Three people injured by lightning strike at St Pete Beach in Pinellas County, and a funnel cloud spotted near Punta Rassa in Lee County.
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.
Three people injured by lightning strike at St Pete Beach in Pinellas County, and a funnel cloud spotted near Punta Rassa in Lee 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 Jul 4, 8:39 AM EST, 2 hours 58 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
939 AM EDT Fri Jul 4 2025
...New UPDATE...
.UPDATE...
Issued at 933 AM EDT Fri Jul 4 2025
Scattered showers and isolated storms this morning have mainly
occurred around the Tampa Bay area and areas further south where
the low level flow is mostly onshore, though the flow shifts more
northeasterly across northern portions of the forecast area in
closer proximity to the remnants of a stalled frontal boundary.
The overall environment remains very moist with the 12Z KTBW RAOB
sampling a PWAT value of 2.12" and this value is over the 90th
percentile for early July but falls a bit short of the daily
maximum. Either way, deep tropical moisture remains in place and
will combine with diurnal heating and the aforementioned remnant
frontal boundary to support another day of elevated rain chances
with low level southwest flow roughly from I-4 southward focusing
better storm chances in the interior areas so this may provide
some opportunity to enjoy outdoor activities for holiday
festivities in southern portions of the TBW CWA this evening but
this very moist air mass can still generate scattered pulse
convection at any time so not a rain-free scenario by any means.
Meanwhile, further north across the Nature Coast, recent hi-res
guidance has been coming into better agreement on the idea of an
area of convection developing around north central FL and dropping
to the south-southwest through late evening, possibly even moving
through the Tampa Bay area before weakening and/or moving
offshore. Forecast confidence in the exact evolution of this
possible area of convection is not particularly high but given the
closer proximity of the remnant boundary in the area and a
dominant Atlantic sea breeze spreading inland in the northeast
flow regime, this scenario certainly appears reasonable and will
be something that will need to be monitored for holiday
festivities from the Tampa Bay metro area northward into the
Nature Coast region.
&&
.SHORT TERM (TDY-SAT)...
Issued at 321 AM EDT Fri Jul 4 2025
Showers and storms have been filtering through the west-central
coast this morning. Area of low pressure continues to pull
moisture across the peninsula supporting periods of rain through
the period. Guidance keep PW values over 2 inches during this
time. Additional training of storms is possible today, which could
result in isolated minor flooding. Meanwhile, cloud coverage
should keep afternoon highs from getting above the upper 80s
today and Saturday.
&&
.LONG TERM (SUN-THU)...
Issued at 321 AM EDT Fri Jul 4 2025
By early next week, slightly drier air gradually starts to wrap
into the area as the trough moves north to northeast. This will
bring rain coverage down. However, southwesterly winds prevail with
scattered to numerous showers and storms shifting onshore in the
late morning and early afternoon, building into the interior
through early evening. Temperatures will also increase gradually
getting back into the 90s area-wide.
&&
.AVIATION...
(12Z TAFS)
Issued at 801 AM EDT Fri Jul 4 2025
Scattered/Numerous SHRA and occasional TSRA will occur this
morning area-wide as deep tropical moisture remains in place
across the region. Greatest precipitation coverage may shift
inland by the afternoon hours as onshore flow prevails today but
still can't rule out some scattered TSRA at times at coastal
terminals at times so flight restrictions may occur at any time
with restrictions possible at all terminals. Rain chances will
then decrease briefly by late evening before possible
redevelopment of showers/storms occurs by Saturday morning.
&&
.MARINE...
Issued at 321 AM EDT Fri Jul 4 2025
A stalled frontal boundary will continue to support shower and
thunderstorm development through the weekend. Southwesterly winds
between 10 to 15 knots remain in place today before decreasing to
5 to 10 knots over the weekend. SLightly drier air begins to move
behind the disturbance, which will help bring rain chances down
some going into early next week. Higher waves and winds are
possible near storms.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 321 AM EDT Fri Jul 4 2025
Area of low pressure continues to bring ample moisture across the
state supporting periods of showers and storms through the period.
Southwesterly winds will gradually become northerly as low pressure
moves away, before shifting southwesterly again for the weekend. No
fire weather concerns are anticipated during this time.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TPA 90 77 89 78 / 80 60 80 50
FMY 90 77 90 77 / 70 50 70 30
GIF 90 74 90 75 / 80 50 80 30
SRQ 90 75 89 77 / 70 60 80 50
BKV 90 72 90 73 / 80 50 80 40
SPG 88 77 87 78 / 80 60 80 60
&&
Sea Breeze Thunderstorm Regime For Friday: 4
Sea Breeze Thunderstorm Regime For Saturday: 8
For additional information on sea breeze regimes, go to:
https://www.weather.gov/tbw/ThunderstormClimatology
&&
.TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...None.
Gulf waters...None.
&&
UPDATE/AVIATION/MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...Giarratana
DECISION SUPPORT...Shiveley
UPPER AIR/CLIMATE...ShiveleyThe Tampa radar (KTBW), 33 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 16:38 UTC.
1 lightning, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
County EM reported lightning strike on St. Pete Beach that injured 3 people. One person was transported to the hospital to treat injuries.
Multiple photos relayed via broadcast media from the public of a funnel cloud over Fort Myers Beach.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, July 2025
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: 1288061, 1288082.