Late afternoons this week have brought spectacular lightning storms across Central Florida. Once called the "lightning capital of the world," recent years had produced only limited shower and thunderstorm activity in large part due to persistent La Niña conditions which contributed to years-long drought over the peninsula. It is starting to feel more like a 1970s-style Florida rainy season (pre-global warming/climate change).
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One dazzling storm on June 10 provided us with a quick 2.50" of rain (63.5 mm) in about an hour along with countless lightning strikes—pictured here—over Lake Monroe on the St. Johns River separating Seminole and Volusia counties. The city of Debary is more-or-less located underneath the lightning.
Above: After a recent storm the setting sun peaks through holes in the clouds.
Below: Once storms form they generally move back toward the coasts. Here a thunderstorm moves to the east, pushing out into the Atlantic Ocean at Ormond Beach.
Below: Storms are forecast to increase toward mid-week as a cold front (low pressure trough) and increased moisture sags into the area of the central peninsula.
Below: Tomorrow, another unusual mid-June cold front with move further south creating the mechanism for even more showers and thunderstorms. The leading edge of the relatively cooler air is depicted by the blue-hatched line with triangles pointing in the direction of movement.
