm near the lower Florida Keys produced a damaging lightning strike to a residence on Ramrod Key.
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 Nov 2, 2:10 PM EST, 7 hours 1 minute earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Key West FL 310 PM EDT Fri Nov 2 2018 .DISCUSSION... .CURRENTLY... Under partly to mostly sunny skies and south winds near 15 mph, temperatures are averaging in the mid 80s along the island chain. Meanwhile, local radars are detecting a gradual increase in showers and a few thunderstorms on the coastal waters surrounding the island chain. Surface wise, a pre-frontal trough is pushing eastward through the extreme southeast Gulf of Mexico, with the western Atlantic ridge retreating eastward off the south Florida Peninsula. On our marine district, winds are mainly south near 15 knots except 10 to 15 knots on the nearshore gulf waters north of the Middle Keys and Florida Bay. && .SHORT TERM...(Tonight through Sunday night) An extensive, deep layered trough axis reaching down to the Yucantan Peninsula will migrate eastward late this afternoon and early tonight, before dampening and lifting northward during the overnight period. With that, the combination of subtle low level confluence along with a ribbon of mid level vorticity advection should be the impetus for some deep convection to migrate eastward from the Gulf of Mexico and into at least a portion of our region. In addition, increasing moisture combined with enhanced upglide should aid and abet deep cells to migrate north northeastward from the archipelago of Cuba and the Straits of Florida. Because of the aforementioned reasoning, have decided to increase pops into the likely category for late this afternoon until around midnight. Thereafter, precipitation coverage and intensity should be on the wane. For this weekend, despite plenty of moisture, a lack of low level confluence and large scale lift will prompt only low chance pops without any lightning storms to be kept. Given the cold front staying well to our northwest, high temperatures should climb into the lower to mid 80s on Saturday and into the mid 80s on Sunday, with overnight lows generally in the mid to upper 70s. && .LONG TERM...(Monday through Friday) With a deep layered anticyclonic flow governing our sensible weather elements, moisture should remain shallow for next week. Given limited moisture and any frontal boundaries remaining north of our region, see no reason to maintain only isolated 20 percent pops through the period. Temperatures will remain above normal with average highs in the mid 80s and overnight lows in the mid to upper 70s. && .MARINE... Outside of showers and isolated thunderstorms, southeast to south winds of 10 to 15 knots will slacken to near 10 knots this evening before becoming light and variable later tonight. For this weekend, northeast to east winds will gradually increase to near 15 knots on our western coastal waters, with mainly 10 knots or less elsewhere. Thereafter, northeast to east winds will increase to near 15 knots late Saturday night before clocking around to east southeast near 15 knots except slightly higher on the Straits of Florida. && .AVIATION... VFR conditions expected to prevail, particularly late in the period at both island terminals. An approaching front will raise rain chances considerably between 22/24z, with periods of MVFR to IFR ceilings and visibilities likely at both terminals. Since these conditions are not expected to be continuous, have handled with TEMPO groups. Vicinity showers are likely to continue thereafter. Southerly winds at 12-14 kts, decreasing as the front approaches and becoming northeasterly tomorrow. && .CLIMATE... In 2014, the daily record low temperature of 61 degrees was recorded in Key West. Temperature records date back to 1872. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... Key West 78 84 78 84 / 70 30 30 30 Marathon 77 85 77 86 / 70 30 30 30 && .KEY WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. GM...None. && Public/Marine/Fire...APA Aviation/Nowcasts....WLC Data Collection......SD Visit us on the web at weather.gov/key Follow us on Facebook and Twitter at: www.facebook.com/nwskeywest www.twitter.com/nwskeywest
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Key West FL 519 AM EDT Fri Nov 2 2018 FLZ076>078-GMZ031>035-042>044-052>055-072>075-031000- 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- 519 AM EDT Fri Nov 2 2018 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE FLORIDA KEYS AND ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT There is a slight chance of thunderstorms today through tonight. The primary thunderstorm impacts will include dangerous lightning strikes and locally gusty winds. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY No hazardous weather is expected at this time. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
716 PM EDT FRI NOV 2 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0701 PM MARINE TSTM WIND 5 W BOCA CHICA CHANNEL 24.58N 81.80W
11/02/2018 M41 MPH LOWER KEYS IN MONR FL MESONET
WEATHERFLOW MESONET SITE AT THE KEY WEST COAST GUARD
MEASURED A WIND GUST OF 36 KTS.
&&
ROSSSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Key West FL
752 PM EDT FRI NOV 2 2018
FLZ078-030030-
Monroe Lower Keys FL-
752 PM EDT FRI NOV 2 2018
...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR LOWER KEYS IN MONROE COUNTY UNTIL
830 PM EDT...
At 752 PM EDT, National Weather Service Meteorologists detected a
strong thunderstorm near Sugarloaf Key, or near Niles Channel Bridge,
moving northeast at 15 mph.
Winds in excess of 45 mph and frequent to continuous lightning will
be possible with this storm.
Locations impacted include...
Bahia Honda Channel Bridge, Niles Channel Bridge, Spanish Harbor
Channel Bridge, Ohio Key, Bahia Honda Key, Little Torch Key, Upper
Sugarloaf Key, Middle Torch Key, Little Palm Island Resort and Big
Torch Key.
This includes US 1 between mile markers 18 and 39.
LAT...LON 2460 8150 2459 8154 2470 8158 2480 8138
2479 8135 2480 8129 2474 8126 2470 8127
2470 8125 2465 8122 2464 8123 2459 8139
2461 8143 2458 8146
TIME...MOT...LOC 2352Z 233DEG 15KT 2457 8148
CLRThe Key West radar (KBYX), 31 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:11 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a residence along Barbados Lane on Ramrod Key, resulting in roof and electrical system damage. A neighboring residence also experienced electrical system damage. Report relayed by social media.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, November 2018
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: 795047.