Lightning strike kills mother and 2-year-old daughter in Broward County, Florida

A 31-year-old mother and her 2-year-old daughter died after being struck by lightning in Margate, Florida, on the afternoon of August 23, 2026, as thunderstorms affected northern Broward County. Another child was transported to the hospital after being struck by lightning at around the same time in Boynton Beach. The National Weather Service identified strong thunderstorms extending to Margate shortly before emergency crews were called.

A lightning strike killed a 31-year-old woman and her 2-year-old daughter in Margate, Broward County, Florida, on August 23.

Margate Police identified the victims and said police and Margate Fire Rescue responded at about 14:30 EDT (18:30 UTC), with first responders and medical personnel providing CPR and other lifesaving efforts before both were transported to hospitals and pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Miami issued a Special Weather Statement at 14:26 EDT (18:26 UTC), about four minutes before the reported emergency-response time, for strong thunderstorms affecting portions of northern Broward and southeastern Palm Beach counties.

NWS meteorologists were tracking storms along a line extending from Boynton Beach through Mission Bay to Margate, moving east at about 8 km/h (5 mph), and said the storms were capable of producing funnel clouds and wind gusts of 70–80 km/h (45–50 mph).

NWS advised people participating in outdoor activities to seek sturdy shelter until the storms passed and said open shelters at parks, beaches and golf courses offer no protection from lightning.

Police said Glasgow was transported to a hospital in Deerfield Beach, while her daughter was taken with a police escort to Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale. Both were pronounced dead shortly after reaching the hospitals.

NWS Miami later recorded two fatalities from the Margate lightning incident occurring at approximately 14:25 EDT (18:25 UTC) on Northwest 1st Street and explicitly stated that the time was estimated from radar data.

Another child was injured approximately five minutes later; another child was rushed to a hospital on pediatric trauma alert after being struck by a lightning strike in Boynton Beach, according to the storm reports.

References:

¹ Special Weather Statement – NWS – August 23, 2026

² Preliminary Local Storm Report – NWS – 22:28 UTC on August 23, 2026

³ Margate Lightning Incident Media Release – Margate Police Department – August 24, 2026.

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