EF0 Tornado — Monroe, Florida

2024-02-18 · near Summerland Key, Monroe, Florida

Event narrative

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 the Venture Out residential community of mixed single

family and manufactured residences. The EF0 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. Maximum winds near 85 mph were estimated at the Venture Out community with a patch width near 120 yards.

The continuing waterspout 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 1. Numerous large hardwood branches

were broken off from area trees with a lightweight residential

amenities deposited 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. Maximum winds were estimated near 75 mph with a path width of about 80 yards on Big Torch Key.

Wider weather episode

A waterspout originating southwest of Cudjoe Bay made landfall as an EF0 tornado over southern portions of Cudjoe Key. The tornado crossed U.S. Highway 1, and continued northeast as a waterspout until a second landfall as an EF0 tornado over central Big Torch Key. The tornado was associated with a supercell thunderstorm with a well-defined mesocyclone moving northeast over the Lower Florida Keys.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (24.6550, -81.4760)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1165400. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.