Lightning Strike in Florida, August 14, 1998

Name: Lightning Strike in Florida, August 14, 1998
Start: 1998-08-14T13:30
End: 1998-08-14T13:30
Location: Florida

August 14, 1998 · NWS TAE · 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: 5
Property damage: $750,000
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 Tallahassee radar (KTLH), 80 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:28 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Taylor

When: August 14, 1:30 PM EST
Where: Taylor County, Perry
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $750,000
Reported by: BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates: 30.020, -83.619 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning ignited a natural gas pipeline at the Florida Gas Transmission Company, about three miles northeast of Perry. A pair of explosions sent a 600-foot fireball skyward forcing the evacuation of about 100 residents. Five homes were incinerated and natural gas supplies were shut off to Perry and surrounding communities. Four firefighters and a gas plant employee suffered burns. The American Red Cross set up a temporary shelter at the Taylor County High School for displaced families. Units from Leon, Dixie, Jefferson, and Wakulla County joined the Taylor County and Perry firefighting efforts.

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 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, August 1998

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: 5663994.