North Dakota lightning

Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 37 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 109 lightning records in North Dakota from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 4.1 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 1, 1997 lightning in Cass County: 1 death and 2 injuries. North Dakota ranks 38th of 52 states and territories by count and 43rd of 51 per square mile.

Lightning in North Dakota, 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: 1091996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000: 4.1average
Deaths: 213 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $3.6Mas filed
Busiest year: 199714 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 North Dakota?

North Dakota averages about 4.1 lightning records a year since 2000, 38th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1997 (14). Per 10,000 square miles of land, North Dakota records 16 lightning records since 1996, 43rd 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 North Dakota have the most lightning records?

Per square mile, Burke County leads North Dakota: 8 days with a lightning record since 1996, 7.2 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Burke County has the most lightning records (9 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 North Dakota?

71% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is August (42 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 4 · May 2 · Jun 18 · Jul 35 · Aug 42 · Sep 6 · Oct 2 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

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

What were the deadliest lightning records in North Dakota?

North Dakota: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
1997-07-01	LightningDavenport, Cass County Lightning struck 3 workers in a sugarbeet field near Davenport.		1	2	–
2019-08-04	LightningRichardton, Stark County A 32-year old male died when he was struck by lighting while working on a trail at the Schnell Recreation Area east of Richardton in Stark County. At the time of the strike the victim was loading mowing equipment into the back of a pickup 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 North Dakota

North Dakota: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Injured	Damage
1996-08-02	LightningDickinson, Stark County	0	$564K
2006-08-09	LightningLignite, Burke County	0	$366K
1997-08-05	LightningCavalier, Pembina County	2	$37K
2010-08-02	LightningMax, McLean County	1	$5K
2014-08-31	LightningNew Salem, Morton County	1	$4K
2024-08-28	LightningSterling, Burleigh County	3	$941

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 North Dakota?

North Dakota'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: North Dakota and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
Decade	North Dakota	United States	North Dakota's share
1996-99	35	3,521	0.99%
2000s	55	8,052	0.68%
2010s	18	5,103	0.35%
2020-26	1	1,544	0.06%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent lightning records in North Dakota

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
Date	Record	Killed	Injured	Damage
2024-08-28	LightningSterling, Burleigh County	0	3	$941
2019-08-04	LightningRichardton, Stark County	1	0	–
2017-07-14	LightningDrayton, Pembina County	0	1	–
2014-08-31	LightningNew Salem, Morton County	0	1	$4K
2010-08-02	LightningMax, McLean County	0	1	$5K
2006-08-09	LightningLignite, Burke County	0	0	$366K
2006-05-09	LightningGrafton, Walsh County	0	1	–
2003-09-17	LightningGrand Forks County	0	1	–
1997-08-05	LightningCavalier, Pembina County	0	2	$37K
1997-07-01	LightningDavenport, Cass County	1	2	–
1997-06-01	Lightning3 S Elgin, Grant County	0	1	–
1996-08-02	LightningDickinson, Stark County	0	0	$564K

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.