PlainHazard

New Hampshire lightning

Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 10 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 208 lightning records in New Hampshire from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 8.6 a year since 2000. The costliest was the July 9, 1997 lightning ($5.5 million in 2025 dollars). New Hampshire ranks 32nd of 52 states and territories by count and 8th of 51 per square mile.

Lightning in New Hampshire, 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
2081996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
8.6average
Deaths
0118 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$17Mas filed
Busiest year
200532 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 New Hampshire?

New Hampshire averages about 8.6 lightning records a year since 2000, 32nd of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2005 (32). Per 10,000 square miles of land, New Hampshire records 232 lightning records since 1996, 8th of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 859
  2. 2. Delaware 744
  3. 3. Massachusetts 642
  4. 4. Rhode Island 571
  5. 5. Connecticut 353
  6. 6. Florida 331
  7. 7. Maryland 322
  8. 8. New Hampshire 232
  9. 9. Georgia 228
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 175

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 New Hampshire have the most lightning records?

Per square mile, Strafford County leads New Hampshire: 25 days with a lightning record since 1996, 68.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Rockingham County has the most lightning records (56 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).

  1. Strafford County 68.0 (28)
  2. Rockingham County 56.1 (56)
  3. Belknap County 49.8 (20)
  4. Hillsborough County 25.1 (24)
  5. Carroll County 21.5 (23)
  6. Cheshire County 21.2 (15)
  7. Merrimack County 20.4 (20)
  8. Sullivan County 11.2 (6)
  9. Grafton County 5.3 (10)
  10. Coos County 2.8 (6)

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 New Hampshire?

59% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (76 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 1 · Mar 2 · Apr 2 · May 21 · Jun 47 · Jul 76 · Aug 45 · Sep 12 · Oct 1 · Nov 0 · Dec 1 (records).

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

The costliest lightning records in New Hampshire

New Hampshire: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1997-07-09 LightningBradford, Merrimack County 0 0 $5.5M
2000-06-25 LightningWaterville Vly, Grafton County 0 0 $1.2M
2007-05-10 LightningWindham, Rockingham County 0 0 $712K
2002-08-16 LightningHollis, Hillsborough County 0 0 $574K
2004-05-24 LightningWeare, Hillsborough County 0 0 $547K
2005-07-27 LightningPlaistow, Rockingham County 0 0 $378K
1999-07-22 LightningFranklin, Merrimack County 0 0 $354K
2004-05-23 LightningBedford, Hillsborough County 0 0 $312K

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 New Hampshire?

New Hampshire'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: New Hampshire and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeNew HampshireUnited StatesNew Hampshire's share
1996-99543,5211.5%
2000s1318,0521.6%
2010s195,1030.4%
2020-2641,5440.3%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent lightning records in New Hampshire

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2025-06-06 LightningHenniker, Merrimack County 0 1 –
2025-05-17 LightningHooksett, Merrimack County 0 1 –
2016-07-23 LightningBase, Coos County 0 1 –
2015-07-07 LightningMarlborough, Cheshire County 0 1 –
2014-07-02 LightningEast Madison, Carroll County 0 2 –
2013-06-24 LightningWest Alton, Belknap County 0 30 –
2012-07-04 LightningWeirs Beach, Belknap County 0 3 –
2010-07-19 LightningFitzwilliam, Cheshire County 0 1 –
2010-07-16 LightningRindge, Cheshire County 0 2 –
2008-07-18 LightningNewington, Rockingham County 0 0 $274K
2008-06-27 LightningColebrook, Coos County 0 0 $274K
2008-06-10 LightningHampton Beach, Rockingham 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.

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