Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
0
Property damage
—
Area
Okaloosa
Event narrative (NOAA)
A 49 year old male, from the local area, was surfing in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico in front of the Eglin Community Beach Club near Destin when he was struck by a bolt of lightning. Other surfers pulled the man out of the water, and emergency personnel transported him to a local hospital, where he later died. Thunderstorms had moved through the area earlier in the morning. The overcast sky, after most of the storms had moved out of the area, produced the isolated, but deadly, lightning bolt.
Other notable lightning events in Florida
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database. Deaths and injuries are those NOAA classifies as direct. Damage is the reporting office's estimate at the time and is not inflation-adjusted. This is a catalogue record, not a forecast.