Lightning in Volusia County, Florida

Volusia County Emergency Management and many local broadcast and newspaper media reported that a 45-year-old man from North Carolina was killed after being struck by lightning while riding his motorcycle on Interstate 95. The man was struck near mile marker 271 between State Road 40 and U.S. Highway 1. According to Florida Highway Patrol, when the man was struck by lightning he lost control of the motorcycle and careened off towards the side of the road where he crashed. Troopers announced the man died at the scene.

Rich moist air was moving across the Florida peninsula as the area was sandwiched between the Atlantic high pressure to the south and a low pressure system over the eastern half of the U.S. This combination of weather systems provided substantial energy in the atmosphere, that when combined with daytime heating and southwest winds at the surface led to the development of numerous strong thunderstorms across east central Florida. As these storms pushed across the peninsula they produced and interacted with many outflow boundaries and the east coast sea breeze. Several storms became severe as they moved over Seminole and Volusia Counties, where wind damage was reported. Also, a motorcyclist was killed when he was struck by lightning while on Interstate 95 in Volusia County.