108
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
69
Direct injuries
$6.0M
Property damage
Lightning in Hillsborough County, Florida: 108 recorded events between 1996 and 2023. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #5 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Hillsborough County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Hillsborough County is the 2000s, when 42 of the county's 108 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Hillsborough County archive, lightning makes up 9.2% of all recorded severe weather across 13 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #5 for this hazard and #4 within Florida, putting it in the 99.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Hillsborough County with 36 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2000 | TAMPA | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 1997 | TAMPA | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 14, 2014 | PLEASANT GROVE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 10, 2011 | SULPHUR SPGS | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2002 | TEMPLE TERRACE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2001 | TEMPLE TERRACE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2000 | RUSKIN | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 1999 | TAMPA | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 20, 2023 | EAST LAKE-ORIENT PARK | 0 | $25K |
| Jul 1, 2022 | RUSKIN | 0 | $10K |
| Jun 30, 2022 | EAST TAMPA | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 30, 2022 | TARPON | 0 | $25K |
| Apr 2, 2022 | (TPA)TAMPA INTL ARPT | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2019 | THONOTOSASSA | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 20, 2019 | BRANDON | 0 | $500K |
| Jul 6, 2018 | RATTLESNAKE | 0 | $100K |
| Sep 1, 2017 | NOWATNEY | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 21, 2017 | SUN CITY CENTER | 0 | $20K |
Other hazards here
More from Hillsborough County
- Thunderstorm Wind 481
- Hail 287
- Tornado 147
- Flood 74
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The broadcast media reported that a 44 year old male was struck on the top of the head and killed by lightning while walking under a group of large trees, near the intersection of Alumni and Laurel Drive, at the University of South Florida in Temple Terrace, during a rain storm.
Two males were struck and injured by lightning, one fatal, while at a golfing range near the intersection of Westshore Blvd. and West Columbus Drive. Eyewitnesses reported the golfers were struck by the first observed lightning bolt that emanated from the cirrus anvil of a distant thunderstorm. The sun was shining at the time of the lightning strike.The two men were standing ten feet apart when the lightning bolt struck. The bolt struck the graphite club of the fatally injured golfer and passed through his body to the other severely injured golfer. Witnesses stated that both golfers were thrown several feet into the air when the bolt struck. The non-fatally injured suffered chest and facial burns from the lightning strike.
A 21-year-old male employee at an area water park was standing in a 2 to 3 foot deep pool of water near a water slide tower when he was struck by lightning. It was the first strike in the area at the time. He went into cardiac arrest and later died at the hospital.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Hillsborough County, Florida?
108 lightning events are recorded in Hillsborough County between 1996 and 2023, causing 9 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Hillsborough County?
The strongest lightning on record in Hillsborough County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Hillsborough County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Lightning in Hillsborough County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/hillsborough-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.