Damaging Wind in Florida, May 4, 1998

Name: Damaging Wind in Florida, May 4, 1998
Start: 1998-05-04T15:00
End: 1998-05-04T15:05
Location: Florida

May 4, 1998 · NWS TBW · 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: 0
Injuries: 1
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 Tampa radar (KTBW), 73 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:57 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sarasota

When: May 4, 3:00 PM EST to 3:05 PM EST
Where: Sarasota County, South Venice
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 27.050, -82.420

A 23 year-old man trying to take down a flag suffered several broken bones when he was lifted and thrown 20 to 30 feet over the corner of a restaurants roof as he clung to the tethered line of the flagpole during a thunderstorm downburst.Thunderstorm winds also downed a large tree atop a home which caused roof, lanai and screen porch damage in Sarasota.

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, May 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: 5653309.