Scattered summer thunderstorms developed across the area during the late morning and afternoon hours. A lightning bolt from one of these storms struck and injured a golfer in Pinellas County.
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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.
Scattered summer thunderstorms developed across the area during the late morning and afternoon hours. A lightning bolt from one of these storms struck and injured a golfer in Pinellas County. Another storm caused widespread wind damage in Hardee County.
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, 8:17 AM EST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL 917 AM EDT Fri Aug 18 2017 ...A Few Strong Storms Possible This Afternoon... .UPDATE... A Large upper level low located over north-central Cuba with a trough axis extending north into the Florida peninsula this morning will continue to move slowly to the west the remainder of today. Water vapor imagery as well as 12Z MFL raob data shows drier and cooler mid level air associated with the upper low advecting into southern portions of the peninsula early this morning where PW's at MFL has dropped to 1.46 inches with 500MB temperatures now at -9C. This drier and cooler mid level air may lead to some some strong convection developing along the sea breeze across southwest Florida during the afternoon hours with strong downburst winds and small hail being the main hazards along with frequent lightning strikes and heavy rain. Further to the north across central and northern portions of the forecast area deep layered moisture (PW's 2+ inches and milder mid level temperatures will again support scattered to numerous showers and storms developing along the sea breeze and outflow boundaries during the afternoon with a very weak steering flow through 700MB again supporting slow and erratic storm motion with some very heavy rainfall amounts possible in some locations along with frequent lightning strikes and some gusty winds. Given the cooler drier air aloft will add gusty winds and hail wording into the forecast for southwest Florida for the afternoon, and will also add heavy rain and gusty winds wording for central and northern zones given the high PW's and slow and erratic storm motion. Other than these minor tweaks no other changes are planned at this time. Zone update will be out by 10 AM. && .AVIATION... Brief MVFR cigs/vsbys may impact the terminal sites after 16Z as scattered showers and thunderstorms develop along the bay and sea breeze boundaries and have included tempo groups to cover this. Outside of the convection VFR will prevail. Light and variable winds early this morning will become west to northwest at 7 to 9 knots after 16Z as the sea breeze develops and moves inland with gusts up to 30 knots possible in the vicinity of tsra. Light to calm winds will return to all terminals after 02Z tonight. && .MARINE... High pressure from the Atlantic extending west across the central Florida peninsula and into the eastern Gulf will maintain light winds and slight seas over the Gulf waters the remainder of today with a weak pressure pattern supporting an onshore sea breeze component developing along the coast during the afternoon. Wind and seas will be higher in the vicinity of thunderstorms, otherwise no headlines are expected. Ongoing forecast is on track with no changes expected in the next forecast issuance around 10 AM this morning. && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. Gulf waters...None. && UPDATE/AVIATION/MARINE...57/McMichael UPPER AIR...05/Carlisle/Flannery DECISION SUPPORT...74/Wynn
Hazardous Weather Outlook...UPDATED National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL 1055 AM EDT Fri Aug 18 2017 FLZ043-050-052-056-057-061-139-142-148-149-151-155-160-162-165- 239-242-248-249-251-255-260-262-265-GMZ830-836-850-853-856-870- 873-876-182330- Sumter-Pinellas-Polk-Hardee-Highlands-DeSoto-Coastal Levy- Coastal Citrus-Coastal Hernando-Coastal Pasco- Coastal Hillsborough-Coastal Manatee-Coastal Sarasota- Coastal Charlotte-Coastal Lee-Inland Levy-Inland Citrus- Inland Hernando-Inland Pasco-Inland Hillsborough-Inland Manatee- Inland Sarasota-Inland Charlotte-Inland Lee-Tampa Bay waters- Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound- Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 NM- Coastal waters from Englewood to Tarpon Springs FL out 20 NM- Coastal waters from Bonita Beach to Englewood FL out 20 NM- Waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 to 60 NM- Waters from Englewood to Tarpon Springs FL out 20 to 60 NM- Waters from Bonita Beach to Englewood FL out 20 to 60 NM- 1055 AM EDT Fri Aug 18 2017 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for West Central And Southwest Florida. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... Scattered to numerous thunderstorms are expected to develop during the afternoon. Some thunderstorms could be strong. Storms that develop will be capable of producing strong downburst winds, heavy rainfall, frequent lightning strikes, and small hail. If threatening weather approaches your location move indoors immediately. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Saturday through Thursday. ...THUNDERSTORM IMPACT... Scattered to numerous thunderstorms can be expected each day through the middle of next week. The strongest storms will be capable of producing gusty winds, heavy rainfall, and frequent lightning strikes. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters should monitor the weather and self activate if needed. McMichael
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Area Ruskin FL
1117 AM EDT FRI AUG 18 2017
FLZ139-239-181545-
Coastal Levy-Inland Levy-
1117 AM EDT FRI AUG 18 2017
...AN AREA OF STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL AFFECT NORTHEASTERN LEVY
COUNTY...
At 1116 AM EDT, strong thunderstorms were clustered near Bronson. the
storms are nearly stationary.
Winds in excess of 30 mph are possible with these storms.
Locations impacted include...
Bronson, Williston Highlands, East Bronson and Otter Creek.
Torrential rainfall is also occurring with these storms, and may
cause localized flooding. Do not drive your vehicle through flooded
roadways.
Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with these storms.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.
LAT...LON 2948 8256 2948 8254 2925 8251 2915 8277
2947 8278 2952 8256
TIME...MOT...LOC 1516Z 268DEG 3KT 2939 8269
TBWThe Tampa radar (KTBW), 48 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:27 UTC.
1 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A 76 year old golfer was stuck by lightning and transported to a hospital, where he was listed in fair condition later that afternoon.
Hardee County Emergency Management relayed numerous reports of trees and power lines knocked down across Wauchula and Bowling Green from wind damage. The 911 call center received a total of 163 calls within a 3 hour window as a result of the storm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, August 2017
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: 710384, 710426.