Lightning Strike in Florida, June 26, 1996

Name: Lightning Strike in Florida, June 26, 1996
Start: 1996-06-26T12:30
End: 1996-06-26T12:30
Location: Florida

June 26, 1996 · NWS TBW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A 51 year old woman was injured by lightning that struck a tree one foot away from where she was standing. The lightning arced from the woman to a parked vehicle which she had touched with her car keys.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 1
Property damage: $1,000
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 TBW wrote it up.

A 51 year old woman was injured by lightning that struck a tree one foot away from where she was standing. The lightning bolt first struck the tree, then arced to the woman's chest, which knocked her to the ground with first, second and third degree burns across the top right side of her chest.The lightning arced from the woman to a parked vehicle which she had touched with her car keys. The vehicle's alternator and computer system was damaged by the electrical surge.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Polk

When: June 26, 12:30 PM EST
Where: Polk County, 4 mi NE of Haines City
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $1,000
Coordinates: 27.949, -81.698 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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

Every storm in Florida in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, June 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: 5574255.