1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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.
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 100 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:58 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A 53 year old male and his dog were struck by a sideflash of lightning while walking within six feet of a wood power pole. The lightning first struck the power pole while the sideflash knocked the man and his dog to the ground. No injuries were reported to the dog.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, July 1997
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: 5614891.