Funnel Cloud, Lee
- When
- April 6, 5:10 PM EST
- Where
- Lee County, 1.38 mi S of Olga
- Reported by
- Broadcast Media
- Coordinates
- 26.700, -81.700
Broadcast media relayed video of a funnel cloud near Fort Myers Shores taken from the River Hall Community.
Weakly sheared and unstable environment south of a quasi-stationary frontal boundary stalled over the central Florida peninsula supported convection over southwest Florida that produced a funnel cloud near Fort Myers Shores in Lee 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.
Weakly sheared and unstable environment south of a quasi-stationary frontal boundary stalled over the central Florida peninsula supported convection over southwest Florida that produced a funnel cloud near Fort Myers Shores 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 Apr 6, 12:44 PM EST, 4 hours 26 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
144 PM EDT Mon Apr 6 2026
...New DISCUSSION, AVIATION, MARINE, FIRE WEATHER...
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Increasing rain chances through midweek.
- Hazardous marine conditions expected Tuesday through Thursday.
- Moderate to extreme drought conditions continue.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 142 PM EDT Mon Apr 6 2026
A slow moving cold front is pushing through North Florida this
morning. As the boundary approaches the moisture has been increasing
with our morning sounding showing PWs is now around 1.4. This will
allow for an increased chance for afternoon and evening seabreeze
thunderstorms mainly in the interior portions of the CWA today.
As we get into the overnight period the front will stall over the
area and remain there until Thursday. This will bring cloudy and
windy conditions through Thursday with gust up to 25 mph. We will
also see high shower chances during this period however this does
not mean we will be seeing high rainfall totals. Showers will be
spotty through the 72 hour period with most of it being light rain
with totals around 0.5 to 1 inches over the three days. The
overcast skies will also keep temperatures below average with
highs in the 70s each day.
The front will dissipate Thursday night allow clearer skies and
calmer winds to return. We will also transition into a drier
weather pattern with only isolated rain showers chances from
Friday through the weekend. Temperatures will also be on the rise
with widespread mid 80's by Sunday.
&&
.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 142 PM EDT Mon Apr 6 2026
A stalled out front will make for some messy weather over the
state through the TAF period. Best chance of storms this afternoon
and evening will be inland and across SW Florida however they will
be possible at all terminals. Models continue to show a batch of
MVFR and IFR CIGS and showers pushing through during the early
morning hours on Tuesday.
&&
.MARINE...
Issued at 142 PM EDT Mon Apr 6 2026
Winds will be increasing through the afternoon and evening hours
out of the northeast as a slow moving cold front starts to push
through. This front will be stalling over Central Florida from
Tuesday through Thursday. During this time period we will see
gusty winds around 20 to 25 knots with gust up to 30 knots. We
will also see spotty light showers. The front will start to
dissipate on Friday. As it does so winds will slowly start to
drop to around 10 to 15 knots by Friday afternoon.
&&
.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 142 PM EDT Mon Apr 6 2026
A front will stall over the area overnight. This will bring
breezy and humid conditions with spotty light showers through
Thursday. By Friday this front will dissipate as drier air
filters.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TPA 85 66 76 65 / 40 70 70 30
FMY 87 68 81 67 / 60 60 70 40
GIF 86 66 75 65 / 80 80 70 40
SRQ 85 66 76 65 / 30 70 70 30
BKV 86 60 73 60 / 60 80 60 30
SPG 85 70 77 69 / 30 70 60 30
&&
.TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...None.
Gulf waters...Small Craft Advisory from 8 PM this evening to 2 PM EDT Thursday
for Coastal waters from Englewood to Tarpon Springs FL out
20 NM-Coastal waters from Tarpon Springs to Suwannee River
FL out 20 NM-Tampa Bay waters-Waters from Englewood to
Tarpon Springs FL out 20 to 60 NM-Waters from Tarpon
Springs to Suwannee River FL out 20 to 60 NM.
Small Craft Advisory from 2 PM Tuesday to 2 PM EDT Thursday for
Charlotte Harbor and Pine Island Sound-Coastal waters from
Bonita Beach to Englewood FL out 20 NM-Waters from Bonita
Beach to Englewood FL out 20 to 60 NM.
&&
DISCUSSION/AVIATION/MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...Shiveley
DECISION SUPPORT...Close
UPPER AIR/CLIMATE...DavisThe Tampa radar (KTBW), 132 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:08 UTC.
1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Broadcast media relayed video of a funnel cloud near Fort Myers Shores taken from the River Hall Community.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Florida in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Florida, April 2026
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: 1328213.