Ashburn, VA

55° F
Location Chevron down
Location News Videos
Use Current Location
Recent

Ashburn

Virginia

55°
No results found.
Try searching for a city, zip code or point of interest.
settings
Ashburn, VA Weather
Today WinterCast Local {stormName} Tracker Hourly Daily Radar MinuteCast Monthly Air Quality Health & Activities

Around the Globe

Hurricane Tracker

Severe Weather

Radar & Maps

News

News & Features

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Video

Podcasts

Winter Center

News & Features AccuWeather Prime Astronomy Business Climate Health Recreation Sports Travel

News / Weather News

Why Florida ranks highest for lightning fatalities in the US

By Alex Sosnowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

Copied

While Florida is known as the Sunshine State, it is notorious for thunderstorms, lightning strikes and fatalities.

On average, Florida has 3,500 cloud to ground lightning flashes per day and 1.2 million flashes per year occur, during a recent 10-year study according to Vaisala.

This photo of a thunderstorm was taken near Indian Shores, Florida, on Aug. 29, 2006. (AccuWeather Fan Photo / gh)

AccuWeather Fan Photo

Florida ranks fourth in the nation for lightning flashes behind Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas.

However, because of the dense population and the amount of people that spend a great deal of time outdoors year-round, more people are struck and killed by lightning in Florida than any other state, according to Vaisala and the National Weather Service.

https://e.infogram.com/js/dist/embed.js?Jdo

The combination of heat, humidity and sea breezes on both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts makes the perfect breeding ground for thunderstorms over the Florida Peninsula.

Sea breeze: A focal point for thunderstorms

A sea breeze is simply a push of air from the ocean that usually brings a drop in temperature or humidity level during the daytime. This occurs since ocean temperatures often lag behind air temperatures.

This phenomenon enhances showers and thunderstorms across inland areas as clouds, showers and thunderstorms tend to focus along the temperature boundary between the cool ocean air and the warm air well inland.

As a result, areas between the ocean and the temperature boundary, or sea breeze front, are usually protected from clouds and rain during much of the day.

7 lightning safety tips if you’re caught outside during a thunderstorm
Men vs. women: Which gender is more likely to be fatally struck by lightning?
Lightning kills: Which outdoor activity ranks no. 1 for fatal strikes?
How a single lightning strike can claim many lives
What happens when the body is struck by lightning?

On this closeup image of Florida, the small dots represent clouds and spotty showers along the sea breeze boundary surrounding much of the coast. Meanwhile, the large patches of white are thunderstorms (arrows). Most of the beaches along the Atlantic coast are free from clouds and showers in this image. The sea breeze is much strong on the Atlantic side of Florida as opposed to the Gulf of Mexico side. (NOAA/Satellite)

NOAA

At the beach, a shower first thing in the morning is often not the character of the entire day. During the daytime, the sea breeze generally advances farther inland. Likewise, showers drift inland as the day progresses.

During the evening, the sea breeze front either wanders back toward the coast or falls apart. If the sea breeze front survives its trip back toward the coast, it may shower or thunderstorm during the evening at the beach.

This photo of lightning was taken from Siesta Key, near Sarasota Bay, Florida, on May 24, 2008. (AccuWeather Fan Photo / beitzdk)

AccuWeather Fan Photo

When winds aloft are light, the timing of such a storm can occur at roughly the same time every day. Such is the case over the Florida Peninsula during the late spring and summer.

Sometimes, two sea breeze fronts may join up and produce robust thunderstorms. This is also a common occurrence over the middle of the Florida Peninsula during the late afternoon and early evening hours in the summertime.

Report a Typo

Weather News

Health

Saharan dust cloud over the Atlantic may reach Gulf Coast by weekend

May 17, 2022
Weather News

Melting glacier allows researchers to make ‘exceptional’ discovery

May 17, 2022
Weather Forecasts

Scorching heat roasts India as New Delhi soars to 116 F

May 17, 2022
Hurricane

New study finds increase in Atlantic hurricanes linked to cleaner air

May 17, 2022
Weather News

8th sandstorm since April turns everything orange, overwhelms Iraq

May 17, 2022
Severe Weather

Flood threat to focus on 1,000-mile zone of US

May 17, 2022
Astronomy

AccuWeather interviews NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins live from space

May 16, 2022
Astronomy

'Blood Moon' eclipse amazes stargazers across the world

May 16, 2022
Weather Forecasts

Pattern shift to bring turbulent weather to Northwest

May 17, 2022
video

Largest wildfire in New Mexico history burns at the size of Los Angele...

May 18, 2022
video

Study finds cities do not equitably distribute flood-resistant infrast...

May 17, 2022
Health

Collars and chewables to keep your pup free of ticks and fleas

Apr. 28, 2022
Recreation

Try putting one of these on your porch or patio this year

May 12, 2022
Show More Show Less Chevron down

Topics

News & Features

AccuWeather Prime

Astronomy

Business

Climate

Health

Recreation

Sports

Travel

Top Stories

Winter Weather

Denver weather to go from high 80s to snow in a matter of just hours

6 hours ago

Hurricane

Eye on the tropics: Latest update on potential for pre-season storm

13 hours ago

Weather News

116-year-old ‘ghost tracks’ unearthed following pesky coastal storm

1 day ago

National Park rangers ask visitors to be cautious this summer

1 day ago 1:14

Podcast: Introducing AccuWeather Premium Plus

More Stories

Featured Topic

Local Arthritis Forecast

Featured Stories

Last moments before Mount St. Helens eruption caught on camera Upgrade your spring wardrobe with these statement pieces Now is the time to pick up a new ride-on lawnmower for summer
AccuWeather Weather News Why Florida ranks highest for lightning fatalities in the US
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
Company
Proven Superior Accuracy About AccuWeather Digital Advertising Careers Press Contact Us
Products & Services
For Business For Partners For Advertising AccuWeather APIs Podcast RealFeel® and RealFeel Shade™
Apps & Downloads
iPhone App Android App See all Apps & Downloads
Subscription Services
AccuWeather Premium AccuWeather Professional
More
AccuWeather Shop AccuWeather Ready Business Health Hurricane Leisure and Recreation Severe Weather Space and Astronomy Sports Travel Weather News Weather Blogs Winter Weather
© 2021 AccuWeather, Inc. "AccuWeather" and sun design are registered trademarks of AccuWeather, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | TAG Disclosure | Do Not Sell My Data checkmark Confirmed Not Selling Your Data

We have updated our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

I Understand

Get AccuWeather alerts as they happen with our browser notifications.

Notifications Enabled

Thanks! We’ll keep you informed.

FEEDBACK