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Cocoa Beach Tornado
February 12, 2008

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.


Related products Issued by the NWS office in Melbourne:

Special Marine Warning at 2:22 PM
Tornado Warning at 2:24 PM

Severe Weather Statement at 2:35 PM
Local Storm Report at 2:43 PM
Severe Weather Statement at 2:46 PM
Local Storm Report at 2:56 PM
Tornado Warning at 2:58 PM
Severe Weather Statement at 3:10 PM
Special Marine Warning at 3:20 PM
Public Information Statement at 3:25 PM
Local Storm Report at 3:21 PM
Severe Weather Statement at 3:30 PM
Local Storm Report at 3:42 PM
Public Information Statement at 6:25 PM
Public INformation Statement at 7:55 PM

 
Click for a larger version
The tornado touched down and produced damage at the red dot, at
3100 N. A1A in Cocoa Beach
Radar Imagery:
     
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Storm Relative Motion at 2:43 PM (1943 GMT)
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Reflectivity at 2:43 PM (1943 GMT)
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Click for a larger veersion.
Part of the roof from Diplomat Condo where it landed
on nearby Windrush Condo
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Unroofed Diplomat Condo building.
   
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Illustrating the proximity of Diplomat Condo to Windrush Condo. The roof from building in foreground hit the building behind it.
click for a larger version.
This illustrates how the roof structure of the Diplomat Condo appeared like prior to the tornado. This is a another building in the Diplomat Condo complex.
   

National Weather Service
Melbourne Weather Forecast Office
421 Croton Road
Melbourne, FL 32935
321-255-0212
Web Master's E-mail: SR-MLB.Webmaster@noaa.gov
Date modified: August 2, 2008

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