A diffuse surface trough axis was north of the Altamaha River basin with very high dew pts in the low/mid 70s across the entire forecast area south of the boundary. 6 inches) and stronger SW steering flow across the entire area from 10-15 kts south of I-10 across NE FL to 20 kts across our SE GA zones.
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 JAX wrote it up.
A diffuse surface trough axis was north of the Altamaha River basin with very high dew pts in the low/mid 70s across the entire forecast area south of the boundary. The 12z|JAX RAOB showed less deep layer moisture (PWAT 1.6 inches) and stronger SW steering flow across the entire area from 10-15 kts south of I-10 across NE FL to 20 kts across our SE GA zones. There was drier air in the low/mid levels where the steepest lapse rates were near 6.8 C/km between 790 mb and 617 mb roughly. SE GA 0-6 km bulk shear was 20-25 kts. Ingredients favored pulse strong to severe storms with gusty downburst winds the main hazard.
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 Jacksonville, FL wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 27, 7:40 PM EST, 4 hours 20 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Jacksonville FL 840 PM EDT Wed May 27 2020 .NEAR TERM [Through Tonight]... Moist unstable airmass across the area this evening. Seabreeze storms have died off the near the east coast with inland convection lingering. Expect isolated inland showers/storms to continue to around midnight mainly over interior se Ga where outflow boundaries interact in a deep sw flow. Warm and humid conditions will prevail with temperatures falling into the low/mid 70s tonight. Expect scattered afternoon pulse-type thunderstorms again Thursday afternoon with seabreezes merging near the Hwy 301 corridor by early evening. && .PREV DISCUSSION [720 PM EDT]... .SHORT TERM [Thursday Night through Saturday Night]... The potent shortwave trough diving towards the western Great Lakes states on Thursday evening will absorb the previously cutoff cyclone aloft as it progresses eastward. This weather pattern will keep a deep south-southwest flow in place locally downstream of a cold front that will be diving into the southeastern states, and an embedded shortwave trough will also advect through our region during the afternoon and evening hours. We expect widespread convection to develop across our region during the late morning and early afternoon hours on Friday, with heavy downpours and lightning being the primary threats as temperatures aloft remain relatively mild. An expected early start to convection should keep highs in the mid to upper 80s for most of our area. Additional rounds of convection may be possible on Friday night in advance of the approaching front, with lows only falling to the upper 60s and lower 70s. The front will then enter southeast Georgia by Saturday evening, with steering winds shifting to westerly and likely resulting in another day of widespread convection, particularly along the I-95 and U.S.-301 corridors. Highs again should be held to the mid to upper 80s. Convection should then shift offshore on Saturday evening, with low level southwesterly flow ahead of the front keeping lows in the upper 60s inland and lower 70s at the coast. .LONG TERM [Sunday Through Wednesday]... Troughing aloft will dig along the eastern seaboard from late Sunday through Monday, driving a cold front southward through our region. Flow aloft will shift to northwesterly, which should advect a much drier air mass into our area by Sunday afternoon. Isolated to widely scattered thunderstorms may develop along the cold front along the I-95 corridor by the late morning and early afternoon hours on Sunday, but long-term guidance continues to trend drier for the late weekend time frame. Cool air advection should lag the frontal passage somewhat, with more sunshine and falling dewpoints allowing highs to climb back to the upper 80s to near 90 on Sunday. Breezy northeasterly low level flow will develop by Monday afternoon as high pressure shifts from the Ohio Valley to the Mid-Atlantic region. Although a few coastal showers cannot be ruled out on Monday, our weather pattern will overall be drier and cooler, with highs early next week mostly in the mid to upper 80s inland, with breezy onshore flow keeping coastal highs closer to 80. Inland lows should fall to the low and mid 60s early next week as winds decouple each evening and overnight, while breezy onshore winds keep coastal lows closer to 70. High pressure will then shift into the Atlantic waters off the southeastern seaboard by midweek, with temperatures inching back up towards 90 at inland locations, while lower 80s prevail at the coast as onshore winds only slowly subside. A dry weather pattern should prevail through at least Wednesday evening as dewpoints remain relatively low for early June, with low to mid 60s values extending into the midweek time frame. .AVIATION...