Weak atmospheric winds and abundant moisture led to scattered, slow-moving afternoon and evening thunderstorms across much of 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.
Weak atmospheric winds and abundant moisture led to scattered, slow-moving afternoon and evening thunderstorms across much of 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 23, 1:02 PM EST, 3 hours 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 202 PM EDT FRI SEP 23 2011 .DISCUSSION...AS THE CUT OFF UPPER LOW WOBBLES OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST/GREAT LAKES REGION...THE ATTENDANT UPPER TROUGH EXTENDS S INTO THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEX. THE ATLC UPPER RIDGE REMAINS SHOVED TO THE SE AND EXTENDS FROM THE CENTRAL ATLC SW OVER THE CENTRAL BAHAMAS...CUBA AND THE N CENTRAL CARIB. THIS KEEPS S FLA IN A MOIST BUT WEAK SW WIND FLOW TONIGHT THROUGH THE WEEKEND. NEXT WEEK...THE UPPER LOW BEGINS TO LIFT OUT TO THE NE BUT THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES EASTWARD OVER THE FLA PENINSULA THROUGH THE WEEK. THE COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE UPPER TROUGH MOVES SLOWLY THROUGH THE SE U.S. AND POSSIBLY INTO N FLA BEFORE STALLING AND EVENTUALLY DISSIPATING. FOR THE SHORT TERM...TONIGHT THROUGH SUN NIGHT...A WEAK BUT DEEP AND MOIST SW WIND FLOW WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT ACROSS S FLA WITH SOME GRADUAL STRENGTHENING SATURDAY AND THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD. THIS ENSURES NOCTURNAL CONVECTION OVER THE GULF WATERS...THE ADJACENT SW FLA COAST AND THE ATLC WATERS OFF OF THE E FLA COAST EACH NIGHT WITH DIURNAL/EVENING CONVECTION FAVORING THE E INTERIOR AND E COAST METRO AREAS SATURDAY AND SUNDAY. WITH SOME COOLING ALOFT AND E COAST SEA BREEZE DEVELOPMENT...INSTABILITY INCREASES A BIT. STEERING WINDS MINIMAL (GENERALLY 10 KTS OR LESS) SO LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS A GOOD BET. .EXTENDED PERIOD...MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THE DEEP WESTERLY FLOW CONTINUES BUT SOME DRYING OF THE ATMOSPHERE WILL OCCUR BUT THE GENERAL PATTERN OF W TO E NOCTURNAL/DIURNAL CONVECTION WILL CONTINUE. && .MARINE...WINDS 10 KTS OR LESS THROUGH SUNDAY THEN INCREASING 10 TO 15 KTS ATLC WATERS INTO NEXT WEEK. SEAS 4 FT OR LESS ALL AREAS. && .FIRE WEATHER...NO PROBLEMS OR CONCERNS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... WEST PALM BEACH 77 90 76 89 / 30 50 30 60 FORT LAUDERDALE 79 90 78 90 / 30 50 30 60 MIAMI 78 90 77 90 / 30 50 30 60 NAPLES 76 89 76 89 / 30 40 30 50 && .MFL WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...NONE. AM...NONE. GM...NONE. && DISCUSSION/MARINE...15/JR AVIATION/RADAR/FIRE...84/AK
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR SOUTH FLORIDA NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MIAMI FL 1219 PM EDT FRI SEP 23 2011 FLZ063-066>075-168-172>174-240730- 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- 1219 PM EDT FRI SEP 23 2011 ...SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY... ...SLIGHT RISK OF WATERSPOUTS ATLANTIC WATERS... THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTH FLORIDA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THUNDERSTORMS: SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TODAY...ESPECIALLY OVER THE INTERIOR AND EAST COAST LOCATIONS. FREQUENT LIGHTNING STRIKES...GUSTY WINDS...AND BRIEF HEAVY RAINFALL WILL BE POSSIBLE FROM ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP. WATERSPOUTS: A LIGHT WIND FLOW AND THE PRESENCE OF A FEW SHOWERS OR STORMS WILL RESULT IN A SLIGHT RISK OF WATERSPOUTS OVER THE ATLANTIC WATERS. WIND: GUSTY WINDS UP TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE IN ANY THUNDERSTORM THAT DEVELOPS TODAY. FLOODING: HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE DUE TO THE EXPECTED SLOW MOVEMENT OF ANY STORM THAT DEVELOPS TODAY. THIS COULD RESULT IN MINOR FLOODING OF ROAD AND POORLY DRAINED AREAS. TEMPERATURES: HEAT INDICES OF 100 TO 104 DEGREES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE INTERIOR AND WESTERN AREAS THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A WEAKENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL APPROACH FROM THE NORTH AND STALL OVER THE WEEKEND. THIS COMBINED WITH MOIST SOUTHERLY FLOW MAY ENHANCE THE OVERALL RAINFALL CHANCES, ESPECIALLY OVER THE NORTHERN SECTIONS OF THE AREA THROUGH THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING PERIODS. THE PRIMARY IMPACTS FROM ANY STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE LIGHTNING, GUSTY WINDS, AND LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WIDESPREAD SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED, HOWEVER INDIVIDUAL SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT HIGH WIND, HAIL AND FLOODING TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE FORECAST OFFICE IN MIAMI. FOR MORE INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN MIAMI WEBSITE AT WWW.WEATHER.GOV/MIAMI.
The Miami radar (KAMX), 133 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:50 UTC.
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning struck a home in Golden Gate Estates shortly before 6 PM. Damage was done to an outside electrical outlet and fire crews had to tear through part of the wall to make sure there wasn't any additional damage.
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: 348176.