Also, late fall, winter or early spring fronts. On average, the interior sections of central Florida receive the most thunderstorms with nearly 100 plus days per year. However, thunderstorms are also frequent along coastal areas which average 80 to 90 days per year. Although Florida thunderstorms are generally less than 15 miles in diameter, they can grow vertically to great heights in excess of 10 miles high into the atmosphere. This stacking effect of concentrated moisture can explain why a Florida thunderstorm directly overhead could produce four or more inches of rain in less than an hour while a location a few miles away may see only a trace.
All thunderstorms are dangerous.
Every Floridian should understand, respect and know how to protect themselves from the by-products of thunderstorms. Lightning, tornadoes, downbursts, hail and flooding rainfall are all dangerous by-products of thunderstorms that could be lethal to the unknowing and unprotected. Although every thunderstorm in Florida has the potential to cause death, injury or damage, there are about 10 percent that produce dangerous wind or hail that will likely exceed thresholds known to cause significant damage to well-built structures or cause bodily harm. These are known as severe thunderstorms. Strong rising currents of air called updrafts carry water droplets high into the upper reaches of thunderstorms where they freeze.