Lightning Strike in Florida, September 26, 1997

Name: Lightning Strike in Florida, September 26, 1997
Start: 1997-09-26T15:50
End: 1997-09-26T15:50
Location: Florida

September 26, 1997 · NWS TBW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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: 3
Property damage: $10,000
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.

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, Hillsborough

When: September 26, 3:50 PM EST
Where: Hillsborough County, Brandon
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 27.906, -82.347 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One adult and two children were injured by lightning that struck a flagpole at Burns Middle School. The lightning charge travelled down the flagpole to it's brick base which exploded and injured the two children.The lightning charge travelled underground where it breached and damaged the schools electrical and telephone system. A teacher near the lightning strike received a shock and was knocked down while handling a doorknob in the school.

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 1997 Every state in 1997 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, September 1997

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: 5622829.