Florida lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 64 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 1,777 lightning records in Florida from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 55 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 17, 1996 lightning in Collier County: 2 deaths and 6 injuries. Florida ranks 1st of 52 states and territories by count and 6th of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in Florida, 1996 to 2026
Lightning records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- Records
- 1,7771996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 55average
- Deaths
- 1781,002 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $161Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 199795 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are lightning records common in Florida?
Florida averages about 55 lightning records a year since 2000, 1st of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1997 (95). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Florida records 331 lightning records since 1996, 6th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Florida have the most lightning records?
Per square mile, Pinellas County leads Florida: 150 days with a lightning record since 1996, 547.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Pinellas County has the most lightning records (175 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the lightning season in Florida?
51% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (506 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 29 · Feb 21 · Mar 48 · Apr 60 · May 118 · Jun 403 · Jul 506 · Aug 404 · Sep 147 · Oct 24 · Nov 10 · Dec 7 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest lightning records in Florida?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-08-17 | LightningNaples Park, Collier County Two persons were killed and six injured by a single lightning strike while picnicing at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Recreation Area. The incident occurred near the height of a thunderstorm when lightning struck a 50-feet high pine tree under which a group of 25 to 30 persons were gathered using a tarpaulin as a roof. ... | 2 | 6 | – | |
| 2005-08-18 | LightningFt Myers, Lee County Lightning from a fast-moving thundertstorm killed two Fort Myers roofers and injured a third as they were getting ready to go home for the day. | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2014-05-14 | LightningOakhurst, Pinellas County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. Sub-severe thunderstorms formed across the peninsula during the early afternoon hours. They produced numerous cloud-to-ground lightning strikes across the area, with two separate lightning fatalities reported. Additionally, thunderstorm wind damage was reported to a carport. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2012-08-06 | LightningSt Andrews State Park, Bay County WJHG-TV reported that two people were struck by lightning on Shell Island near Panama City. A 42 year old father was carrying his 14 year old stepson when the strike occurred. The father was killed on the spot, and the teen later died at a Pensacola hospital. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-09-22 | LightningBrighton, Highlands County Highlands County Sheriff and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers discovered the vehicle and bodies of two men and their hunting dogs on a levee along a canal near Rucks Dairy Road southeast of Brighton in Highlands County. The men had reportedly gone hunting but had not returned, and were ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-08-16 | LightningOrlando, Orange County Two men were struck and killed by lightning while fishing from a canoe in Lake Mack in Orlando. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-07-06 | LightningLakeland, Polk County Two men were killed, aged 43 and 37, while standing under a tree that was struck by lightning at the Huntington Hills Golf Club in North Lakeland. The lightning strike occurred near a grove of eight trees near the 12th hole of the golf course. Light rain had been falling prior to the lightning strike. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-06-21 | LightningChoctaw Beach, Walton County Two Walton County men were killed when lightning struck their fishing boat on Choctawhatchee Bay. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-09-15 | LightningScottsmoor, Brevard County The Orlando Fire Department and local news media reported that a crew boat with five boys was struck or nearly struck by lightning, causing the boat to capsize, at around 1615LST. Four of the boys made it to shore, where one was sent to the hospital. The fifth boy was missing for a time and was later found deceased. ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2001-09-08 | LightningPensacola Beach, Escambia County Two women were killed by lightning near Pensacola Beach at the Fort Pickens State Park. The women were walking side by side on the beach as a thunderstorm moved ashore from the Gulf of Mexico. The storm had not previously been producing much lightning activity, and the women were casually walking to shelter when the ... | 2 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest lightning records in Florida
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-07-21 | LightningPalm Beach County | 0 | 0 | $21M | |
| 1999-03-14 | LightningHolmes Beach, Manatee County | 0 | 0 | $6.2M | |
| 2005-07-04 | LightningBelleair Shrs, Pinellas County | 0 | 0 | $6.0M | |
| 2014-04-15 | LightningShingle Creek, Osceola County | 0 | 0 | $4.4M | |
| 2000-07-08 | LightningNorth Palm Beach, Palm Beach County | 0 | 0 | $4.3M | |
| 2000-06-25 | LightningSt Petersburg, Pinellas County | 0 | 0 | $3.4M | |
| 2008-07-11 | LightningPatrick Afb, Brevard County | 0 | 0 | $3.4M | |
| 2008-08-11 | LightningPatrick Afb, Brevard County | 0 | 0 | $3.3M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are lightning records becoming more frequent in Florida?
Florida's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Florida | United States | Florida's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 335 | 3,521 | 9.5% |
| 2000s | 710 | 8,052 | 8.8% |
| 2010s | 566 | 5,103 | 11.1% |
| 2020-26 | 166 | 1,544 | 10.8% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in Florida
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | LightningRedland, Miami-Dade County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2026-05-23 | LightningGreen Point, Franklin County | 0 | 0 | $600 | |
| 2026-05-23 | LightningApalachicola, Franklin County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2026-05-23 | LightningMillwood, Marion County | 0 | 0 | $8K | |
| 2026-05-23 | LightningHammond, Putnam County | 0 | 0 | $2K | |
| 2026-05-23 | LightningBridgeport, Putnam County | 0 | 0 | $2K | |
| 2026-03-16 | LightningIamonia, Leon County | 0 | 0 | $500K | |
| 2026-03-15 | LightningShady, Marion County | 0 | 0 | $100K | |
| 2026-03-15 | LightningMill Creek, Clay County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2025-09-22 | LightningBrighton, Highlands County | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-18 | LightningUlmerton, Pinellas County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2025-08-18 | LightningOcala West, Marion County | 0 | 0 | $2K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Next
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