The parent storm which produced the EF0 tornado developed along the coast between Melbourne/Palm Bay and Satellite Beach around 2:00 PM and moved northward at 20-25 mph. The storm hugged the coast line through most of its life cycle before weakening as it moved off the coast just south of Playalinda Beach. The storm acquired a discernible inflow notch with corresponding cyclonic rotation around 2:10 PM as it moved north of Melbourne.
By 2:15 PM, the combination of both reflectivity and velocity signatures indicated the storm had a high probability of producing a waterspout or tornado. Given the storm's proximity to the coastline, both a Special Marine Warning and a Tornado Warning were necessary. At 2:22 PM, a Special Marine Warning was issued for the coastal and intracoastal waters of Brevard County from Cocoa Beach north to the Brevard-Volusia county line, quickly followed by a Tornado Warning for northeast Brevard County at 2:24 PM, effective through 3:00 PM.
The storm continued moving north, with large hail reported at Cocoa Beach at 2:37 PM. At 2:45 PM, isolated tornadic damage was reported at the Diplomat Condominiums at the 3100 block of Hwy. A1A. The storm continued to display a strong tornadic signature in both the reflectivity and velocity data fields as it moved through Port Canaveral in vicinity of the Kennedy Space Center. At 2:58 PM, the Tornado Warning for northeast Brevard County was extended to 3:30 PM.
The storm was the result of a lifting warm front which brought a rapid increase to surface dew points, as well as southerly low-level winds, to promote rotating updrafts within erupting thunderstorms. The tornado potential was accentuated given the storm's proximity to the coast. |