Storm hazard · NOAA Storm Events Database
Lightning in the United States
National statistics for lightning events from the NOAA Storm Events Database (2015–2025): how often they occur, where they hit hardest, and the human and property toll.
- 3,956
- Events recorded
- 282
- Fatalities
- $260.5M
- Property damage
- 54
- States affected
How dangerous are Lightning events in the U.S.?
NOAA's Storm Events Database has catalogued 3,956 lightning events across 54 states and territories between 2015 and 2025. The cumulative human toll is 282 fatalities and 1,155 injuries, and the financial footprint reaches $264.0M in combined property ($260.5M) and crop ($3.6M) damage. On a per-fatality basis this places lightning events at a very high severity tier relative to other tracked hazard types in the NOAA catalog.
Geographic exposure is heavily concentrated in a handful of high-severity states. The three states absorbing the largest share of events are FL (526 events, 66 fatalities), TX (347 events, 28 fatalities), GA (206 events, 12 fatalities), reflecting both physical geography (coastal exposure, plains corridors, terrain) and dense population sitting directly in harm's way. At the other end, states such as ND, AK, GU report far fewer events, a genuinely rare event outside the leading states, not merely an underreported one.
The year-to-year record shows real volatility around a high baseline. The peak year on record was 2025, logging 576 events and $45.2M in property damage in a single calendar year. The most recent year in the dataset is 2025 with 576 events recorded. Across the full 11-year window, annual event counts reflect seasonal climate cycles (ENSO phases, active vs. quiet severe-weather years) and long-term shifts tied to a warming climate both help explain the swings.
How to interpret this data
NOAA storm event data is filed by local National Weather Service forecast offices, so reporting intensity can vary by jurisdiction and should be interpreted alongside FEMA disaster declarations for a fuller picture.
For household and business preparedness, this state-and-year view should be paired with local-level FEMA National Risk Index ratings, flood-zone maps where applicable, and up-to-date NWS watch/warning information, population exposure and asset value matter as much as raw event frequency for estimating real-world risk.
Lightning by State
| # | State | Events | Fatalities | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida FL | 526 | 66 | $18.2M |
| 2 | Texas TX | 347 | 28 | $49.6M |
| 3 | Georgia GA | 206 | 12 | $7.6M |
| 4 | South Carolina SC | 191 | 3 | $15.1M |
| 5 | Virginia VA | 184 | 6 | $4.4M |
| 6 | Massachusetts MA | 153 | 0 | $2.1M |
| 7 | North Carolina NC | 149 | 16 | $4.3M |
| 8 | New York NY | 146 | 7 | $3.3M |
| 9 | Tennessee TN | 142 | 8 | $13.4M |
| 10 | Alabama AL | 128 | 16 | $21.7M |
| 11 | Mississippi MS | 126 | 5 | $6.5M |
| 12 | California CA | 117 | 5 | $2.8M |
| 13 | Pennsylvania PA | 106 | 7 | $2.1M |
| 14 | Arizona AZ | 100 | 4 | $5.5M |
| 15 | New Jersey NJ | 90 | 7 | $1.2M |
| 16 | Illinois IL | 84 | 4 | $1.9M |
| 17 | Wisconsin WI | 82 | 4 | $10.0M |
| 18 | Louisiana LA | 81 | 9 | $13.2M |
| 19 | Kentucky KY | 81 | 6 | $4.8M |
| 20 | Iowa IA | 79 | 2 | $14.3M |
| 21 | Missouri MO | 75 | 8 | $3.2M |
| 22 | Minnesota MN | 72 | 0 | $5.0M |
| 23 | Indiana IN | 65 | 2 | $3.6M |
| 24 | Puerto Rico PR | 58 | 7 | $197.7K |
| 25 | Maryland MD | 57 | 3 | $4.1M |
| 26 | Connecticut CT | 51 | 0 | $1.4M |
| 27 | Arkansas AR | 47 | 3 | $3.0M |
| 28 | Colorado CO | 33 | 8 | $723.5K |
| 29 | Delaware DE | 31 | 0 | $77.0K |
| 30 | Michigan MI | 31 | 2 | $2.0M |
| 31 | Nevada NV | 27 | 0 | $685.3K |
| 32 | Idaho ID | 26 | 0 | $1.7M |
| 33 | Rhode Island RI | 25 | 0 | $193.6K |
| 34 | Kansas KS | 25 | 1 | $752.3K |
| 35 | West Virginia WV | 25 | 1 | $2.1M |
| 36 | Oklahoma OK | 25 | 5 | $3.3M |
| 37 | South Dakota SD | 22 | 1 | $3.0M |
| 38 | Ohio OH | 22 | 8 | $128.0K |
| 39 | New Mexico NM | 14 | 4 | $217.0K |
| 40 | Nebraska NE | 13 | 1 | $19.3M |
| 41 | Montana MT | 12 | 1 | $89.1K |
| 42 | Vermont VT | 11 | 0 | $1.9M |
| 43 | Washington WA | 11 | 0 | $242.3K |
| 44 | Utah UT | 10 | 3 | $420.0K |
| 45 | New Hampshire NH | 8 | 0 | $40.0K |
| 46 | Hawaii HI | 7 | 0 | $58.0K |
| 47 | Maine ME | 6 | 0 | $50.0K |
| 48 | Wyoming WY | 6 | 2 | $60.0K |
| 49 | District of Columbia DC | 5 | 6 | $400.0K |
| 50 | Oregon OR | 5 | 0 | $120.4K |
| 51 | American Samoa AS | 4 | 0 | $120.0K |
| 52 | North Dakota ND | 4 | 1 | $31.0K |
| 53 | Alaska AK | 3 | 0 | $7.0K |
| 54 | Guam GU | 2 | 0 | $100.0K |
Lightning by Year
| Year | Events | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 576 | 42 | 196 | $45.2M |
| 2024 | 191 | 18 | 50 | $20.2M |
| 2023 | 264 | 15 | 66 | $29.9M |
| 2022 | 522 | 40 | 120 | $23.4M |
| 2021 | 242 | 13 | 74 | $10.1M |
| 2020 | 247 | 19 | 60 | $19.1M |
| 2019 | 341 | 22 | 119 | $41.2M |
| 2018 | 396 | 21 | 89 | $16.1M |
| 2017 | 365 | 22 | 100 | $16.1M |
| 2016 | 409 | 42 | 136 | $23.0M |
| 2015 | 403 | 28 | 145 | $16.3M |
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many lightning events have occurred in the US?
Which states are most affected by lightning events?
How much damage do lightning events cause?
What year had the most lightning events?
How dangerous are lightning events?
Which states have the fewest lightning events?
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (2015-2025) NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (2015-2025) For informational purposes only
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Related
Every figure on PlainHazard is rendered directly from FEMA federal disaster data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on FEMA federal disaster data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or national statistics report, or report a data error.