The average warning lead time for damage in each county was 15 minutes, and the average lead time for fatalities in each county was 23 minutes. The science was there, but 42 people still died in the outbreak. In order for severe weather warnings from the National Weather Service to accomplish their primary goal of protecting life, a number of condition must be met. Clear and more useful information needs to be contained in each warning to relay the proper level of threat to those receiving the warning. The response we would like to elicit in the public is much different in a landfalling weak waterspout than it is in a major springtime tornado outbreak.
Care is given to never minimize the tornado threat but to properly define it.
For example, in a summertime landfalling weak waterspout event, the tornado warning would identify the event as a landfalling waterspout. It would state that the threat is limited to the local beach area and will be short-lived. It would still state that the small tornado could cause serious injury and even death. At the other end of the scale, lets consider a cool season high shear environment, when there is a radar detected mesocyclone or tornado vortex signature, possibly confirmed with a spotter report. Under these conditions the NWS Melbourne office would include wording in the warning that would state that a tornado had been sighted and those in its path must act now to protect their lives.