[Through 00Z Friday] Scattered convection continues over inland areas along and north of I-10 corridor this evening. Will keep VCSH in at VQQ... JAX... CRG...and SSI til 04z. Low clouds and fog possible later tonight til around 12z Thursday with MVFR/IFR conditions at mainly GNV and VQQ. VCTS in forecast again after 16z Thursday as seabreeze storms develop. .MARINE... Atlantic ridging will extend its axis across central Florida tonight and Thursday as the remnants of Tropical Depression Bertha move northward into the Carolinas. This weather pattern will result in prevailing south southwesterly winds, with onshore winds developing over the coastal waters on Thursday and Friday afternoons as the Atlantic sea breeze move inland. Small Craft will need to Exercise Caution this evening both near shore and offshore, as the evening wind surge increases southerly winds to 15-20 knots, followed by subsiding south-southwesterly winds after midnight. Seas tonight will be 3-5 feet both near shore and offshore. Another southerly evening wind surge on Thursday night may briefly bring wind speeds up towards Caution levels before midnight. Complex low pressure will remain situated to the west of our region on Friday, creating prevailing light southerly winds aiding in the development of numerous afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. A cold front will then enter the southeastern states on Saturday, with more widespread mainly afternoon and evening thunderstorms expected. The front will move through the Georgia waters on Sunday morning and will then push south of our local waters by Sunday evening. High pressure building over the Mid-Atlantic states in the wake of this front will result in strengthening onshore winds and building seas early next week. .FIRE WEATHER... Surface and transport winds will become southwesterly just after sunrise on Thursday, with active Gulf and Atlantic sea breeze boundaries moving inland during the afternoon hours and merging near U.S. Highway 301, where numerous late afternoon and early evening thunderstorms are expected. Scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms are expected elsewhere on Thursday, with onshore surface winds strengthening at coastal locations during the early to mid afternoon hours following the passage of the sea breeze. Lighter southerly transport winds are expected on Friday, with widespread showers and thunderstorms expected nearly area- wide by the late morning and afternoon hours. Surface and transport winds will then shift to west-southwesterly on Saturday, with scattered to numerous afternoon and evening thunderstorms again forecast region-wide. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... AMG 70 88 71 86 69 / 40 60 30 70 60 SSI 74 84 74 82 72 / 30 40 40 60 50 JAX 71 91 72 87 70 / 20 50 40 80 50 SGJ 73 87 73 85 71 / 20 50 40 70 30 GNV 70 91 71 88 69 / 10 50 40 80 40 OCF 72 90 71 89 70 / 10 50 50 80 40 && .JAX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FL...None. GA...None. AM...None. &&
The Jacksonville radar (KJAX), 134 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:01 UTC.
4 lightning, 2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
The WeatherStem Station at the Gilchrist County Fire Station 4 measured 3.38 inches of daily rainfall.
A lightning strike caused a house fire on the 2500 block of Dellwood Avenue in Riverside. The cost of damage was unknown but it was estimated for inclusion of the event in Storm Data.
Three people working for Red Stag Contracting were struck by a lightning strike along Iris Street in Middleburg while working on a roof. All victims were transported to Orange Park Medical Center. One victim, a 35 year old male, was struck directly and went into cardiac arrest. He was revived via CPR on scene and was later transferred to the UF Health Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL. He remained in a coma until his passing on 6/9/2020, at 15:45 EDT.
A home was struck by lightning near U.S. Highway 17 and Varney Road. A significant house fire occurred. The cost of damage was unknown but estimated for Storm Data.
A home was struck by lightning near Blanding Blvd and Doctors Inlet. The cost of damage was unknown but estimated for Storm Data.
The rain gauge measured 2.5 inches of rain within 45 minutes.
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, Clay | 2020-06-09 | 35 | Male | Other | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, May 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: 883906, 883907, 883908, 883909, 883910, 883905.