Tornado in Florida, May 24, 2026

Name: Tornado in Florida, May 24, 2026
Start: 2026-05-24T15:18
End: 2026-05-24T18:01
Location: Florida

May 24, 2026 · NWS TBW · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A developing thunderstorm over Tampa Bay produced a brief EF-0 tornado that affected the Villages of Bayport community in Hillsborough County. Elsewhere, easterly sea breeze afternoon convection produced a funnel cloud near Buckingham in Lee 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: $5,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

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 May 24, 1:45 PM EST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier. Its key messages:

Updated at 244 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026
Above normal temperatures are expected through the weekend and into early next week.
Thunderstorms are expected to develop each day, mainly in the afternoon and evening hours.

Area forecast discussion, May 24, 1:45 PM EST, 1 hour 33 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Tampa Bay Ruskin FL
245 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026

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

.KEY MESSAGES...
Updated at 244 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026

- Above normal temperatures are expected through the weekend and
  into early next week.

- Thunderstorms are expected to develop each day, mainly in the
  afternoon and evening hours.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Issued at 244 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026

Our southeasterly flow will remain in place for Sunday.
This will once again favor mainly evening storms along the seabreeze
boundary about 10 to 20 miles away from the coast. These storms will
slowly drift to the west coast as we go throughout the rest of
the evening and early overnight hours.

We will not see much of change next Monday and Tuesday. The only
difference is a little drier air which will allow storm chances to
drop slightly. The bigger change will start on Wednesday as our
upper level flow starts to switch more southwesterly in response to
upper level troughing over the area. This will help to bring deep
tropical moisture over the area through the end of the week and into
our Saturday.

&&

.AVIATION...
(18Z TAFS)
Issued at 244 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026

We are looking at another active seabreeze thunderstorm day across
West Central and Southwest Florida. Most of the storm activity
will once again be in the evening and early overnight hours.
Outside of thunderstorms we can expect VFR conditions with winds
primarily be out of the southeast.

&&

.MARINE...
Issued at 244 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026

Not much changing through Tuesday. We will continue to see
south to southeasterly winds around 5 to 15 knots. Showers and
storms will develop inland in the late afternoon and push towards
the coast and into the Gulf from the late evening into the early
overnight hours. Upper level winds will switch to the southwest on
Wednesday bringing in deep tropical moisture over the area. This
will bring overnight showers and storms over the Gulf that will
push towards the coast in the morning hours.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
Issued at 244 PM EDT Sun May 24 2026

Summertime moisture with afternoon showers and storms will
continue through next Tuesday.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
TPA  90  76  90  77 /  60  70  50  40
FMY  93  76  94  76 /  60  40  30  20
GIF  92  75  92  76 /  50  40  30  20
SRQ  91  75  91  75 /  50  60  50  30
BKV  92  72  92  73 /  60  70  50  50
SPG  92  76  92  77 /  50  60  40  30

&&

Sea Breeze Thunderstorm Regime For Monday: 7
Sea Breeze Thunderstorm Regime For Tuesday: 7

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

&&

.TBW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
FL...None.
Gulf waters...None.

&&

DISCUSSION/AVIATION/MARINE/FIRE WEATHER...Shiveley
DECISION SUPPORT...Delerme
UPPER AIR/CLIMATE...Delerme

The radar

The Tampa radar (KTBW), 134 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:19 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 funnel cloud, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Funnel Cloud, Lee

When: May 24, 3:18 PM EST
Where: Lee County, 0.69 mi S of Buckingham
Reported by: Broadcast Media
Coordinates: 26.660, -81.730

Broadcast media shared photos of a funnel cloud taken near Buckingham.

Tornado, Hillsborough

When: May 24, 5:58 PM EST to 6:01 PM EST
Where: Hillsborough County, 1.09 mi WSW of Town N Country to 1.28 mi W of Town N Country
Rating: EF0
Path length: 0.34 mi
Path width: 75 yd
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 27.996, -82.597

Damage to a single pool cage was noted, and some images show small debris being lofted into the air. Residents in the neighborhood reported and shared images of a few additional structures that sustained minor damage. Additionally, a large tree was also blown over in the community one street over from where the main damage was noted. No additional damage or reports could be located.

What these are

Funnel Cloud: A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

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 The tornado archive for Florida, 2026 Warnings in Florida, May 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: 1344054, 1338423.