Kansas lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 79 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 342 lightning records in Kansas from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 9.7 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 4, 1996 lightning in Sedgwick County: 2 deaths. Kansas ranks 23rd of 52 states and territories by count and 33rd of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in Kansas, 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
- 3421996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 9.7average
- Deaths
- 1040 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $20Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 199830 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 Kansas?
Kansas averages about 9.7 lightning records a year since 2000, 23rd of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1998 (30). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Kansas records 42 lightning records since 1996, 33rd 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 Kansas have the most lightning records?
Per square mile, Douglas County leads Kansas: 20 days with a lightning record since 1996, 43.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Douglas County has the most lightning records (27 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).
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 Kansas?
43% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (83 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 4 · Mar 8 · Apr 22 · May 63 · Jun 63 · Jul 64 · Aug 83 · Sep 25 · Oct 8 · Nov 1 · Dec 1 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest lightning records in Kansas?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-06-04 | LightningWichita, Sedgwick County AT EDGEMOOR PARK, WICHITA, 2 TEENAGERS FATALLY STRUCK BY LIGHTNINGAT 1038 PM CST. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-05-24 | LightningPomona Res, Osage County Four men were camping at Pomona Lake State Park. A thunderstorm rolled through, and lightning struck the tent in which the men were sleeping. The three men in the tent were injured, but the fourth man standing outside the tent near a tree was killed. It was reported that he was killed as he headed toward more sturdy ... | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2007-08-17 | LightningTopeka, Shawnee County A woman was struck by lightning near the 2700 block on SW Villa West Dr. in Topeka. She was originally taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries, and later passed away as a reult of these injuries. A second man was struck by a lightning bolt in an open air garage next to his home. The bolt struck his house, ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2009-04-25 | LightningNewman, Jefferson County A group of seven motorcyclists riding together as members of the group Bikers Against Child Abuse were struck by lightning just before 5pm on the 25th. One biker was killed by the strike, and the rider next to him was injured and taken to the hospital, but released later that evening. The other 5 were not injured. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 1999-11-22 | LightningPfeifer, Ellis County An eleven year old girl was killed and a twelve year old girl was injured from a lightning bolt. The girls were in the yard behind the house near their horses, when the lightning strike occurred. The deceased was struck by the bold while the injured girl was standing within inches. CPR was unsuccessful. What makes ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2012-07-07 | LightningWaverly, Coffey County A Kansas man died after being struck by a bolt of lightning. It happened just after 8:15 p.m. Saturday in Coffey County near Waverly. Coffey County officials say Ronald Nicholas, 68, was outside in his front yard when he was hit. He was hosting a family gathering to celebrate the Fourth of July when the accident ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-09-10 | LightningBurlington Airport, Coffey County The Emporia Gazette reported that Patty Gilliam, a Spanish teacher from Emporia High School died on Wednesday, September 14, 2011 from injuries sustained from a lightning strike that occurred on Saturday September 10, 2011. She was riding her bicycle across John Redmond Dam when she was struck by lightning which was ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-08-11 | LightningManhattan, Riley County Eyewitnesses claimed a lightning bolt directly struck a 41 year old woman as she was on an early morning jog along a street in Manhattan. She never regained consciousness and died 16 days later at a local hospital. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2019-09-28 | LightningElk City Lake, Montgomery County A participant in the Flat Rock Ultra Trail race was struck by lightning less than one quarter of a mile away from the finish line. | 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 Kansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-08-25 | LightningWichita, Sedgwick County | 0 | 0 | $2.9M | |
| 2001-07-25 | LightningHillsboro, Marion County | 0 | 0 | $2.5M | |
| 2001-06-19 | LightningTopeka, Shawnee County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $875K | |
| 2001-08-25 | LightningAuburn, Shawnee County | 0 | 0 | $625K | |
| 2001-06-19 | LightningManhattan, Riley County | 0 | 0 | $617K | |
| 2000-09-11 | LightningLenexa, Johnson County | 0 | 0 | $557K | |
| 2004-08-25 | LightningPaola, Miami County | 0 | 0 | $469K | |
| 1998-07-15 | LightningSt George, Pottawatomie County | 0 | 0 | $395K |
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 Kansas?
Kansas'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 | Kansas | United States | Kansas's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 98 | 3,521 | 2.8% |
| 2000s | 187 | 8,052 | 2.3% |
| 2010s | 47 | 5,103 | 0.9% |
| 2020-26 | 10 | 1,544 | 0.6% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in Kansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-08 | LightningSt Francis, Cheyenne County | 0 | 0 | $200K | |
| 2025-08-19 | LightningLeawood, Johnson County | 0 | 0 | $100K | |
| 2024-08-14 | LightningWichita, Sedgwick County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-05-04 | LightningMcConnell Airport, Sedgwick County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2019-09-28 | LightningElk City Lake, Montgomery County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2017-10-09 | LightningMatfield Green, Chase County | 0 | 3 | – | |
| 2017-03-28 | LightningArkansas City, Cowley County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2012-07-07 | LightningWaverly, Coffey County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-09-10 | LightningBurlington Airport, Coffey County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-06-16 | LightningEastborough, Sedgwick County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2010-09-06 | LightningAtwood, Rawlins County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2009-08-17 | LightningEastborough, Sedgwick 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.
Next
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