Damaging Wind in Florida, June 19, 2026

Name: Damaging Wind in Florida, June 19, 2026
Start: 2026-06-19T16:40
End: 2026-06-19T16:40
Location: Florida

June 19, 2026 · NWS TBW · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Afternoon thunderstorms embedded within weakly sheared and moderately unstable, deep layer south to southwest flow produced wind damage near Lake Placid in Highlands County.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $50,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS TBW wrote it up.

Afternoon thunderstorms embedded within weakly sheared and moderately unstable, deep layer south to southwest flow produced wind damage near Lake Placid in Highlands County.

What forecasters said that day

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 Jun 19, 1:25 PM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Updated at 224 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026
Heat Advisory for the rest of today for most of the area for heat index values up to around 110 degrees. Daily heat index values of 105+ degrees likely to continue through the weekend areawide.
Marginal Risk (Level 1/5) of severe storms with damaging wind gust threat today from the Nature Coast to interior central and southern locations.
Increased afternoon showers and thunderstorms through the weekend.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 19, 1:25 PM EST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
225 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026

...New DISCUSSION, AVIATION, MARINE, FIRE WEATHER...

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 224 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026

- Heat Advisory for the rest of today for most of the area for
  heat index values up to around 110 degrees. Daily heat index
  values of 105+ degrees likely to continue through the weekend
  areawide.

- Marginal Risk (Level 1/5) of severe storms with damaging wind
  gust threat today from the Nature Coast to interior central and
  southern locations.

- Increased afternoon showers and thunderstorms through the
  weekend.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 224 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026
Mid-level ridging extends across the Florida peninsula this
afternoon with a shortwave trough over the southeast. At the
surface, the Atlantic ridge axis remains stretched across the
Florida Straits, keeping an onshore boundary layer flow across the
local area. For the rest of today, we will continue to see some
additional showers and storms pop up with help from the shortwave
and these will continue to move generally eastward before activity
diminishes overnight.

For the weekend, a series of impulses will move over north Florida
while we keep an onshore low-level flow. This setup will keep the
best rain chances for the Nature Coast region and then for south of
there, the highest concentration of showers and storms will be away
from the coast.

Ridging builds back in aloft next week as the surface ridge axis
lifts northward a bit, bringing more of a light boundary layer flow.
Moisture will decrease, bringing rain chances down some, but still
keeping isolated to scattered chances each day, mainly away from the
coast once again.

&&

.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 224 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026
Still a chance for a few storms at the terminals this afternoon, but
chances aren't particularly high as activity is widely scattered.
Could see some earlier showers around Tampa Bay tomorrow morning,
then activity shifts inland yet again.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 224 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026
No headlines expected through the period although showers and storms
will be possible mainly over northern and central waters through the
weekend. Locally higher winds and seas likely in/near
thunderstorms.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 224 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026
Warm and humid conditions are expected through the next several days
with minimal fire weather concerns. The best rain chances will be
for areas north of I-4 and the interior through the weekend.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TPA  81  92  80  92 /  10  30  10  20
FMY  79  94  78  94 /  10  30  10  30
GIF  77  94  75  94 /  20  60  30  50
SRQ  79  92  78  92 /  10  20  10  10
BKV  77  92  75  93 /  30  60  30  20
SPG  81  92  80  92 /  10  20  10  10

&&

Sea Breeze Thunderstorm Regime For Saturday: 4
Sea Breeze Thunderstorm Regime For Sunday: 4

For additional information on sea breeze regimes, go to:
     https://www.weather.gov/tbw/ThunderstormClimatology

&&

.TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...Heat Advisory until 7 PM EDT this evening for Coastal Charlotte-
     Coastal Citrus-Coastal Hernando-Coastal Hillsborough-
     Coastal Lee-Coastal Manatee-Coastal Pasco-Coastal Sarasota-
     DeSoto-Hardee-Highlands-Inland Charlotte-Inland Citrus-
     Inland Hernando-Inland Hillsborough-Inland Lee-Inland
     Manatee-Inland Pasco-Inland Sarasota-Pinellas-Polk-Sumter.

Gulf waters...None.

&&

Carlisle

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jun 19, 2:19 PM EST, 2 hours 21 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Area Ruskin FL
319 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026

FLZ052-192000-
Polk FL-
319 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT SOUTHEASTERN POLK COUNTY THROUGH
400 PM EDT...

At 319 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 9
miles east of Lake Wales, moving northeast at 20 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and pea size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Lake Wales, Hillcrest Heights, Highland Park, and Babson Park.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 2777 8152 2791 8160 2803 8144 2800 8142
      2800 8139 2803 8139 2804 8142 2808 8135
      2807 8135 2807 8136 2804 8136 2802 8138
      2799 8138 2795 8134 2794 8135 2792 8131
      2787 8130
TIME...MOT...LOC 1919Z 233DEG 15KT 2791 8145

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

TBW

Special weather statement, Jun 19, 3:34 PM EST, 1 hour 6 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Area Ruskin FL
434 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026

FLZ052-192115-
Polk FL-
434 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHEASTERN POLK COUNTY THROUGH
515 PM EDT...

At 434 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 12
miles southwest of Lake Kissimmee. This thunderstorm was nearly
stationary.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and pea size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
River Ranch and Indian Lake Estates.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 2767 8145 2781 8151 2796 8135 2795 8134
      2794 8135 2792 8131 2786 8131 2785 8127
      2785 8124 2783 8122 2776 8118 2775 8118
      2774 8116 2773 8117 2771 8115 2768 8115
TIME...MOT...LOC 2034Z 257DEG 3KT 2776 8137

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

TBW

Special weather statement, Jun 19, 3:49 PM EST, 51 minutes before

Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Area Ruskin FL
449 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026

FLZ057-192145-
Highlands FL-
449 PM EDT Fri Jun 19 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT CENTRAL HIGHLANDS COUNTY THROUGH
545 PM EDT...

At 448 PM EDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Lake Placid, moving east at 15 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph and pea size hail.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects. Minor hail damage to vegetation is
         possible.

Locations impacted include...
Lake Placid, Lake Istokpoga, Sylvan Shores, Placid Lakes, Brighton,
and Cornwell.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.

&&

LAT...LON 2721 8105 2724 8149 2737 8149 2746 8117
      2744 8114 2741 8114 2739 8112 2738 8110
      2738 8107 2736 8103 2734 8105 2730 8103
      2729 8100 2726 8100 2725 8098 2723 8098
      2721 8094
TIME...MOT...LOC 2048Z 263DEG 12KT 2733 8141

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH

TBW

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:39 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Highlands

When: June 19, 4:40 PM EST
Where: Highlands County, 1.51 mi NNW of Lake Placid
Measured: 48 kt (55 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $50,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 27.320, -81.380

Highlands County EM shared photos of damage to a pavilion at Lake June Park Sports Complex that had large pieces of its metal roofing peeled off and deposited approximately 80 to 85 yards away into an adjacent tree line and fencing. Time estimated from radar and data from a WeatherSTEM observation site within a mile of the location that recorded a 53 mph wind gust.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Florida in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in Florida, June 2026

Sources

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: 1355089.