1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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 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 Melbourne, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 25, 2:05 AM EST, 11 hours 25 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 305 AM EDT WED AUG 25 2004 .DISCUSSION... CURRENTLY...UPPER CYCLONIC SHEAR AXIS ACROSS THE PENINSULA WITH ONE VORT MAX DEPICTED BY THE RUC AS HAVING LIFTED FROM THE SOUTHERN PENINSULA TO OFFSHORE EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. CONSIDERABLE SHOWERS AND STORMS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FEATURE. ANOTHER VORT MAX WAS DROPPING SOUTHWARD INTO THE NORTHERN PENINSULA. WATER VAPOR WAS INDICATING SOME SLIGHT DRYING OCCURRING WITH THIS FEATURE. AT THE SURFACE...THE FLOW IS LIGHT BUT AN INVERTED TROUGH WAS ALONG THE COAST TO OUR NORTH AND AXIS LIKELY EXTENDED INTO OUR FAR NORTHERN SECTIONS. TODAY/TONIGHT...THE WEAK SURFACE TROUGH IS NOT EXPECTED TO MOVE MUCH AND MAINLY ACT TO PRODUCE A VERY LIGHT GRADIENT WIND...ALLOWING THE SEA BREEZES TO FORM EARLY AND MOVE SLOWLY INLAND. IT SEEMS THAT THE GFS DEPICTS THE VORT MAXES BETTER THAN THE ETA...WITH THE ONE DROPPING SOUTH REACHING THE CENTRAL PENINSULA. THIS WILL BRING SOME DRYING ALOFT TO OUR NORTHERN AREAS...AND ALL THE MODEL POPS SHOW SLIGHTLY LOWER NUMBERS IN THE NORTH. THE VORT MIGHT ACT TO BRING SOME SLIGHT MID LEVEL COOLING THOUGH...SO DO NOT EXPECT THAT THE DRYING WILL HAVE THAT MUCH OF A SUPPRESSING EFFECT. MAV POPS ARE RUNNING 10-20 PERCENT HIGHER THAN THE CURRENT FORECAST...BUT HAVE BEEN TOO HIGH OF LATE...SO WILL KEEP THE HIGH SCATTERED NUMBERS GOING IN THE NORTH AND LIKELY POPS IN THE SOUTH HALF. EXPECT THAT STORMS WILL END BY AROUND SUNSET WITH SOME LINGERING AREAS OF RAIN PAST 00Z. TO COVER THIS...WILL CONTINUE WITH 30 POPS IN THE EVENING...WHICH IS AGAIN 10-20 PERCENT LOWER THAN MAV POPS. THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...SHORT WAVES MOVING ACROSS THE OHIO/TENNESSEE RIVER VALLEYS CAUSE ENOUGH WEAKNESS IN THE 500MB RIDGE OVER THE SOUTHEAST TO PRODUCE INVERTED TROUGHING ORIENTED SW-NE/KFMY-KSGJ OVER THE FLORIDA PENINSULA. LIGHT SYNOPTIC SCALE WINDS ALONG TROUGH AXIS ALLOWS SEA BREEZES TO FORM EACH DAY AND WHEN COUPLED WITH MOISTURE CONVERGENCE WILL YIELD ANOTHER DAY OF 50...POSSIBLY 60...RAIN CHANCES FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA. LATEST GFS MOS POPS WERE AROUND 70 WHILE THE ETA NUMBERS WERE AROUND 50. OF INTEREST IS THAT BY FRIDAY GFS POPS WERE SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN THE ETA AS THE GFS LIFTS THE TROUGHING TO THE NE QUICKER AND BRINGS IN A DRIER AIR MASS AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE BUILDING SW ATLANTIC RIDGE. THURSDAYS CWA WIDE 50 POP AND FRIDAYS INLAND 50...COASTAL/OKEECHOBEE 40 POP STILL LOOK GOOD AS DRIER AIR WORKS ITS WAY ACROSS THE PENINSULA. SATURDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...LOW LEVEL AND SURFACE RIDGE AXIS REMAIN OVER FLORIDA WITH SOUTHEAST TO SOUTH WIND FLOW PATTERN PREVAILING. RAIN CHANCES RETURN TO MORE TYPICAL AUGUST/SUMMER PATTERN OF 40 DAYTIME AND 20 EVENING/NIGHT TIME. WILL SEE OVERNIGHT SHOWERS/STORMS OVER THE COASTAL WATERS BUT DEPTH OF MOISTURE AND LIGHT WINDS IN THE LOWER LAYER...OR TOO MUCH OF A SOUTHERLY COMPONENT...MAY HINDER LATE NIGHT COASTAL SHOWERS FROM COMING ASHORE ALONG THE COAST FROM CAPE CANAVERAL SOUTH. && .MARINE...LIGHT WIND PATTERN UNTIL INVERTED TROUGH LIFTS NORTHEAST FRIDAY. BUILDING RIDGE ACROSS CENTRAL/NORTH FLORIDA WILL PRODUCE A LIGHT TO MODERATE SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW OVER THE COASTAL WATERS EXCEPT FOR 10-15 KT SEA BREEZES NEAR SHORE EACH AFTERNOON. SEAS 1-2 FEET NEAR SHORE AND 2-3 FEET OFFSHORE. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... DAB 87 73 88 73 / 50 30 50 20 MCO 89 74 90 74 / 50 30 50 30 MLB 87 73 88 74 / 60 30 50 20 VRB 87 73 89 73 / 60 30 50 20 && .MLB WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...LASCODY LONG TERM...WIMMER
