A not so typical day in Key West by Alan K. Ceier and AG2 Chuck Browder he day started out typically for a spring day in the Florida Keys, with partly cloudy skies and a light northeast to east wind of six to 10 knots. By early afternoon, fair weather cumulus had developed into cumulus congestus and a towering cumulus of moderate to great vertical extent and isolated cumulonimbus without anvil tops. It then crossed over Sigsbee moving south-southwest before touching down.
Accounts differ as to whether a waterspout moved ashore or the funnel touched down on shore.
The funnel's first observed landfall was near Scotty's Lumber Yard, on North Roosevelt Boulevard. The tornado then moved across North Roosevelt Boulevard to the Overseas Market parking lot, over Winn-Dixie to the civilian housing area between 10th and 12th streets. Enroute it broke tree limbs, uprooted small trees and shrubs and damaged small metal storage sheds before peeling off roofing shingles and some subsurface roofing lumber from a house on Flagler Avenue. The tornado then continued south-southwest over the Key West Airport before dissipating south of South Roosevelt Boulevard over open water. The total distance traveled on water and on shore was 2 to three miles.