Connecticut lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 8 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 171 lightning records in Connecticut from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 5.6 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 8, 2008 lightning in New Haven County: 1 death and 4 injuries. Connecticut ranks 34th of 52 states and territories by count and 5th of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in Connecticut, 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
- 1711996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 5.6average
- Deaths
- 478 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $3.3Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 199817 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 Connecticut?
Connecticut averages about 5.6 lightning records a year since 2000, 34th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1998 (17). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Connecticut records 353 lightning records since 1996, 5th 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.
When is the lightning season in Connecticut?
54% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (48 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 2 · Feb 1 · Mar 2 · Apr 7 · May 17 · Jun 41 · Jul 45 · Aug 48 · Sep 5 · Oct 0 · Nov 3 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest lightning records in Connecticut?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-06-08 | LightningMadison, New Haven County Lightning struck a pavilion at Hamonassett Beach State Park, resulting in one fatality and four injuries. | 1 | 4 | – | |
| 2010-05-08 | LightningBlack Rock, Fairfield County Lighning struck 3 men fishing on a jetty at Seaside Park in Bridgeport. A 29 year old man was filled and 2 other men were injured. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 1997-06-19 | LightningGriswold, New London County A boy was struck by lightning while celebrating the last day of school with four friends in a shed by Beachdale Pond. He was changing a CD in a disc player when lightning struck an electrical socket or skipped off the nearby pond. The State Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that the boy was killed by ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2000-05-10 | LightningMiddletown, Middlesex County As a line of severe thunderstorms moved north, it produced nickel-size hail in New London and penny-size hail in Middletown.These and other thunderstorms were accompanied by frequent and intense lightning strikes that resulted in significant power outages. In Fairfield County, 1500 outages were reported in Bethel and ... | 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 Connecticut
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-04-21 | LightningHuntsville, Litchfield County | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2011-08-01 | LightningHidden Lake, Middlesex County | 0 | 1 | $66K | |
| 2012-07-02 | LightningHerbron, Tolland County | 0 | 1 | $13K | |
| 2025-07-20 | LightningLeffingwell, New London County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-07-20 | LightningGranby Station, Hartford County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2000-09-09 | LightningSouth Windsor, Hartford County | 0 | 12 | $9K | |
| 2025-07-25 | LightningOccum, New London County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $6K | |
| 2025-08-13 | LightningBuckland, Hartford County | 0 | 0 | $5K |
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 Connecticut?
Connecticut'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.
| Decade | Connecticut | United States | Connecticut's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 32 | 3,521 | 0.9% |
| 2000s | 62 | 8,052 | 0.8% |
| 2010s | 62 | 5,103 | 1.2% |
| 2020-26 | 15 | 1,544 | 1.0% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in Connecticut
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-08-13 | LightningBuckland, Hartford County | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2025-07-25 | LightningOccum, New London County | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2025-07-25 | LightningWallingford, New Haven County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2025-07-20 | LightningLeffingwell, New London County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-07-20 | LightningGranby Station, Hartford County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-07-01 | LightningSadds Mill, Tolland County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-06-22 | LightningGoodrich Hgts, Middlesex County | 0 | 3 | – | |
| 2024-06-21 | LightningVoluntown, New London County | 0 | 4 | – | |
| 2017-07-13 | LightningNorth Stonington, New London County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2016-08-14 | LightningVersailles, New London County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2016-08-11 | LightningQuarryville, Tolland County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2016-07-07 | LightningWest Shr, New Haven County | 0 | 2 | – |
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.