Okaloosa storm history

A lightning strike killed a camper at the Wilderness Landing campground along the Blackwater River.

Lightning struck an umbrella attendant at the Island Princess Condominiums causing his death.

A 75 year old man died when he drove into a flooded roadway and drowned on Highway 393 at Pond Creek Bridge.

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 l…

A fifty seven year old Missouri man was swimming in rough surf near James Lee Park when he started having trouble staying afloat. He was pulled out of the water but later died at a local hospital. Red flags were flying at the time of the drowning.

A thirty one year old female from Indiana jumped into the gulf to rescue her son who was having trouble swimming in the rough surf. Both of them were pulled out of the rough water and transported to a local hospital. She was pronounced dead and her son was treated and released. T…

A forty-eight year old male from New Mexico drowned in rough surf near Henderson State Park. The man was swimming with his son when they were caught in a strong rip current. Bystanders were able to pull the two out of the water. The boy was unharmed but the father was unconscious…

A male visiting Destin from out of state was caught in a strong rip current and drowned. He was brought to shore and died before reaching a local hospital.

A fatal lightning strike occurred while 2 men were on a boat on Hurricane Lake 10 miles Northwest of Baker or 6 miles North of Highway 4 off of Beaver Creek Road. One of the occupants was killed while the other was injured. Upon the approach of a storm, the occupants moved the bo…

Lightning struck near a battalion of Army Ranger Trainees on Eglin Air Force Base in southern Okaloosa County. Four instructors and 40 trainees were evaluated, and 20 (3 instructors and 17 students) were hospitalized overnight.

A group of recruits were attending Army Ranger Camp and were laying on the ground as a thunderstorm approached them. Evidently, lightning hit a nearby tree and ran through the root system of the tree. Six of the rangers were injured by the strike and were transported to a local h…

Eight to foruteen inches of rain fell across Okaloosa County during the evening of April 29th and the early morning of April 30th. The rain resulted in widespread flash flooding across the county. 737 homes were damaged by flood waters. Numerous roads were impassable during the e…

A line of severe thunderstorms moved across the coastal portions of the county during the early morning hours. The most intense part of the line of storms was along the coast in the vicinity of Okaloosa Island in the Fort Walton Beach area. Very strong straight line winds associa…

A line of severe thunderstorms moved through the county between 1230 am and 130 am. Trees and power lines were blown down throughout the county. Most of the damage occurred in the south part of the county. Hurlburt field reported a gust of 70 mph and Eglin reported a gust of 59 m…

Heavy rain caused multiple roads to be flooded with a few road closures.

Multiple large trees uprooted/downed in the community of Baker.

Wind damage to an awning that was stripped off the canopy of a gas station. Paneling stripped from the side of a church building.

Crestview mesonet measured an 84mph wind gust.

A short lived EF-U tornado began on the south side of I-10 southeast of Crestview, tracking southeast across mainly forested areas. Planet satellite imagery revealed a narrow, persistent damage path that matched up well with a radar velocity couplet. The tornado lifted south of I…

Flooding of street at junction of Holmes Blvd. and Jet Dr. Vehicles reported stuck in the water.

Flooding reported with vehicle stuck in water.

Hughes St. between Beal and Eglin Parkways closed due to flooding.

Gas station awning damage and fences down in the Main St area.

Heavy rain caused standing water across Miracle Strip Parkway.

Heavy rain caused water over the road in several spots along Eglin Parkway. Cars were stranded in the floodwaters.

High winds uprooted orange trees.

Heavy rain caused water to cover the road at Eglin Parkway and Highway 98.

Heavy rain caused street flooding near Hurlburt Field.

Measured by station KVPS.

High winds downed large tree limbs and blew shingles off of a roof.

The Tempest station recorded wind gusts between 73 and 78 mph.

High winds downed a tree on a house.