Missouri lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 75 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 280 lightning records in Missouri from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 9.8 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the August 23, 2002 lightning in Greene County: 4 deaths. Missouri ranks 27th of 52 states and territories by count and 34th of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in Missouri, 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
- 2801996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 9.8average
- Deaths
- 2670 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $14Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 200518 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 Missouri?
Missouri averages about 9.8 lightning records a year since 2000, 27th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2005 (18). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Missouri records 41 lightning records since 1996, 34th 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 Missouri have the most lightning records?
Per square mile, St. Louis County leads Missouri: 15 days with a lightning record since 1996, 29.5 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Jasper County has the most lightning records (18 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 Missouri?
Missouri's lightning records by month. The busiest month is August (56 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 2 · Feb 4 · Mar 12 · Apr 20 · May 53 · Jun 52 · Jul 49 · Aug 56 · Sep 17 · Oct 8 · Nov 4 · Dec 3 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest lightning records in Missouri?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002-08-23 | LightningWillard, Greene County Lightning struck four individuals who got caught in an open field during a thunderstorm, and fled under a tree for shelter. | 4 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-10-17 | LightningHunnewell, Shelby County Two men were killed and one injured by a lightning strike west of Hunnewell. The 3 men were doing road work near the bridge over the North Fork of the Salt River when the storm approached. They took shelter in a nearby shed, and when the storm appeared to let up, they headed for their vehicle. They were struck within ... | 2 | 1 | – | |
| 2020-07-19 | LightningCarondelet, St. Louis (city) As storms were moving through the region, four men were struck by lightning while at Marquette Park in the Dutchtown neighborhood of St. Louis. A witness said that the lightning bolt struck one man directly and the others were impacted by the force. Two were able to begin performing CPR on the one who was directly ... | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2011-07-30 | LightningLaquey, Pulaski County A small group was canoeing on the Gasconade River. As storms approached they left the river and took shelter under a tree. Lightning struck the three, killing one on site. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2011-05-23 | LightningJoplin, Jasper County Emergency management officials relayed to the NWS that two law enforcement officers were struck by lightning while aiding in the recovery efforts from the EF-5 tornado in Joplin. Both officers were injured and taken to the hospital. One of the officers later died on June 2nd at the hospital from injuries he suffered ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-06-28 | LightningHolden, Johnson County A 53 year old man was struck by lightning in the parking lot at the conclusion of the Holden, MO Rodeo. The lightning strike was fatal. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2018-07-05 | LightningCement City, Jackson County From the KC Star article: A man who was struck by lightning while working on a roof Thursday afternoon in eastern Kansas City has died. Leonel Sanchez, 23, and another man fell from a roof at a residence near 49th Street and Raymond Avenue. They were taken to a hospital, where Sanchez passed away. Time of occurrence ... | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2015-06-26 | LightningScholten, Barry County A man died after being hit by lightning near Seymour. Two horses were also killed by the lightning strike. The man was cultivating a field at the time of the strike. Time was estimated. | 1 | 0 | $6K | |
| 2015-05-15 | LightningHayti, Pemiscot County Lightning struck a tree in Hayti City Park which then fell on a vehicle. The person inside the vehicle was killed. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-08-20 | LightningFulton, Callaway County An 18-year old male was killed by a lighting strike while retrieving a book from a pick-up truck. | 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 Missouri
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-08-07 | LightningCarl Jct, Jasper County | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 1996-09-23 | LightningViola, Stone County | 0 | 0 | $941K | |
| 2010-12-31 | LightningLebanon, Laclede County | 0 | 0 | $677K | |
| 2015-05-17 | LightningBranson Mem Airport, Taney County | 0 | 0 | $623K | |
| 2014-06-21 | LightningHarvester, St. Charles County | 0 | 0 | $607K | |
| 2013-02-25 | LightningMentor, Greene County | 0 | 0 | $380K | |
| 2015-05-10 | LightningRepublic, Greene County | 0 | 0 | $374K | |
| 2015-03-25 | LightningNotch, Stone County | 0 | 0 | $374K |
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 Missouri?
Missouri'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 | Missouri | United States | Missouri's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 24 | 3,521 | 0.7% |
| 2000s | 127 | 8,052 | 1.6% |
| 2010s | 107 | 5,103 | 2.1% |
| 2020-26 | 22 | 1,544 | 1.4% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in Missouri
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-17 | LightningVersailles, Morgan County | 0 | 0 | $50K | |
| 2025-10-18 | LightningRogersville, Webster County | 0 | 0 | $50K | |
| 2025-06-27 | LightningLockwood, Dade County | 0 | 0 | $20K | |
| 2024-06-28 | LightningHolden, Johnson County | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-06-28 | LightningHolden, Johnson County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2021-07-31 | LightningVan Buren, Carter County | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2020-07-19 | LightningCarondelet, St. Louis (city) | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2019-05-18 | LightningParadise, Clay County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2018-08-28 | LightningMaryville, Nodaway County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2018-07-05 | LightningCement City, Jackson County | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2018-06-26 | LightningJefferson City, Cole County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2017-03-26 | LightningBranson Mem Airport, Taney County | 0 | 0 | $301K |
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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