A low pressure area south of the Florida Panhandle provided for a deep southerly flow of moist and unstable air, leading to numerous showers and thunderstorms over South Florida.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 episode as NWS MFL wrote it up.
A low pressure area south of the Florida Panhandle provided for a deep southerly flow of moist and unstable air, leading to numerous showers and thunderstorms over South Florida.
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 Sep 21, 10:16 AM EST, 1 hour 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 1116 AM EDT FRI SEP 21 2007 .UPDATE...STACKED CLOSED LOW SOUTH OF THE FL PANHANDLE CONTINUES TO SLOWLY PULL AWAY FROM SOUTH FL THIS AFTERNOON. LATEST WATER VAPOR IMAGERY...GPS PWAT DATA...AND 12Z MIAMI/KEY WEST SOUNDINGS SHOW THAT RAPID MID-LEVEL MOISTURE RETURN IS UNDERWAY ACROSS SOUTH FL WITH PWATS MOST AREAS ALREADY BACK AROUND 2 INCHES AFTER THE DRY SLOT MOVED THROUGH YESTERDAY/OVERNIGHT. LATEST VISIBLE SATELLITE AND RADAR IMAGERY ALREADY SHOW SCATTERED SHOWERS DEVELOPING ACROSS MUCH OF THE SOUTHERN CWA AND SOUTHERN EAST COAST METRO AREAS AND MOVING N/NNE. WIDESPREAD CU FIELD IS ALREADY EVIDENT EVEN OUTSIDE OF THESE AREAS. RUC ANALYSIS ALSO INDICATES GOOD UPPER DIVERGENCE ACROSS THE FL PENINSULA BETWEEN THE CIRCULATION AROUND THE UPPER LOW TO THE NORTH AND UPPER RIDGE OVER THE NW CARIBBEAN. THESE FACTORS LEAD ME TO INCREASE POPS TO NUMEROUS OVER THE EASTERN INTERIOR. FEEL THE BULK OF THE ACTIVITY WILL BE MORE TOWARDS THE MID/LATE AFTERNOON HOURS AS THE EAST COAST SEA BREEZE KICKS IN AND ENHANCES LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE OVER THE EAST COAST METRO AREAS. WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF BRIEF WEAK/ISOLATED TORNADOES AGAIN TODAY...ALTHOUGH A LITTLE MORE UNCERTAIN THAN YESTERDAY. MAIN LIMITING FACTOR YESTERDAY WAS DRY AIR AND LACK OF COVERAGE...WHICH SHOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM TODAY. HOWEVER...SHEAR IS A LITTLE LESS TODAY. 12Z TAMPA SOUNDING SHOWS STRONG ENOUGH LOW- LEVEL WINDS TO SUPPORT BRIEF SPINUPS IF SURFACE WINDS CAN BACK JUST A SLIGHT BIT. SHEAR SHOULD BE LESS OVER OUR INLAND COUNTIES SINCE THEY ARE FURTHER AWAY FROM THE MID/UPPER LOW...BUT WOULD STILL MARGINALLY BE ENOUGH TO BE A THREAT. SEVERAL OF THE SHOWERS...THOUGH NOT TALL...ALREADY HAVE AN APPEARANCE THAT SUGGESTS A FEW MINI-SUPERCELLS ARE POSSIBLE TODAY. AN ADDITIONAL THREAT AREA MAY BE ALONG THE EAST COAST...WHERE STRENGTH OF WIND FIELDS ARE LESS BUT STORMS MAY INTERACT WITH THE SEA BREEZE AND INCREASE STORM-RELATIVE HELICITY. WILL HIGHLIGHT THIS THREAT IN THE HWO BUT EXPECT ONLY A VERY SLIGHT CHANCE FOR BRIEF/WEAK SPINUPS. MADE OTHER MINOR CHANGES TO THE FORECAST TO ACCOUNT FOR CURRENT TRENDS..AND INCREASED MAX TEMPS A DEGREE OR TWO REGION WIDE AS OLD FORECAST MAXES WERE CLOSE TO BEING ACHIEVED AS OF 11 AM. && .AVIATION...DEEP SOUTHERLY FLOW/TROPICAL AIR MASS IN PLACE ACROSS S FLA WITH LINES OF CONVECTION OVER THE ALTC WTRS WITH AN OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING STRIKE. ALSO SOME SHRA OVR THE GULF WTRS AND CANNOT RULE OUT SOME LIGHTNING THERE AS WELL. THUS HAVE KEPT VCTS IN ALL TAFS THIS MORNING AND WITH ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT LIKELY OVER THE PENINSULA WITH HEATING THE THREAT SHOULD CONTINUE BEYOND 16Z. IF ANY ACTIVITY DOES IMPACT A TERMINAL, EXPECT BRIEF IFR BUT ONLY LASTING 15 MINUTES OR LESS. && .MARINE...BUOY OBSERVATIONS OVER THE GULF INDICATES WINDS RUNNING 10 TO 15 KNOTS...AND WEBCAMS FROM THE NAPLES AREA INDICATE SEAS RUNNING AROUND 3 FEET ALONG THE COAST. GIVEN THAT THE SYSTEM IS MOVING AWAY FROM OUR WATERS THIS SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT...AND WAS ALREADY REFLECTED IN THE FORECAST SO NO MAJOR CHANGES NEEDED. STRASSBERG/KOB && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 523 AM EDT FRI SEP 21 2007/ DISCUSSION... THE MAJOR THING TO EMPHASIZE IN THE FORECAST PACKAGE...ESPECIALLY SHORT TERM...IS THE UNCERTAINTY. PARTLY THIS IS BASED ON THE SYNOPTIC CONDITIONS BUT ALSO IN THE SHORT TERM GUIDANCE. THE SHORT TERM GUIDANCE RANGES FROM SHOWERS/THUNDERSTORMS LIKELY TO JUST SCATTERED ACTIVITY. SO FORECAST IS BASICALLY A COMPROMISE. BUT BELIEVE GFS...WHICH HAD VERY HIGH POPS...INITIALIZED POORLY AND RESULTED IN HIGH POPS FOR THIS AFTERNOON FROM LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND MASS CONVERGENCE THAT INITIALIZED VERY POORLY AND IS NOT LIKELY TO TRANSPIRE. THE NAM SEEMED TO INITIALIZE BETTER AND INDICATED THE CONVECTION THAT WAS