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About
NWS Key West
| Station
History | Who we are | Why
we are here | About the climate of Key West
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Who
We Are
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on name to send email, names are listed with focal point duties
- Why
we are here
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"The
National Weather Service™ (NWS) provides weather, hydrologic,
and climate forecasts and warnings
for the United States, its territories, adjacent waters and
ocean areas, for the protection of life
and property and the enhancement of the national economy.
NWS data and products form a national
information database and infrastructure which can be used
by other governmental agencies, the
private sector, the public, and the global community. "
National
Climatic Data Center's 'About this Station' description of Key
West:
Key West is located at the end of the Overseas Highway and near
the western end of the Florida Keys,
which are a chain of islands swinging in a southwesterly arc from
the southeast coast of the Florida
peninsula. The nearest point of the mainland is about 60 statute
miles to the northeast, while Cuba
at its closest point is 98 miles south. The city occupies the
island of the same name which is 3
1/2 miles long and 1 mile wide. Its mean elevation is around 8
feet. The maximum elevation of 18 feet
covers only about one acre in the western portion. Soil is a thin
layer of sand, or marlfill,
overlying a stratum of Oolitic limestone. Vegetation on the eastern
end of the island is scanty, chiefly of
low growth. The western end, where settlement and landscaping
are older, has a little heavier
growth. The airport and Weather Service Office are located on
the southeast shore on partially filled
mangrove swamp.
The waters surrounding the key are quite shallow up to the mainland
on the northeast and for 6 miles to
the reef on the south. There is little wave action because the
reef disrupts any established wave pattern.
Because of the nearness of the Gulf Stream in the Straits of Florida,
about l2 miles south and
southeast, and the tempering effects of the Gulf of Mexico to
the west and north, Key West has a notably
mild, tropical-maritime climate in which the average temperatures
during the winter are about l4
degrees lower than in summer. Cold fronts are strongly modified
by the warm water as they move
in from northerly quadrants in winter. There is no known record
of frost, ice, sleet, or snow in Key
West. Prevailing easterly tradewinds and sea breezes suppress
the usual summertime heating. Diurnal
variations throughout the year average only about l0 degrees.
Precipitation is characterized by dry
and wet seasons. The period of December through April receives
abundant sunshine and slightly less than
25 percent of the annual rainfall. This rainfall usually occurs
in advance of cold fronts in a few
heavy showers, or occasionally five to eight light showers per
month. June through October is
normally the wet season, receiving approximately 53 percent of
the yearly total in numerous showers
and thunderstorms. Early morning is the favored time for diurnal
showers. Easterly waves during this
season occasionally bring excessive rainfall, while infrequent
hurricanes may be accompanied by
unusually heavy amounts. Humidity remains relatively high during
the entire year.
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