Deep moisture over the area allowed for seabreeze thunderstorms to develop and move across the area. One of the storms caused a lightning strike fatality.
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 TBW wrote it up.
Deep moisture over the area allowed for seabreeze thunderstorms to develop and move across the area. One of the storms caused a lightning strike fatality.
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 Sep 10, 8:21 AM EST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL 921 AM EDT SAT SEP 10 2011 .UPDATE... ONLY MINOR CHANGES TO THE FORECAST THIS MORNING. THE BOUNDARY HAS LIFTED WELL NORTH OF TAMPA...AND DEWPOINTS ARE IN THE LOW AND MID 70S BASICALLY ACROSS ALL OF THE FORECAST AREA AGAIN EXCEPT FOR PERHAPS PORTIONS OF NORTHERN LEVY COUNTY. PRECIP AND CLOUDS ARE STREAMING ONSHORE IN THE TAMPA BAY AREA THIS MORNING BUT THE SATELLITE AND RADAR SHOW THAT IT IS NOT AS EXTENSIVE AS WHAT CAME ONSHORE LAST NIGHT. THE SOUNDING INDICATES A MOIST ATMOSPHERE WITH 2.08 PWAT AT TPA. THERE HAS BEEN SOME WARMING IN THE COLUMN WHICH WILL ACT AS A BIT OF A CAP TODAY...WITH CONVECTIVE TEMPS IN THE LOWER TO MID 90S...THIS COULD BE HARD TO REACH WHERE THERE ARE CLOUDS NOW. THERE SHOULD BE SCATTERED AFTERNOON DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTH WHERE SEA BREEZE AND SUNNY SKIES WILL COINCIDE...BUT FROM THE TAMPA BAY AREA NORTH...THE RAIN THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON COMING OFF THE GULF MAY BE ALL THAT IS SEEN TODAY. ONLY ADJUSTMENTS CURRENTLY TO ADJUST SKY COVER TO MATCH CURRENT SATELLITE PICS AND SLOW TEMPERATURE RISES IN THE CLOUDY AREAS. && .AVIATION... EXPECTING MAINLY VFR TODAY AS ACTIVITY OFFSHORE DISSIPATES AND SEA BREEZES PUSH RAPIDLY INLAND. CANT RULE OUT A BRIEF SHOWER WITH MVFR/IFR CONDITIONS BEFORE BOUNDARIES MOVE INLAND. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 350 AM EDT SAT SEP 10 2011/ SHORT TERM (TODAY-MONDAY)... THE MID/UPPER LEVEL CUTOFF LOW OVER THE OHIO/CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI VALLEY DRIFTS EAST AND OPENS UP WITH THE TROUGH DEEPENING BACK INTO THE SOUTHEAST U.S. BY MONDAY. MEANWHILE AT THE SURFACE THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY THAT HAS BEEN ACROSS THE REGION WILL DRIFT NORTH INTO NORTH FLORIDA WITH THE RIDGE AXIS MOVING NORTH INTO CENTRAL FLORIDA BY SUNDAY SETTING UP A MORE SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ACROSS THE NATURE COAST TO SOUTHEAST FLOW ACROSS THE SOUTH. THEN AS THE TROUGH DEEPENS INTO THE SOUTHEAST U.S. THE BOUNDARY WILL BE PUSHED BACK SOUTH INTO THE REGION DURING MONDAY. FOR TODAY THE FORECAST IS A LITTLE UNCERTAIN AS GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO VARY WITH EACH MODEL RUN. LATEST MODELS HAVE LOWERED POPS FOR TODAY WHICH APPEARS TO BE DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE A VORT MAX MOVING ACROSS THE AREA THAT THE PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS DID INDICATE. MODELS HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE LOCATION AND TIMING OF THESE VORT MAXES FOR THE LAST FEW DAYS SO FOR NOW WILL CONTINUE WITH THE 40 TO 50 POPS ACROSS THE CENTRAL ANS SOUTH TODAY AS DAYTIME HEATING COMBINES WITH THE BOUNDARY DRIFTING NORTH INTO THE NATURE COAST AND THE SEA BREEZE. ACROSS THE NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE NATURE COAST THE DRIER IS EXPECTED TO HOLD AND WILL ONLY GO WITH 20 TO 30 PERCENT HERE. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR TO A FEW DEGREES BELOW NORMAL WITH HIGHS IN THE MID 80S TO LOWER 90S. TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY THE BOUNDARY WILL LIFT NORTH INTO NORTH FLORIDA WITH SOME DRIER AIR MOVING OVER MUCH OF THE REGION. GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO INDICATE SOME DEEPER MOISTURE MOVING WEST ACROSS SOUTH FLORIDA LATE SUNDAY ASSOCIATED WITH A TROPICAL WAVE. RAIN CHANCES WILL REMAIN 30 TO 40 PERCENT WITH THE HIGHEST ACROSS THE SOUTH. LOW TEMPERATURES TONIGHT WILL BE NEAR NORMAL WITH DAYTIME HIGHS ON SUNDAY NEAR TO A COUPLE OF DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY THE SURFACE RIDGE AXIS WILL BE PUSHED BACK SOUTH AS THE MID/UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DEEPENS OVER THE SOUTHEAST U.S. WITH THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY OVER NORTH FLORIDA MOVING SOUTH INTO CENTRAL FLORIDA PENINSULA. THE DEEPEST MOISTURE WILL SHIFT SOUTH AND EAST DURING THE DAY...BUT WITH THE TROUGH DEEPENING BRINGING COOLER MID LEVEL TEMPERATURES WE SHOULD SEE AT LEAST SCATTERED CONVECTION DEVELOP. BEST CHANCES WILL BE OVER THE INTERIOR AND SOUTH WHERE THE DEEPEST MOISTURE WILL RESIDE. LOW TEMPERATURES SUNDAY NIGHT WILL BE NEAR NORMAL WITH DAYTIME HIGHS ON MONDAY NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL. LONG