2 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 Tampa Bay, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 4, 8:10 PM EST, 50 minutes earlier.
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 910 PM EDT SUN JUL 4 2004 .DISCUSSION...DEEP RIDGING WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE CENTRAL FA FROM THE ATLANTIC TONIGHT WITH LIGHT FLOW UNDER PARTLY CLOUDY SKIES. LOWS TO BOTTOM OUT IN THE LOW-MID 70S. WHILE MOST AREAS WERE DRY BY 9 PM AS PROMISED BY THE PREVIOUS AFD...CONVECTION WAS ONGOING FROM SE POLK TO VENICE AND ALSO ALONG THE COAST FROM VENICE TO FORT MYERS. THIS SHOULD DIE DOWN OR MOVE OFFSHORE DURING THE NEXT HOUR. PUBLIC ZONES WILL GO OUT BY 1025 TO END EVENING PRECIPITATION...NO OTHER CHANGES. && .MARINE...LIGHT WINDS AND SEAS TO CONTINUE TONIGHT WITH RIDGE AXIS BISECTING THE AREA NEAR TARPON SPRINGS. A FEW SHOWERS AND STORMS ALONG THE SW COAST WILL SLIDE OFFSHORE DURING THE HOUR AND ARE EXPECTED TO LINGER THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT WITH ONLY ISOLATED COVERAGE. COASTAL WATERS FORECAST OUT BY 1020 WITH LITTLE CHANGE. && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && RKR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 524 AM EDT SUN JUL 4 2004 FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-041400- CHARLOTTE-CITRUS-DE SOTO-HARDEE-HERNANDO-HIGHLANDS-HILLSBOROUGH-LEE- LEVY-MANATEE-PASCO-PINELLAS-POLK-SARASOTA-SUMTER- 524 AM EDT SUN JUL 4 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY: SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG COASTAL SECTIONS OF THE NATURE COAST THIS MORNING. DAYTIME HEATING GENERATING THE WEST COAST SEA BREEZE WILL INITIATE MORE STORMS ALONG AREA BEACHES THAT WILL MOVE INLAND THEN LATER COLLIDE WITH OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES AND THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE PRODUCE MORE NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON FOR INTERIOR AREAS...THEN TAPER OFF INTO THE EVENING. WEAK STEERING FLOW ALOFT WILL ALLOW FOR SLOW MOVING STORMS. RAINFALL RATES OF 2 TO 3 INCHES AN HOUR ARE POSSIBLE...WHICH COULD CAUSE MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. FREQUENT TO EXCESSIVE CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH TODAYS STORMS. WHEN SKIES DARKEN...MOVE INDOORS. IF THERE IS TIME...UNPLUG APPLIANCES AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT. WAIT UNTIL THE STORM ENDS BEFORE USING THE TELEPHONE OR RUNNING WATER. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR UPDATES. DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY: SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS MAINLY AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED EACH DAY. THERE WILL BE A POSSIBILITY OF STRONG STORMS EACH AFTERNOON. STAY TUNED TO THE LATEST FORECASTS FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. && FOR ADDITIONAL WEATHER INFORMATION...CHECK OUR WEB SITE AT HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/TBW (LOWER CASE)
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 559 PM EDT SUN JUL 4 2004 FLZ052-042245- POLK- 559 PM EDT SUN JUL 4 2004 STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING NORTHWEST AT 10 MPH...WILL AFFECT WINTER HAVEN...LAKE ALFRED...INWOOD AND AUBURNDALE...UNTIL 645 PM EDT. GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...CROUCH DOWN IN A LOW SPOT...AWAY FROM TALL OBJECTS. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. MCMICHAEL
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 925 PM EDT SUN JUL 4 2004 FLZ060-050215- SARASOTA- 925 PM EDT SUN JUL 4 2004 STRONG THUNDERSTORMS MOVING WEST AT 5 MPH...WILL AFFECT WARM MINERAL SPRINGS...VENICE GARDENS...VENICE...AND NOKOMIS...UNTIL 1015 PM EDT. FREQUENT CLOUD TO GROUND LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...CROUCH DOWN IN A LOW SPOT...AWAY FROM TALL OBJECTS. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADS...AND MINOR FLOODING OF POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. MCMICHAEL
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:00 UTC.
2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a radio antenna of a boat just after the fire works display ended. The lightning zig-zagged through the cabin and blew the guts out of a marine and AM radio. No injuries were reported but the captain of the boat said his ears were ringing for three hours due to the thunder.
Lightning struck the radio tower of the police station. Five antennas and a computer system were damaged.
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: 5412827, 5412828.