Arkansas lightning

Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 67 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 387 lightning records in Arkansas from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 12 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the December 20, 2007 lightning in Jackson County: 2 deaths and $213,000 in damage in 2025 dollars. Arkansas ranks 19th of 52 states and territories by count and 24th of 51 per square mile.

Lightning in Arkansas, 1996 to 2026

Lightning records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

recorded, no damage figure
under $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
a year with a death

Records: 3871996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 12average
Deaths: 2283 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $39Mas filed
Busiest year: 201037 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are lightning records common in Arkansas?

Arkansas averages about 12 lightning records a year since 2000, 19th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2010 (37). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Arkansas records 74 lightning records since 1996, 24th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Arkansas have the most lightning records?

Per square mile, Pulaski County leads Arkansas: 37 days with a lightning record since 1996, 48.8 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Pulaski County has the most lightning records (46 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

Pulaski County 48.8 (46)
Garland County 32.5 (28)
Faulkner County 18.5 (13)
Conway County 18.1 (12)
Benton County 17.7 (16)
Sebastian County 13.2 (9)
Miller County 12.8 (8)
Baxter County 12.6 (7)
White County 12.6 (14)
Lonoke County 11.7 (9)
Franklin County 11.5 (8)
Saline County 11.1 (9)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the lightning season in Arkansas?

42% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (86 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 8 · Feb 13 · Mar 18 · Apr 34 · May 46 · Jun 57 · Jul 86 · Aug 77 · Sep 22 · Oct 11 · Nov 8 · Dec 7 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest lightning records in Arkansas?

Arkansas: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2007-12-20	LightningDiaz, Jackson County Lightning struck a house in the eastern part of Diaz. Apparently, the resulting fire smoldered for about two hours before the fire was noticed. Visibility was poor at the time, due to fog and continuous rain. By the time the fire alarm was turned in, flames were shooting well above the roof. The house was destroyed, ...	2	0	$213K
1997-06-28	LightningHeber Spgs, Cleburne County A group of people were attending a picnic on the shore of Greers Ferry Lake at the Old Highway 25 Park. Lightning struck nearby and injured 12 people. One other person was killed as a result of being struck. The extent of injuries to the others struck consisted of burns. Most of the injured were treated and released ...	1	12	–
1997-07-23	LightningGum Spgs, Clark County Three men were working in a landfill when lightning struck where they were standing. One man was killed instantly when he was directly struck. Two other men standing nearby sustained only minor injuries.	1	2	–
2008-05-22	LightningPulaski County A 17 year-old male was stuck and killed by lightning while standing under a large pine tree in the 1800 block of South Jackson Street (about 3 miles west-southwest of downtown Little Rock). Males 13 and 14 years old were injured. The lightning strike occurred just as the storm was moving into the area. Lightning ...	1	2	–
1997-08-13	LightningPine Bluff, Jefferson County Two men were standing near a bulldozer when lightning struck the bulldozer. The lightning travelled through the ground and struck them. One man sustained minor injuries and was later released from the hospital. The second man suffered a heart attack after being struck. He eventually died from his injuries about 2 ...	1	1	–
2006-09-22	LightningPrairie Grove, Washington County Lightning struck a fishing boat killing one of the occupants and injuring the other.	1	1	–
2002-02-19	LightningBen Hur, Newton County Two men were unloading wood from a truck at a campsite when lightning struck. One man was killed by the lightning strike and the other suffered burns.	1	1	–
2015-06-13	LightningBeaver Lake, Benton County Three people were on a boat fishing when it was struck by lightning. One of the three people died from the lightning strike.	1	0	–
2014-10-28	LightningGilkey, Yell County A 33-year-old man was killed by lightning in a forested area. The man was sitting under a tree, when lightning traveled down the tree, striking the man.	1	0	–
2014-07-01	LightningCarrolls Corner, Mississippi County Lightning struck and killed a teenager as he was running to take cover from a storm. He was found underneath a tree in a church's parking lot.	1	0	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest lightning records in Arkansas

Arkansas: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Damage
2007-07-20	LightningLevy, Pulaski County	$4.3M
1998-04-27	LightningMalvern, Hot Spring County	$4.1M
2007-04-03	LightningLittle Rock, Pulaski County	$3.6M
2012-09-01	LightningNew Summit, Saline County	$1.5M
2009-07-12	LightningParagould, Greene County	$1.4M
2008-03-15	LightningLonoke County	$1.4M
2010-05-25	LightningShady Grove, Pulaski County	$1.4M
2017-04-30	LightningLonoke County	$722K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are lightning records becoming more frequent in Arkansas?

Arkansas's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Lightning: Arkansas and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	Arkansas	United States	Arkansas's share
1996-99	72	3,521	2.0%
2000s	160	8,052	2.0%
2010s	136	5,103	2.7%
2020-26	19	1,544	1.2%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent lightning records in Arkansas

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2025-07-29	LightningMt Ida, Montgomery County	0	0	$200
2025-05-17	LightningSlabtown, Grant County	0	0	$10K
2019-11-07	LightningBear, Garland County	0	1	$87K
2019-02-19	LightningLittle Rock Ada, Pulaski County	0	1	–
2018-07-06	LightningOakland Hgts, Pope County	1	0	–
2018-06-08	LightningMaumelle, Pulaski County	1	0	–
2017-07-04	LightningFunston, Faulkner County	0	1	–
2017-04-30	LightningLonoke County	0	0	$722K
2016-04-11	LightningEl Dorado, Union County	0	0	$307K
2015-06-13	LightningBeaver Lake, Benton County	1	0	–
2014-10-28	LightningGilkey, Yell County	1	0	–
2014-10-09	LightningGravette, Benton County	0	1	–

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.