Thunderstorm Wind — Monroe, Florida

2024-07-21 · near Tavernier, Monroe, Florida

Event narrative

A remote NWS storm survey in consultation with the Village of Islamorada Emergency Manager and several residents, social media videos and photos, as well as in-situ review of realtime Florida Department of Transportation video revealed a wet microburst occurred in the upper Plantation Key area of the Indian Mounds Trail neighborhood. Estimated wind gusts of 60 to 85 mph occurred over an area about one to one and a half miles wide by two miles long as the microburst began on the oceanside of the Old Overseas Highway. The straight-line winds associated with the microburst crossed U.S. Highway 1 into the Indian Mounds Trail Neighborhood. Numerous large trees and tree tops were downed in an area over 5 blocks long, with secondary damages to several vehicles and a broken window of one residence. Lighter but sizable yard objects including furniture, trash receptacles were tossed one or more lots downwind, with one trampoline lofted into a tree. Several of the neighborhood streets were temporarily impassible due to the size of the tree limbs. Some minor fascia and shingle damage was also noted at a few residences. Approximately 1,100 residents were without power as the tree limbs downed utility lines, with one tree partially blocking northbound U.S. Highway 1.

Wider weather episode

A wet microburst occurred in association with a strong thunderstorm moving north around 25 mph over the upper portion of Plantation Key. A small-scale elongated swath of wind damage to trees and lose, small to medium-sized yard objects occurred. Power outages, secondary damages to parked vehicles due to falling large tree limbs occurred with estimated straight-line wind gusts between 60 and 85 mph. Post-analysis indicated a pronounced layer of dry mid-level air with both convective instability and downburst potential well above climatological normal for July.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (24.9854, -80.5453)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1203147. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.