Damaging Wind in Florida, July 4, 1998

Name: Damaging Wind in Florida, July 4, 1998
Start: 1998-07-04T16:20
End: 1998-07-04T16:40
Location: Florida

July 4, 1998 · NWS MFL · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: 1
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
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 Key West radar (KBYX), 64 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:20 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe

When: July 4, 4:20 PM EST to 4:40 PM EST
Where: Monroe County, Marathon
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 24.700, -81.080

ASOS at Marathon Airport recorded 50 knots at 1620 EDT. The C-MAN at Sombrero Key recorded 59 knots. A storm spotter estimated wind gusts of 65 knots. Signs and trees were downed throughout the Marathon area. Several boats were swamped. Five people were knocked overboard from their sailboat. Four were rescued by the USCG. A 34 year old man was found drowned two days later.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Thunderstorm Wind, Monroe	1998-07-04	34	Male	In Water	Direct

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

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: 5655223.