41
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$8.9M
Property damage
Lightning in Manatee County, Florida: 41 recorded events between 1996 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #70 nationally and #13 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Manatee County, Florida: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Manatee County is the 2000s, when 23 of the county's 41 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 Manatee County archive, lightning makes up 8.8% of all recorded severe weather across 12 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #70 for this hazard and #13 within Florida, putting it in the 97.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Manatee County with 18 recorded events, while Feb 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 13, 2016 | MYAKKA HEAD | 0 | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 7, 2021 | LAKEWOOD RANCH | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2004 | ELLENTON | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2000 | BRADENTON | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 19, 1999 | MYAKKA CITY | 0 | 0 | 7 | $0 |
| May 24, 2009 | ONECO | 0 | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2000 | MYAKKA CITY | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| May 25, 2009 | MYAKKA HEAD | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 2024 | HOLMES BEACH | 0 | $100K |
| Jul 25, 2024 | GILLETT | 0 | $35K |
| Aug 29, 2022 | PARRISH | 0 | $25K |
| Sep 7, 2021 | LAKEWOOD RANCH | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 13, 2016 | MYAKKA HEAD | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2015 | LAKEWOOD RANCH | 0 | $100K |
| Jan 17, 2011 | ANNA MARIA SOUND | 0 | $1K |
| Aug 21, 2009 | BALENTINE MANOR | 0 | $20K |
| Jul 1, 2009 | BALENTINE MANOR | 0 | $750K |
| May 25, 2009 | MYAKKA HEAD | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Manatee County
- Thunderstorm Wind 165
- Tornado 93
- Hail 71
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A fire at the 1300 block of Commerce Blvd. at a tropical furniture factory was started by lightning. The 11,000-square-foot building valued at $1 million was a complete loss. Damage to the contents in the building was about $500,000. No injuries were reported.
Lightning struck a home at the University Park Country Club. The resulting fire resulted in the home being a total loss. A nearby house was scorched in the blaze. A few miles away in Lakewood Ranch a second home was struck causing a hole in the roof and blowing out several windows.
Lightning sparked a house fire on Night Heron Way in the Panther Ridge subdivision. Firefighters had to battle the roof blaze from the ground because lightning in the area would have made it too dangerous to use extension ladders.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Manatee County, Florida?
41 lightning events are recorded in Manatee County between 1996 and 2024, causing 4 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Manatee County?
The strongest lightning on record in Manatee County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Manatee 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 Manatee County, Florida.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/florida/manatee-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.