175
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
100
Direct injuries
$11.5M
Property damage
Lightning in Pinellas County, Florida: 175 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #1 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Pinellas County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Pinellas County is the 2010s, when 66 of the county's 175 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 Pinellas County archive, lightning makes up 20.8% of all recorded severe weather across 12 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1 for this hazard and #1 within Florida, putting it in the 100.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Pinellas County with 62 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2019 | CLEARWATER BEACH | 0 | 1 | 7 | $0 |
| Jul 25, 2024 | SPG-ALBERT WHITTED AIRPORT | 0 | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 20, 2007 | TREASURE ISLAND | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 23, 2023 | BELLEAIR | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 25, 2021 | SAINT PETERSBURG | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 2015 | BELMONT | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 14, 2014 | OAKHURST | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 28, 2013 | BELLEAIR SHORES | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2025 | ULMERTON | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 7, 2025 | LEALMAN | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 4, 2025 | SAINT PETERSBURG BEACH | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2025 | TIERRA VERDE | 0 | $0 |
| May 31, 2025 | CLEARWATER | 0 | $1K |
| Aug 30, 2024 | OLDSMAR | 0 | $10K |
| Aug 29, 2024 | BASKIN | 0 | $10K |
| Aug 28, 2024 | OAKHURST | 0 | $15K |
| Aug 22, 2024 | PALM HARBOR | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 25, 2024 | SPG-ALBERT WHITTED AIRPORT | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Pinellas County
- Thunderstorm Wind 280
- Tornado 147
- Hail 112
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The Pinellas County Medical Examiner documented a lightning victim that passed away in hospice 26 days after the strike. The gentleman was golfing at the time of the strike. Time and location estimated as no additional information was found.
Numerous local TV stations reported 8 injuries due to a lightning strike along Clearwater Beach. One man in his 30s suffered a direct strike and went into cardiac arrest. He was sent to the hospital in critical condition where he ultimately died three days later. Three others were taken to the same hospital. A fifth was taken to Tampa General Hospital to be treated for burns. The remaining three opted not to go to the hospital.
Pinellas County emergency management and print and broadcast media reported a 51 year old woman was struck and killed while walking on Belleair Beach. Print media reported she was walking on the beach with a friend. When storms started to roll in, the two friends got separated. After the storms cleared, the friend found the woman's body on the beach. The death was called into the Sheriff's Department at 6:47 PM EDT, so an estimated time of 6:45 PM EDT was used.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Pinellas County, Florida?
175 lightning events are recorded in Pinellas County between 1996 and 2025, causing 9 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Pinellas County?
The strongest lightning on record in Pinellas County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Pinellas 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 Pinellas County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/pinellas-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.