757
NOUS42 KKEY 201712 CCA
PNSKEY
FLZ076>078-180500-
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE KEY WEST FL
1139 AM EST TUE FEB 20 2024
CORRECTED TYPO IN FIRST SURVEY SEGMENT
..NWS DAMAGE SURVEY FOR 02/18/24 TORNADO EVENT
OVERVIEW
A LOW TOPPED SUPERCELL EMBEDDED WITHIN A SQUALL
LINE MOVED ACROSS THE LOWER FLORIDA KEYS DURING THE EARLY
AFTERNOON OF SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 18TH, 2024. THE NWS FLORIDA
KEYS WERE ABLE TO SURVEY AS WELL AS COLLECT RESIDENT VIDEO
AND CONSULTATION WITH MONROE COUNTY FIRE RESCUE SERVICES
ON A LANDFALLING WATERSPOUT FROM CUDJOE BAY, AND OBSERVED
DAMAGE ON CUDJOE AND BIG TORCH KEYS. WHILE NOT CONCLUSIVE
VIA VIDEO AND DUE TO MUCH OF THE PATH OVER WATER, IT IS
POSSIBLE THE TWO SEPARATE AREAS OF DAMAGE OVER LAND WAS
EITHER DUE A CONTINUOUS WATERSPOUT/TORNADO PATH. NOTE
THAT THE PATH LENGTH FOR EACH SEGMENT DETAILS THE PATH
LENGTH OF THE TORNADO INCLUDING ALL LAND POINTS FOR
EACH KEY AND NOT THE TOTAL LENGTH OF THE ENTIRE WATERSPOUT
AND TORNADO.
CUDJOE-BIG TORCH TORNADO CUDJOE KEY SEGMENT
RATING: EF0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 85 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 0.8 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 150 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 02/18/2024
START TIME: 0102 PM EST
START LOCATION: 2 ESE CUDJOE KEY / MONROE COUNTY / FL
START LAT/LON: 24.655 / -81.476
END DATE: 02/18/2024
END TIME: 0104 PM EST
END LOCATION: 2 E CUDJOE KEY / MONROE COUNTY / FL
END LAT/LON: 24.663 / -81.467
SURVEY SUMMARY: A WATERSPOUT WAS OBSERVED BY RESIDENT VIDEO OF A
MATURE WATERSPOUT PASSING JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE SOUTHERN END OF
CUDJOE KEY, ENTERING CUDJOE BAY ON A NORTHEAST PATH. THE WATERSPOUT
MADE LANDFALL IN A RESIDENTIAL SECTION ALONG CUDJOE BAY NEAR SPANISH
MAIN DRIVE AND MOVED THROUGH A RESORT COMMUNITY OF MIXED SINGLE
FAMILY AND MANUFACTURED RESIDENCES. THE RATING IS BASED ON TREE
DAMAGE INCLUDING SNAPPED HARDWOOD BRANCHES AND A HEALTHY PALM TRUNK
ROUGHLY 15 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. THE TOP PORTION OF THE TREE FELL
ONTO A MANUFACTURED RESIDENCE WITH MAJOR WALL DAMAGE AND RELEASE OF
NUMEROUS ROOFING PANELS DEPOSITED AS FAR AS 300 YARDS TO THE
NORTHEAST. SIDING WAS REMOVED FROM SEVERAL RESIDENCES. THE TORNADO
EXITED THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF THE COMMUNITY AND TRAVELED OVER THE
WESTERN PORTION OF KEMP CHANNEL, BEFORE CROSSING U.S. HIGHWAY ONE
JUST WEST OF THE KEMP CHANNEL BRIDGE. A SMALL HARDWOOD TREE AND
SEVERAL LARGE HARDWOOD LIMBS WERE DOWNED TO THE NORTH JUST WEST OF
THE WESTERN BRIDGE ABUTMENT.
CUDJOE-BIG TORCH TORNADO BIG TORCH KEY SEGMENT
RATING: EF0
ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 75 MPH
PATH LENGTH /STATUTE/: 0.4 MILES
PATH WIDTH /MAXIMUM/: 80 YARDS
FATALITIES: 0
INJURIES: 0
START DATE: 02/18/2024
START TIME: 0110 PM EST
START LOCATION: 2 NNE SUMMERLAND KEY / MONROE COUNTY / FL
START LAT/LON: 24.700 / -81.430
END DATE: 02/18/2024
END TIME: 0111 PM EST
END LOCATION: 2 NNE SUMMERLAND KEY / MONROE COUNTY / FL
END LAT/LON: 24.704 / -81.426
SURVEY SUMMARY: A WATERSPOUT, POSSIBLY AN EXTENSION OF THE PATH OF
THE CUDJOE KEY TORNADO SEGMENT, WAS OBSERVED BY RESIDENT VIDEO OF A
MATURE WATERSPOUT APPROACHING THE WESTERN SHORE OF BIG TORCH KEY
FROM NILES CHANNEL APPROXIMATELY 2.5 MILES NORTH OF THE NILES
CHANNEL BRIDGE. THE WATERSPOUT MADE LANDFALL AS A TORNADO NORTH OF
OSPREY LANE AND MOVED NORTHEAST, CROSSING DORN ROAD ABOUT THREE
MILES NORTH OF U.S. HIGHWAY ONE. NUMEROUS LARGE HARDWOOD BRANCHES
WERE BROKEN OFF FROM AREA TREES WITH A LIGHTWEIGHT RESIDENTIAL
AMENITIES DEPOSITIED ALONG A NARROW PATH ABOUT 125 YARDS TO THE
NORTHEAST. NO ASSESSMENT COULD BE MADE FURTHER NORTHEAST DUE TO
DENSE MANGROVE MARSHLAND AS THE TORNADO MOVED TOWARD THE NORTHERN
PORTION OF PINE CHANNEL.
EF SCALE: THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE CLASSIFIES TORNADOES INTO THE
FOLLOWING CATEGORIES:
EF0...WEAK......65 TO 85 MPH
EF1...WEAK......86 TO 110 MPH
EF2...STRONG....111 TO 135 MPH
EF3...STRONG....136 TO 165 MPH
EF4...VIOLENT...166 TO 200 MPH
EF5...VIOLENT...>200 MPH
NOTE: THE INFORMATION IN THIS STATEMENT IS PRELIMINARY AND SUBJECT
TO CHANGE PENDING FINAL REVIEW OF THE EVENTS AND PUBLICATION IN NWS
STORM DATA.
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