Lightning, Lee
- When
- September 22, 3:15 PM EST
- Where
- Lee County, 11 mi SSE of Ft. Myers
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Coordinates
- 26.625, -81.849 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in Florida, September 22, 1996
Ball lightning struck and severely damaged the electrical system of a moving vehicle on Interstate 75 near the intersection of Alico Road (Exit 20). The ball lightning penetrated the vehicle through the catalytic converter and shield as the car passed over the electrical phenomenon.
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
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $3,000
- 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.
Ball lightning struck and severely damaged the electrical system of a moving vehicle on Interstate 75 near the intersection of Alico Road (Exit 20). The vehicle occupants stated that a ball of fire, about two feet in diameter, struck directly in front of their car.The ball lightning penetrated the vehicle through the catalytic converter and shield as the car passed over the electrical phenomenon. Although the occupants were uninjured from the ball lightning, it severely damaged all components of the computer and electrical system of the vehicle. The vehicle immediately lost power and all onboard instruments became inoperable.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
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
More
Every storm in Florida in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, September 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: 5568809.