Lightning Strikes Too Close For Comfort For FL Deputy: Video

HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FL — For anyone who's ever questioned the intensity of lightning, check out this video from the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.

On July 1, just after 4 p.m., a Hillsborough County sheriff's deputy was driving north on Interstate 75 from Sun City Center when an intense thunderstorm moved in, according to the sheriff's office.

As the deputy was driving through the rain, she heard a loud clap of thunder, her dashboard lights turned on, and then the entire car turned off. When she looked in the rearview mirror, she saw smoke.

At first, she thought her tire popped, but as she and other nearby drivers pulled over, she saw the video of the nearby lightning strike.

The passenger in the vehicle behind her happened to be recording at the exact moment of the strike.

It fried the deputy's work car but, luckily, no one was injured.

Here are some to keep in mind when a thunderstorm appears unexpectedly:

• Florida's unique location surrounded by warm water provides the necessary ingredients for thunderstorms to form, earning Florida the title of Lightning Capital of the USA.
• The corridor from Tampa Bay to Titusville, nicknamed Lightning Alley, receives the most lightning in the United States on an annual basis. (See all the lightning events that occurred in Florida).
• According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 21 lightning strikes were reported between Feb. 1, 2021, and Feb. 1, 2022.

See related story: Florida Leads Nation In Number Of People Killed By Lightning

• Between 2006 and 2021, 86 people died as a result of lightning strikes, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. In most of these cases, the victims were only steps away from safety when they were struck. They either failed to recognize the danger of a nearby thunderstorm or failed to respond quickly enough to that threat. (Click here to see all fatalities).
• More than 90 percent of the lightning in the area occurs between May and October in the hours between noon and midnight.
• People in Central Florida who spend a large portion of their lives outdoors (e.g. construction workers, park rangers, golfers, campers) are much more likely to be struck than at any other time or anywhere else in the country.
• Counting the seconds between lightning and thunder to see ho w close it is to you is no wives' tale," said Daniel Noah of the Tampa Bay National Weather Service. Forecasters call it the "flash-to-bang method." When you see a flash, count the seconds until you hear the bang of thunder and divide the number by five. That gives you the number of miles the lighting is away from you.