Lightning Strike in Florida, July 20, 1998

Name: Lightning Strike in Florida, July 20, 1998
Start: 1998-07-20T17:00
End: 1998-07-20T17:00
Location: Florida

July 20, 1998 · 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: 1
Property damage: $20,000
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, Pinellas

When: July 20, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Pinellas County, Dunedin
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 27.903, -82.739 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a building and injured a 44 year-old firefighter while indoors near the intersection of U.S. Highway 19 and Republic Drive. The firefighter suffered muscle and nerve damage in his right arm and shoulder from the lightning shock. The lightning injury occurred while the firefighter was holding open an elevator door when lightning struck and travelled through the elevator shaft of the building. The lightning also damaged electrical equipment within the building.

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, July 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: 5665360.