Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Florida, June 16, 2002

Name: Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Florida, June 16, 2002
Start: 2002-06-16T17:00
End: 2002-06-16T17:00
Location: Florida

June 16, 2002 · NWS MFL · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A large sign was blown down at the Lighthouse Plaza shopping center. Fifteen FP& L electrical transformers were disabled by lightning strikes causing power outages to 7550 customers.

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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MFL wrote it up.

A large sign was blown down at the Lighthouse Plaza shopping center. Fifteen FP& L electrical transformers were disabled by lightning strikes causing power outages to 7550 customers.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Miami, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 16, 11:00 AM EST, 6 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 16, 11:00 AM EST, 6 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL
1200 NOON EDT SUN JUN 16 2002

LITTLE CHANGE IS EXPECTED OVER SOUTH FLORIDA FOR THE NEXT 24-36
HOURS... BUT CHANGES ARE IN THE WORKS FOR THIS FORECAST PERIOD. ALL
MODELS BUILD AN UPPER RIDGE FROM ATLANTIC ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA ON
TUESDAY... AND AT THE SAME TIME REBUILD THE SURFACE HIGH AND SHIFT
THE AXIS NORTH OVER SOUTH FLORIDA. BY WEDNESDAY... THE SURFACE RIDGE
AXIS IS WELL TO THE NORTH OF SOUTH FLORIDA... AND IT REMAINS THERE
THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. SO TUESDAY LOOKS LIKE A TRANSITION DAY
TO EASTERLY FLOW. EASTERLIES ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME WELL-ESTABLISHED
BY TUESDAY NIGHT... WITH THIS PATTERN CONTINUING THROUGH THE
REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST PERIOD. SO THE FORECAST WILL TRANSITION
FROM ANYTIME SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ON TUESDAY... THEN
AFTERNOON AND EVENING OVER THE INTERIOR AND WEST SECTIONS... NIGHT
AND MORNING ALONG THE EAST COAST... WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY.
PREVIOUS FORECAST HANDLES THIS TRANSITION WELL... SO DO NOT
ANTICIPATE MAJOR CHANGES.

MARINE... LIGHT SOUTHWEST FLOW THROUGH MONDAY... THEN LIGHT
SOUTHERLY FLOW MONDAY NIGHT. WINDS BECOMING EAST TO SOUTHEAST ON
TUESDAY... THEN LIGHT TO MODERATE EASTERLY FLOW FOR THE REMAINDER OF
THE PERIOD AS THE EASTERLIES REALLY TAKE HOLD.

EXTENDED... AS MENTIONED EARLIER SCATTERED MAINLY NIGHT AND MORNING
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE EAST COAST... AND NUMEROUS
MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS INTERIOR AND WEST COAST
WEDNESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. LITTLE CHANGE IN TEMPERATURES IS EXPECTED.
MEDIUM RANGE MODEL DOES MOVE A TROPICAL WAVE WEST TOWARD FLORIDA BY
MONDAY 6/24. THIS IS BEYOND OUR CURRENT FORECAST PERIOD... BUT IT
WILL BE INTERESTING TO FOLLOW THE MODELS PROGRESSION AND HANDLING
OF THIS SYSTEM. THIS COULD WELL MEAN A WETTER PATTERN AGAIN
PARTICULARLY FOR SOUTHEAST FLORIDA BEGINNING TUESDAY 6/25.

NO FIRE-WEATHER PARAMETER PROBLEMS EXPECTED.

PBI TB 073/090 074/089 075 3534
FLL TB 074/090 075/089 076 3534
MIA TB 074/090 075/089 076 3534
APF TT 076/088 075/088 074 3536

.MIA...NONE.

The radar

The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 142 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Palm Beach

When: June 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Palm Beach County, Jupiter
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Property damage: $20,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 26.933, -80.100

Lightning, Palm Beach

When: June 16, 5:00 PM EST
Where: Palm Beach County, Jupiter
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 26.648, -80.436 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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.
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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, June 2002

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: 5303102, 5303103.