A strong waterspout came ashore on Coquina Beach causing damage.
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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.
A strong waterspout came ashore on Coquina Beach causing damage.
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 Jul 16, 12:57 PM EST, 1 hour 28 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL 157 PM EDT Thu Jul 16 2020 ...Wet Pattern Returns to the West Coast of Florida... Scattered showers and storms were found along Highway 27 from Haines City through Sebring early this afternoon. Storms will advance east and collide with the Gulf Coast seabreeze which is pinned along the coast. Best chance of rain from Tampa through Fort Myers. .Discussion... Strong upper level ridge remains from North Texas through the Carolinas the next 7 days with deep easterly flow across forecast area. This will bring the Atlantic Coast seabreeze to the Gulf Coast with scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms each afternoon and evening. The dry coastal counties will catch up on precipitation during the next 7 days. Expect highs in the lower 90s with a max heat index of 100 to 105 each day. && .Aviation... The Atlantic Coast seabreeze front will collide with the Gulf Coast seabreeze front and will cause scattered to numerous showers and thunderstorms from Tampa to Fort Myers this afternoon and evening. Expected brief MVFR/local IFR conditions in storms. Otherwise, VFR through the period. && .Marine... The high pressure ridge axis remains north of the coastal waters through the period. Expect easterly flow across the waters, except near the coast where the seabreeze will blow onshore each afternoon. Scattered late afternoon and evening thunderstorms will cause locally gusty winds and rough seas. && .Fire Weather... No concerns. Minimum afternoon humidity remains above 50 percent through the period. && .Preliminary Point Temps/PoPs... TPA 76 93 77 93 / 30 50 10 70 FMY 76 93 76 93 / 30 60 30 70 GIF 74 92 75 92 / 10 50 10 70 SRQ 76 94 77 93 / 30 50 20 70 BKV 72 94 73 93 / 20 40 0 70 SPG 77 94 77 94 / 30 50 10 70 && .TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. Gulf waters...None. && UPDATE/AVIATION/MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...72/Noah DECISION SUPPORT...09/Rude
The Tampa radar (KTBW), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:26 UTC.
1 lightning, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
A 14-year-old boy was struck in the chest by lightning while he and his family were walking from the beach to their hotel. The boy had numerous burns and a hole in his shoe where the lightning exited his body. He was put on a ventilator and did survive the strike. The family was on vacation from Houston.
Multiple reports of trees down near Coquina Beach due to a waterspout that pushes on land that became a tornado.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Florida, 2020Warnings in Florida, July 2020
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: 899352, 895611.