TERM (MONDAY NIGHT-FRIDAY)... SHORTWAVE TROUGH WILL PUSH EAST OF THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING OVER WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA TUESDAY...WHICH WILL HOLD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL ALSO BUILD OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO AND FLORIDA WITH DRIER AIR ADVECTING ACROSS THE REGION BRINGING INCREASING SUBSIDENCE. WITH DECREASED DEEP LAYER MOISTURE AND HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT...ONLY A SLIGHT CHANCE OF AN AFTERNOON SHOWER OR THUNDERSTORM IS EXPECTED EACH DAY...WITH DAYTIME TEMPERATURES ABOVE CLIMATIC NORMALS THROUGH THE PERIOD. MARINE... FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT BACK NORTH TODAY AND SUNDAY THEN SHIFT BACK SOUTH WITH HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING OVER THE WATERS EARLY NEXT WEEK. WINDS WILL REMAIN 15 KNOTS OR LESS WITH SEAS 3 FEET OR LESS THROUGH THE PERIOD. FIRE WEATHER... NO FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS AS ERC VALUES REMAIN LOW AND RELATIVE HUMIDITY VALUES REMAIN ABOVE 35 PERCENT. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... TPA 87 74 90 77 / 50 20 30 20 FMY 92 76 93 76 / 40 20 40 20 GIF 89 73 92 75 / 50 20 30 20 SRQ 88 74 91 76 / 50 20 30 20 BKV 88 68 91 70 / 40 20 30 20 SPG 85 78 89 80 / 50 20 30 20 && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. GULF WATERS...NONE. && UPDATE...JOHNSON AVIATION...JILLSON SHORT TERM/MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...CLOSE LONG TERM...OGLESBY
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY RUSKIN FL 500 AM EDT SAT SEP 10 2011 FLZ039-042-043-048>052-055>057-060>062-065-102100- LEVY-CITRUS-SUMTER-HERNANDO-PASCO-PINELLAS-HILLSBOROUGH-POLK- MANATEE-HARDEE-HIGHLANDS-SARASOTA-DE SOTO-CHARLOTTE-LEE- 500 AM EDT SAT SEP 10 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WEST CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA TODAY INTO EARLY TONIGHT. SOME OF THESE STORMS WILL CONTAIN FREQUENT LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS AND LOCAL HEAVY RAINFALL WHICH COULD CAUSE MINOR FLOODING OF LOW LYING AND POOR DRAINAGE AREAS. IF LIGHTNING IS OBSERVED OR THUNDER IS HEARD MOVE INDOORS IMMEDIATELY. ...WATERSPOUT IMPACT... WATERSPOUTS WILL BE POSSIBLE AS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MOVE ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS TODAY AND TONIGHT. MARINERS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR WATERSPOUTS AND SEEK SAFE HARBOR IF OBSERVED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE EACH DAY THROUGH MONDAY THEN DRIER AIR IS EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE REGION LIMITING THE CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS FOR THE REST OF THE WEEK. THE MAIN THREATS BEING FROM ANY STORMS WILL BE FREQUENT LIGHTNING...GUSTY WINDS AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTERS SHOULD MONITOR THE WEATHER AND SELF ACTIVATE IF NEEDED. PRC
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAMPA BAY AREA - RUSKIN FL
1117 AM EDT SAT SEP 10 2011
FLZ050-051-101600-
HILLSBOROUGH-PINELLAS-
1117 AM EDT SAT SEP 10 2011
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT SOUTHERN PINELLAS AND WESTERN
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTIES...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATES THUNDERSTORMS
LOCATED NEAR LEALMAN...OR NEAR PINELLAS PARK...MOVING EAST AT 10
MPH...WILL AFFECT SEMINOLE...PINELLAS PARK...LEALMAN AND KENNETH
CITY...UNTIL NOON EDT.
THIS INCLUDES INTERSTATE 275 BETWEEN EXITS 22 AND 32.
GUSTY WINDS 35 TO 45 MPH WILL OCCUR. FREQUENT LIGHTNING IS EXPECTED.
TO BE SAFE GO INDOORS IMMEDIATELY. IF CAUGHT OUTSIDE...FIND A LOW
SPOT...AND STAY AWAY FROM TALL OBJECTS. TORRENTIAL RAINS WILL REDUCE
VISIBILITY TO NEAR ZERO AND WILL CAUSE PONDING OF WATER ON ROADWAYS.
RAINFALL OF 1 TO 2 INCHES IS POSSIBLE IN THESE STORMS.
&&
LAT...LON 2790 8272 2790 8262 2788 8261 2789 8259
2787 8256 2787 8254 2790 8254 2790 8251
2783 8253 2785 8256 2788 8257 2787 8259
2781 8258 2774 8263 2781 8282
TIME...MOT...LOC 1516Z 275DEG 8KT 2785 8265
JOHNSONThe Tampa radar (KTBW), 37 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:46 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
A 21-year-old male employee at an area water park was standing in a 2 to 3 foot deep pool of water near a water slide tower when he was struck by lightning. It was the first strike in the area at the time. He went into cardiac arrest and later died at the hospital.
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, Hillsborough | 2011-09-10 | 21 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, September 2011
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: 346649.