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 Tampa Bay, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 18, 1:00 PM EST, 1 hour 30 minutes earlier.
WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 200 PM EDT THU AUG 18 2005 .SHORT TERM (TODAY-SAT)...THE WEAK SURFACE RIDGE ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA WILL HANG ON INTO THE WEEKEND. THE MID/UPPER RIDGE OVER THE STATE HAS BEEN MORE PERSISTENT AND SLOWER MOVING THAN MODELS INDICATED EARLIER THIS WEEK. THIS HIGH IS HAVING MORE EFFECT ON THE EAST SIDE OF FLORIDA THAN THE WEST WHERE PWS ARE AROUND .5 INCH HIGHER. THE STEERING FLOW IS EAST TO WEST BUT VERY WEAK. BOTTOM LINE IS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY WILL HAVE SCATTERED TSTM ACTIVITY DEVELOPING IN THE LATE AFTERNOON AND PERSISTING INTO THE LATE EVENING. TEMPS WILL CONTINUE TO BE A COUPLE OF DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL BEGINING WITH ABOVE NORMAL LOWS INTO THE UPPER 70S WITH HIGHS IN THE CREEPING A DEGREE OR TWO ABOVE NORMAL. HEAT INDICES WILL ALSO CONTINUE AT 100-105 WITH THE HIGH TEMPS AND HIGH HUMIDITIES. .LONG TERM (SAT NIGHT - THU)...GFS/DGEX CONTINUE TO BE FAIRLY SIMILAR TO PREVIOUS SOLUTIONS IN SHOWING A SUBTLE PATTERN CHANGE AS WE MOVE INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. DEEP LAYERED RIDGING OVER THE DEEP SOUTH AND NORTHERN GULF AT THE START OF THE PERIOD WILL CONTINUE TO SUPPORT SCATTERED DIURNAL POPS ALONG SEA/LAKE BREEZE BOUNDARIES ON SUNDAY...AND WILL KEEP POPS IN THE 40-50% RANGE. BY LATER SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY THE UPPER RIDGE RETROGRADES WEST SOME AS AN AMPLIFYING UPPER TROUGH DEVELOPS OVER THE EASTERN U.S. THROUGH MID WEEK. THIS AMPLIFYING UPPER TROUGH WILL PUSH A SFC/FRONTAL TROUGH INTO THE SERN STATES LATE ON SUNDAY...AND POSSIBLY INTO THE NORTHERN PENINSULA ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY AS THE SFC RIDGE AXIS SINKS SOUTH...WITH A SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW DEVELOPING ACROSS THE FA WITH INCREASING LOW LEVEL MOISTURE. THE COMBINATION OF THE MOISTURE AND THE AFOREMENTIONED SFC/FRONTAL TROUGH WILL SUPPORT AN INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER AND RAIN CHANCES... ESPECIALLY ACROSS NORTHERN MOST ZONES MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. IN ADDITION WILL NEED TO WATCH AND SEE WHAT THE REMNANTS OF TD #10 DOES...AS IT WILL BE APPROACHING THE BAHAMAS DURING THE MONDAY AND TUESDAY TIME FRAME AS WELL. THE SOUTH TO SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW WILL FAVOR SCATTERED EARLY MORNING SHOWERS/STORMS ALONG THE COAST...WITH ADDITIONAL STORMS FIRING OFF OVER INLAND LOCATIONS EACH AFTERNOON. LATEST MEX GUIDANCE SHOWS POPS INCREASING INTO THE LIKELY RANGE...WHICH IS IN LINE WITH THE FAIRLY CONSISTENT GFS/DGEX SOLUTIONS...HOWEVER AT THIS STAGE OF THE GAME AM NOT TOTALLY CONVINCED THE FRONTAL TROUGH WILL MAKE IT AS FAR SOUTH AS MODELS DEPICT GIVEN THE TIME OF YEAR...SO WILL HOLD GRIDDED POPS AT 50% FOR NOW. BY THURSDAY UPPER RIDGING OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC BEGINS TO BUILD WEST WITH REMNANT FRONTAL TROUGH FINALLY WASHING OUT OVER THE FAR NORTH. AMPLE MOISTURE COMBINED WITH A LIGHT EAST TO SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW AND AFTERNOON SEA/LAKE BREEZES WILL SUPPORT NEAR CLIMO POPS WITH SCATTERED SHOWERS/STORMS EXPECTED DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS. ONSHORE FLOW WILL KEEP MIN TEMPS ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE PERIOD...WHILE MAX TEMPERATURES CONTINUE A FEW DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL ON SUNDAY...THEN FALL BACK TO NEAR NORMAL THROUGH THE UPCOMING WEEK DUE TO AN INCREASE IN CLOUD COVER/RAIN CHANCES AND LOWER THICKNESS VALUES. && .MARINE...WEAK HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN IN PLACE OVER THE COASTAL WATERS INTO THE WEEKEND WITH AFTERNOON SEABREEZES DEVELOPING EACH DAY. BY LATE SUNDAY A WESTERLY FLOW WILL BECOME MORE PREDOMINANT AHEAD OF AND APPROACHING COLD FRONT. WINDS WILL CONTINUE AT 10 KNOTS OR LESS AND SEAS AT 2 FEET OR LESS THROUGH THE PERIOD. WINDS AND SEAS WILL BE HIGHER NEAR THUNDERSTORMS. && .FIRE WEATHER...NO HIGHLIGHTS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TPA 077 093 077 092 077 333 FMY 077 094 077 093 076 333 GIF 077 096 077 095 076 333 SRQ 077 092 077 092 076 333 BKV 073 093 073 093 073 343 && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && SHORT TERM...CP LONG TERM....JM
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL 530 AM EDT THU AUG 18 2005 FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-181400- CHARLOTTE-CITRUS-DE SOTO-HARDEE-HERNANDO-HIGHLANDS-HILLSBOROUGH-LEE- LEVY-MANATEE-PASCO-PINELLAS-POLK-SARASOTA-SUMTER- 530 AM EDT THU AUG 18 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY: WIDELY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAINLY ALONG THE SEABREEZE AND OUTFLOW BOUNDARIES. STORM MOVEMENT WILL AGAIN BE SLOW...WITH LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS CAUSING WATER TO COLLECT ON ROADS AND IN LOW LYING AREAS. FREQUENT TO EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED WITH THE 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. TEMPERATURES WILL AGAIN RISE INTO THE MID TO UPPER 90S THIS AFTERNOON. THESE HIGH TEMPERATURES COMBINED WITH RELATIVELY HIGH HUMIDITIES AND LIGHT WINDS WILL MAKE TEMPERATURES FEEL BETWEEN 100 AND 105 DEGREES. DRINK PLENTY OF WATER...BEFORE YOU GET THIRSTY. WEAR LIGHTWEIGHT AND LIGHT COLORED CLOTHING. RESERVE STRENUOUS EXERCISE FOR EARLY MORNING OR EVENING HOURS. STAY NEAR AIR CONDITIONED LOCATIONS IF POSSIBLE. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR YOUR LOCAL MEDIA OUTLETS FOR UPDATES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY: SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED EACH DAY WITH FREQUENT TO EXCESSIVE LIGHTNING...LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS AND GUSTY WINDS BEING THE MAIN HAZARDS WITH THE STORMS. .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)
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 132 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:28 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning from a fast-moving thundertstorm killed two Fort Myers roofers and injured a third as they were getting ready to go home for the day.
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, Lee | 2005-08-18 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct | |
| Lightning, Lee | 2005-08-18 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, August 2005
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: 5470020.