Why is Tampa, Florida the Lightning Capital of the U.S.?

Living in Tampa, I know first hand how threatening the lightning in Tampa can be. I was knocked off of my feet by lightning. Lightning can be very dangerous. Lightning in Tampa is deadly dangerous and constantly around. Lightning in Tampa can knock out the electric; make crackling and popping sounds so close to and all around you. Lightning in Tampa creates very loud bangs that shake your windows and doors. Lightning can strike with in 10 miles of the main thunderstorm and in other rare instances can strike up to 50 miles away from the active thunderstorm.

When I was about 15, I was walking home one day and the storms started to brew. The sky became dark gray, almost a charcoal black. I was about ¼ mile from my home; I had to cross a field to get there. I was about 30 feet from my front door when lightning hit so close to me, the impact literally threw me off my feet and I went flying head first about 4 to 5 feet. I had dropped my books and purse. I was so petrified. I had to get up though I couldn't stand out there. So, I gathered my belongings and started to make a run for it, and seconds later another bolt hit and there I went, flying again about another 4 to 5 feet. At this point, I was so scared I couldn't even breathe! I left everything on the ground and mustered enough courage to run for the door as fast as anyone could run. After that experience, if it is lightning in Tampa, I do not get out of my car and I don't leave the place where I am if I see lighting. I will be late for work or class if it is lightning outside because I will not dare to run outside while it is lightning out.

So why is Tampa labeled as the lightning capital of the United States? There are some theories out there but no concrete reason why lightning in Tampa is so severe. In Florida, there is a path they call "Lightning alley", the path is from Tampa all the way to Daytona Beach. One reason there is plenty of lightning in Tampa is perhaps because Florida is so close to the equator. Not as close as other countries but according to NASA, some maps show lightning occurs most often more near the equator than the poles.

John Dwyer on Nova Science Now explains why Tampa is the Lightning capital of the U.S in this article.

The question was asked "Why is Florida the lightning capital of the U.S.?" John Dwyer's response in short was due to the humid air in Tampa, which contains a lot of latent heat, which then can be changed into other forms of energy. In Tampa, there is a lot of humidity, which may contribute to the amount of lightning in Tampa. The humidity index can reach over 100 most days during the summer, and of course that is when lightning in Tampa is the most active.

Others rumors why there is so much lightning in Tampa is because there are aliens in the Gulf of Mexico or even material in the soil around Tampa and it causes lightning in Tampa to be more frequent. No one has a solid answer, but most answers I have seen are related to the sea breeze, humidity levels and the amount of heat Tampa experiences during the summer months. One thing is for certain; during the summer time there is lightning in Tampa, they call it the "summer time pattern" where almost everyday during the summer you can expect to be in a thunderstorm. With the thunderstorms, there is usually always lightning in Tampa.

John Dwyer/Nova ScienceNow/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/sciencenow/3214/02-ask.html
NASA/ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=6679