Michigan lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 68 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 327 lightning records in Michigan from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 11 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 23, 2011 lightning in Oscoda County: 2 deaths and 1 injury. Michigan ranks 24th of 52 states and territories by count and 29th of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in Michigan, 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
- 3271996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 11average
- Deaths
- 19127 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $30Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 200643 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 Michigan?
Michigan averages about 11 lightning records a year since 2000, 24th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2006 (43). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Michigan records 58 lightning records since 1996, 29th 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 Michigan have the most lightning records?
Per square mile, Macomb County leads Michigan: 19 days with a lightning record since 1996, 39.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Oakland County has the most lightning records (40 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 Michigan?
49% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (93 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1 · Feb 1 · Mar 5 · Apr 19 · May 43 · Jun 68 · Jul 93 · Aug 36 · Sep 45 · Oct 11 · Nov 4 · Dec 1 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest lightning records in Michigan?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-07-23 | LightningRed Oak, Oscoda County A family was on a tubing outing on the Au Sable River. A thunderstorm rapidly developed, and they attempted to exit the river and find shelter. They were just out of the river, when three individuals were struck by lightning. Two women were pronounced dead at the scene. A man was transported to a hospital in Saginaw ... | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 1996-07-18 | LightningGladwin County No rain fell in Gladwin on this date; however a single bolt of lightning from a distant thunderstorm, struck and killed the pitcher in a mens league softball game. Several in the infield were knocked to the ground by the lightning and three were taken to the hospital that day. The ages of the softball players who were ... | 1 | 6 | – | |
| 1998-06-16 | LightningDetroit, Wayne County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A broad but weak area of low pressure was located over the Great Lakes. A trough dropped slowly southeast across southeast Michigan during the late afternoon hours. Interactions between this trough and a number of lake breeze boundaries ignited thunderstorms. Only one storm became severe, as several trees were downed ... | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2003-08-01 | LightningAdrian, Lenawee County One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A large upper low over the area caused numerous slow moving thunderstorms to develop during the afternoon of August 1st. The severe thunderstorms produced hail and wind damage. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2002-09-19 | LightningAnn Arbor, Washtenaw County Three men were installing a roof at an apartment complex under construction when they were struck by lightning. Two of the men were injured, while the third was later pronounced dead. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 1999-07-23 | LightningFenton, Genesee County A thunderstorm quickly rolled into Silver Lake Park near Fenton. Beachgoers at the park quickly gathered up their things and raced to their cars, but the last group off the beach was not quite quick enough. Lightning struck an adult female and an eight year old girl, about five feet away from their car. Rescue workers ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2006-07-17 | LightningHighland Park, Wayne County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. The July 17th severe weather event would eventually go down as the largest and most destructive of the 2006 severe weather season. Intense thunderstorms fired along and ahead of a cold front working down from the northern Great Lakes and eventually developed into a large MCS by mid evening. The Tri Cities and thumb ... | 1 | 1 | $293K | |
| 2000-09-01 | LightningTraverse City, Grand Traverse County A father and son were struck by lightning. See narrative below. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2014-06-18 | LightningGeddes, Washtenaw County Southeast Michigan saw active weather in both the morning and afternoon on Wednesday, June 18th, with the afternoon convection turning severe. Previous convection during the morning hours had moved to the east and there was enough instability for the thunderstorm complex over southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2013-07-18 | LightningMc Millan Corner, Luce County A house fire caused by a lightning strike resulted in the death of a 79-year-old man. The fire was reported by a storm spotter located one mile away, and it was confirmed by local media. | 1 | 0 | $89K |
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 Michigan
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-08-10 | LightningBrighton, Livingston County | 0 | 0 | $2.7M | |
| 2000-12-11 | LightningAnn Arbor, Washtenaw County | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 2000-07-28 | LightningRomeo, Macomb County | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | |
| 2005-07-16 | LightningMacomb County | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | |
| 1997-07-26 | LightningFarmington, Oakland County | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 2001-06-12 | LightningBenton Center, Berrien County | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | |
| 2000-07-27 | LightningDryden, Lapeer County | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 1998-07-21 | LightningKentwood, Kent County | 0 | 0 | $905K |
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 Michigan?
Michigan'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 | Michigan | United States | Michigan's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 64 | 3,521 | 1.8% |
| 2000s | 193 | 8,052 | 2.4% |
| 2010s | 56 | 5,103 | 1.1% |
| 2020-26 | 14 | 1,544 | 0.9% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in Michigan
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-21 | LightningTraverse City A, Grand Traverse County | 0 | 0 | $12K | |
| 2025-06-08 | LightningMarquette Co Ar, Marquette County | 0 | 0 | $15K | |
| 2025-05-15 | LightningEscanaba, Delta County | 0 | 0 | $100K | |
| 2024-07-14 | LightningChestonia, Antrim County | 0 | 3 | $61K | |
| 2024-06-29 | LightningAzalia, Monroe County | 0 | 4 | – | |
| 2024-05-07 | LightningSandy Shores, Cass County | 0 | 0 | $470K | |
| 2023-07-23 | LightningYale, St. Clair County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2021-07-08 | LightningAnderson, Livingston County | 0 | 4 | – | |
| 2021-07-05 | LightningEscanaba, Delta County | 0 | 1 | $109K | |
| 2017-07-25 | LightningHarris, Menominee County | 0 | 0 | $602K | |
| 2016-09-06 | LightningHigh Bridge, Manistee County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2016-08-19 | LightningErand Lake, Presque Isle County | 1 | 0 | – |
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
- Macomb County: the county's whole recordThe Michigan county with the most lightning records per square mile
- Lightning across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in MichiganTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
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- Winter storms in Michigan10,836 records
- Hail in Michigan6,036 records