OCCURRING OVER THE BAHAMAS EARLIER. THE MAIN LARGE SCALE FEATURES CONTINUE TO BE THE UPPER LEVEL LOW NOW SOUTH OF THE FLORIDA PANHANDLE AND THE SURFACE LOW SOUTHEAST OF IT WITH BOTH LIKELY TAKING A WEST NORTHWEST DRIFT. THE FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATE MAINLY SOUTHERLY TO SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW FROM THE SURFACE TO THE UPPER LEVELS...WITH LOW LEVEL FLOW POSSIBLY BECOMING SOUTHEASTERLY BY THIS AFTERNOON. THE LOW LEVEL WIND PROFILE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE FAVORABLE TO SUPPORT SEVERE STORMS...BUT ISOLATED SEVERE STORMS ARE CERTAINLY POSSIBLE. IN ADDITION...THE FORECAST SOUNDINGS INDICATED THAT THE PRECIPITABLE WATER SHOULD INCREASE TO AROUND TWO INCHES OR MORE TODAY AND AT LEAST THROUGH SATURDAY...SO THERE SHOULD BE AMPLE MOISTURE SUPPLY. THE OVERALL SYNOPTIC PATTERN APPEARS TO FAVOR MORE CONVECTION OVER THE ATLANTIC WATERS AND OVER THE EASTERN SECTIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA TODAY...WITH NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS INDICATED IN THE FORECAST...WITH SCATTERED ACTIVITY ELSEWHERE. CONDITIONS WILL REMAIN FAVORABLE ON SATURDAY TO SUPPORT NUMEROUS SHOWERS OVER THE PENINSULA AND SLIGHTLY IMPROVING ON SUNDAY. MARINE... FAIRLY TRANQUIL MARINE CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR THE ATLANTIC WATERS...BUT THE IN THE OFF SHORE GULF WATERS SEAS ARE FORECAST TO BE IN THE RANGE OF 3 TO 4 FEET. FIRE... NO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. AVIATION... TROPICAL MOISTURE WILL REQUIRE AT LEAST VCTS IN THE TAFS TODAY WITH MORE ACTIVITY IN THE ATLANTIC THAT MAY BRUSH UP AGAINST THE EAST COAST TAFS THIS MORNING. BRIEF IFR CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED WITH POSSIBLY GUSTY WINDS TO 25 KTS. THERE WILL BE MORE OF A SHIFT TO THE APF TAF FOR THE AFTERNOON. NO TIME CAN REALLY BE RULED OUT WITH CONVECTION THROUGH THE DAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WEST PALM BEACH 89 78 88 78 / 60 30 60 30 FORT LAUDERDALE 90 78 88 80 / 60 30 60 30 MIAMI 89 77 89 77 / 60 30 60 30 NAPLES 90 76 91 76 / 40 30 60 40 && .MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. AM...NONE. GM...NONE. && LONG TERM...60/BD SHORT TERM/AVIATION...18/GR
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH FLORIDA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 1118 AM EDT FRI SEP 21 2007 FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-220315- GLADES-HENDRY-INLAND PALM BEACH-METRO PALM BEACH-COASTAL COLLIER- INLAND COLLIER-INLAND BROWARD-METRO BROWARD-INLAND MIAMI DADE- METRO MIAMI DADE-MAINLAND MONROE-COASTAL PALM BEACH- COASTAL BROWARD-COASTAL MIAMI DADE-FAR SOUTH MIAMI DADE- 1115 AM EDT FRI SEP 21 2007 ...A FEW WEAK TORNADOES POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON... ...SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS: SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS ALL OF MAINLAND SOUTH FLORIDA AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS TODAY BUT WITH THE MOST ACTIVE LOCATIONS ACROSS THE INTERIOR AND EAST COAST METROPOLITAN REGION. OCCASIONAL LIGHTNING STRIKES, LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS AND WIND GUSTS TO 30 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED IN THE STRONGEST STORMS. TORNADOES: COUNTERCLOCKWISE ROTATION AROUND NEWLY FORMED SUBTROPICAL DEPRESSION TEN IN THE NORTHEAST GULF OF MEXICO WILL RESULT IN A POSSIBLE BRIEF WEAK TORNADO THIS AFTERNOON. THE PRIMARY THREAT FOR THIS ACTIVITY WILL BE OVER THE INTERIOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH FLORIDA NEAR LAKE OKEECHOBEE AND THE EASTERN METROPOLITAN COAST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO OCCUR EACH DAY THROUGH THE PERIOD. LIGHTNING STRIKES AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE THE MAIN IMPACTS FROM THE STORMS. NO OTHER HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUESTED THIS AFTERNOON. FOR MORE INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIAMI WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MIAMI.
The Miami radar (KAMX), 99 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:29 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A 49-year-old man was struck and killed by lightning while working on a vegetable farm in rural southern Hendry County.
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, Hendry | 2007-09-21 | 49 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, September 2007
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: 66113.