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 Miami, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 9:30 AM EST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
SOUTH FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 1030 AM EDT SAT JUL 31 2004 .UPDATE...12Z SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWS SFC LOW NNW OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA WITH A SUBTLE/WEAK TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE EXTENDING FROM THAT AREA TO THE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM EAST NORTHEAST OF CAPE CANAVERAL THROUGH SOUTH CENTRAL FLORIDA OR THE LAKE OKE AREA. 12Z SNDG CONVECTIVE PARAMETERS CAME OUT PRETTY GOOD WITH LI OF -8 AND CAPE OF 4700. HOWEVER MID LVL INSTABILITY REMAINS SOMEWHAT LIMITED. PWAT CONTINUE TO BE AROUND 2 IN ACROSS THE AREA. AT LOW LVLS...850 AND 700 MB..12Z UPR AIR ANALYSIS SHOWS TROUGH CONNECTING THE AFOREMENTIONED LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS ACROSS CNTRL FL WHILE AT MID AND UPR LVLS THE TROUGH OR AXIS IS CUTTING ACROSS OUR CWA. WITH THAT SAID...MEAN STORM MOTION IS FROM THE SW AROUND 10 KNOTS. WATER VAPOR LOOP SHOWS A DRIER MID TO UPR LVL LAYER ACROSS THE AREA THAT IS ALSO PRESENT IN THE SDNG. THIS HAS KEPT THINGS FROM GOING UNTIL THE AFTERNOON. BUT MOISTURE SHOULD CONTINUE TO INCH NORTHWARD AS LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS DO THE SAME. THEREFORE...FOR THIS AFTERNOON LIKELY POPS ARE IN ORDER PARTICULARLY FOR THE INTERIOR AND EAST COAST. THIS SHOULD BE MOSTLY IN THE FORM OF SHOWERS WITH SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS GIVEN DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE AND LACK OF MID LVL INSTABILITY. .PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...SOUTH FLA BETWIXT DEVELOPING LOW PRES SYSTEMS IN SE GULF AND ATLC NE OF AREA. ANALYSIS SURFACE/ALOFT INDICATES TROUGH S OF AREA CONNECTING BOTH SYSTEMS. THIS TROUGH WILL INCH NORTHWARD AS BOTH SURFACE LOW PRES SYSTEMS PROJECTED TO MOVE NW. MODELS HAVE SOME DIFFERENCE UPON WHICH SURFACE LOW TO STRENGTHEN. REGARDLESS ...MAIN EFFECT ON S FLA WILL BE CONNECTING TROUGH MOVING N OVER AREA. DEEP MOISTURE WILL BE PULLED N OVER S FLA THAT WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEK WITH UPPER AIR FLOW...CURRENTLY SE OVER S FLA... BECOMING SOUTHERLY TODAY AND SW BY TONIGHT THEN REMAINING WESTERLY THROUGH THE WEEK AS HIGH PRES REMAINS TO SE OF AREA. PWAT WILL BE WELL ABOVE 2 INCHES THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH ABOVE NORMAL POPS THROUGH THIS WEEKEND BUT SLIGHTLY DECREASING FOR NEXT WEEK. NOCTURNAL ACTIVITY HIGHER ON W COAST WITH HIGHER AFTERNOON ACTIVITY ON E COAST. POPS HIGHER OVER S PORTION OF CWA TODAY AND SOMEWHAT EQUALIZED OVER CWA SUN. MAX TEMPS...DUE TO INCREASING CLOUDS...TO BE BELOW CLIMO AND POPS HIGHER NEXT TWO DAYS. && .MARINE...WINDS WILL REMAIN ON THE LIGHT TO MODERATE SIDE (10 TO 15 KTS) THROUGH THE ENTIRE FORECAST PACKAGE WITH SEAS 4 FEET OR LESS. ONLY CONCERN IS IF DEVELOPMENT OF ATLC SYSTEM SENDS SWELLS SW INTO COASTAL WATERS. BUOY WELL OFF CENTRAL FLA COAST INDICATED 3 FOOT INCREASE LAST 24 HOURS AND WAVE GUIDANCE INDICATES WAVE DIRECTION SW N OF TROUGH TOWARD SE FLA COAST. BUT TROUGH PROJECTED TO BE N OF CWA OVERNIGHT TONIGHT AND THREAT OF SWELLS TO AFFECT WATERS...ESPECIALLY OFF PALM BEACH COUNTY MITIGATED. && .FIRE WEATHER...NO CONCERNS && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WEST PALM BEACH 88 76 88 / 70 50 70 40 FORT LAUDERDALE 88 76 88 / 80 50 70 40 MIAMI 89 76 88 / 80 50 70 40 NAPLES 88 77 87 / 80 50 70 30 && .MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. AM...NONE. GM...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 900 AM EDT SAT JUL 31 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA FLZ063-066>075-312200- BROWARD METROPOLITAN-DADE METROPOLITAN-EASTERN COLLIER-GLADES-HENDRY- MAINLAND MONROE-PALM BEACH EASTERN-PALM BEACH WESTERN- WESTERN BROWARD-WESTERN COLLIER-WESTERN DADE- 900 AM EDT SAT JUL 31 2004 .DAY ONE...TODAY ...MODERATE RISK OF LIGHTNING MAINLY INTERIOR AND EAST COAST TODAY... THE COMBINATION OF A SURFACE TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE ACROSS SOUTH CENTRAL FLORIDA, CONNECTING TWO LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS FROM THE SOUTHERN GULF OF MEXICO TO EAST OF CAPE CANAVERAL THIS MORNING, WITH AFTERNOON SEA BREEZES, OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES, AND DEEP TROPICAL MOISTURE WILL RESULT IN NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA. STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL GENERALLY MOVE FROM THE SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 15 MPH. THE MAIN THREAT WITH ANY OF THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE BRIEF PERIODS OF HEAVY RAINFALL, OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING, AND WIND GUSTS TO 30 MPH. THE THREAT OF LIGHTNING WILL MAINLY BE FOR THE INTERIOR AND SOUTHEAST COAST DUE TO PREVAILING STORM MOTION. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND DETAILED GRAPHICS CAN BE FOUND ON THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB SITE AT MIAMIWEATHER.INFO. FOR INFORMATION IN SPANISH, VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT ELTIEMPOENMIAMI.INFO. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. PS
The Miami radar (KAMX), 60 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:59 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A golfer on the 17th hole of the Orangebrook Golf Course was injured by a lightning strike.
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, July 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: 5411431.