Lightning, Collier
- When
- August 17, 3:30 PM EST
- Where
- Collier County, 1 mi NW of Naples Park
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 6 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 26.099, -81.381 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in Florida, August 17, 1996
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.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 2
- Injuries
- 6
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS MFL wrote it up.
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. Emergency personnel exposed themselves to numerous lightning strikes while rescuing people.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
The people who died
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Collier | 1996-08-17 | 32 | Male | Under Tree | Direct |
| Lightning, Collier | 1996-08-17 | 64 | Male | Under Tree | Direct |
What these are
- Lightning
- A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike in Utah, August 17, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Wildfire in Colorado, August 17, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 17, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, August 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in Oklahoma, August 17, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, August 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in New Mexico, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Pennsylvania, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Oklahoma, August 17, 1996
More
Every storm in Florida in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, August 1996
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5560944.