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MELBOURNE FL 1055 AM EDT WED AUG 25 2004 AMZ550-555-570-575-FLZ041-044>047-053-054-058-059-064-141-144-147- 251901- COASTAL VOLUSIA-COCOA BEACH TO JUPITER INLET 20 NM TO 60 NM OFFSHORE- COCOA BEACH TO JUPITER INLET OUT TO 20 NM- FLAGLER BEACH TO COCOA BEACH 20 NM TO 60 NM OFFSHORE- FLAGLER BEACH TO COCOA BEACH OUT TO 20 NM-INDIAN RIVER- INLAND VOLUSIA-MARTIN-NORTHERN BREVARD-NORTHERN LAKE-OKEECHOBEE- ORANGE-OSCEOLA-SEMINOLE-SOUTHERN BREVARD-SOUTHERN LAKE-ST. LUCIE- 1055 AM EDT WED AUG 25 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR EAST CENTRAL FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHERN PENINSULA WILL ALLOW FOR COOLING MID LEVEL TEMPERATURES AND INCREASING INSTABILITY WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR SOME STRONG STORMS BY LATE AFTERNOON. MOISTURE WILL ALSO REMAIN HIGH LEADING TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPING DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS AND LASTING INTO THE EARLY EVENING. SEA BREEZE AND OUTFLOW BOUNDARY COLLISIONS ARE EXPECTED TO LEAD TO A HIGH COVERAGE OF SHOWERS AND STORMS. STORM MOTION WILL BE SLOW BUT A GRADUAL INLAND AND NORTHWARD REDEVELOPMENT IS EXPECTED AS THE AFTERNOON PROGRESSES. THE MAIN HAZARD WILL BE FROM ISOLATED STRONG STORMS THAT PRODUCE FREQUENT TO EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING STRIKES. A FEW OF THE STRONGER STORMS MAY ALSO PRODUCE HAIL AND WIND GUSTS TO 45 TO 50 MPH. REMEMBER TO MOVE INDOORS AT THE FIRST SIGN OF LIGHTNING IN YOUR VICINITY. ...FLOOD IMPACT... VERY LITTLE STORM MOTION WILL RESULT IN LOCAL RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES IN ABOUT AN HOUR. THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR THIS WILL BE OVER SOUTHERN SECTIONS AND INTERIOR COUNTIES WHERE MINOR FLOODING IN POORLY DRAINED AREAS CAN BE EXPECTED. ...WATERSPOUT IMPACT... LIGHT WINDS AND HIGH MOISTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE WILL RESULT IN A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR WATERSPOUT FORMATION NEAR RAPIDLY DEVELOPING SHOWERS. THE GREATEST CHANCE FOR THIS SHOULD BE ALONG BOUNDARIES LEFT OVER FROM OVERNIGHT SHOWERS AND STORMS OFFSHORE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY MOISTURE WILL START TO DECREASE IN THE SOUTH THURSDAY AS THE SURFACE TROUGH WEAKENS AND DRIFTS NORTHWEST...THEN DECREASE ACROSS THE ENTIRE AREA ON FRIDAY AS A SURFACE RIDGE BUILDS ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA. THIS WILL BRING A RETURN OF A MORE TYPICAL SUMMER PATTERN...SCATTERED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS...WITH THE HIGHEST COVERAGE OVER INTERIOR SECTIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY. 15
The Melbourne radar (KMLB), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:31 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A 10 year old girl died about five days after being struck by lightning while holding an umbrella at a bus stop. Two other children were injured.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Orange | 2004-08-29 | 10 | Female | Ball Field | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, August 2004
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: 5421877.