First lightning bolt from thunderstorm kills 20-year-old in Florida
The deadly strike in Celebration, Florida, was the first lightning event from a developing thunderstorm, leaving no earlier thunder to signal the danger nearby.
When lightning knocked out power, stranding the monorail along its path to Epcot, these guests’ Disney adventure took an unexpected turn.
The first lightning detected from a developing thunderstorm turned deadly Tuesday evening in Celebration, Florida, killing a 20-year-old man before any earlier thunder could warn of the nearby danger.
The incident happened near a hotel in downtown Celebration, where witnesses found the man unresponsive along a walking path shortly after observing a lightning strike in the area.
The fatal strike happened at 6:32 p.m. EDT and was the first lightning detected from the thunderstorm moving over the area, according to data from the AccuLightning Network™.
Because it was the first lightning from the storm, there had been no earlier thunder to serve as an audible warning that lightning was becoming a threat.
Heavy rain and lightning occur near Orlando International Airport in Orlando, Florida, on Sept. 5, 2023. (Photo by Ronaldo Silva/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Authorities identified the man as Matthew Jenkins, who had recently moved to central Florida to begin the Disney College Program, according to local news station WESH.
“This is a striking example of how lightning danger can emerge very quickly,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Jacob Hinson. “The first bolt from a developing thunderstorm can be just as dangerous as any that follows. Lightning can develop suddenly, even when there has been little or no lightning activity nearby beforehand.”
Tuesday’s tragedy marked the 15th lightning-related fatality of 2026 and the sixth so far this year in Florida, according to the Lightning Safety Council.
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