Ohio lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 70 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 242 lightning records in Ohio from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 4.8 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 29, 2005 lightning in Ross County: 2 deaths and 7 injuries across 2 records. Ohio ranks 29th of 52 states and territories by count and 28th of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in Ohio, 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
- 2421996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 4.8average
- Deaths
- 28123 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $22Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 199668 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 Ohio?
Ohio averages about 4.8 lightning records a year since 2000, 29th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1996 (68). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Ohio records 59 lightning records since 1996, 28th 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 Ohio have the most lightning records?
Per square mile, Hamilton County leads Ohio: 17 days with a lightning record since 1996, 41.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Stark County has the most lightning records (19 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 Ohio?
55% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is June (83 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1 · Feb 4 · Mar 2 · Apr 20 · May 27 · Jun 83 · Jul 49 · Aug 44 · Sep 9 · Oct 3 · 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 Ohio?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-06-29 | LightningChillicothe, Ross County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. An inmate in the yard at the Chillicothe Correctional Institute was struck and killed by lightning. Five others were injured by the lightning strike. | 2 | 7 | – | |
| 2019-08-30 | LightningCummingsville, Hamilton County Three women were jogging in Spring Grove Cemetery when a thunderstorm rolled in. The women took cover under a large oak tree, but all three women were hit when lightning struck. One women was killed immediately, the other two were injured. A second women passed away five days later. F27UT. F55UT. | 2 | 1 | $1K | |
| 2010-05-31 | LightningSt Clairsville, Belmont County An inmate was killed and five others injured after a lightning strike at the Belmont County Correctional Facility while prisoners were in the recreational yard. Three of the injured were taken to the hospital for treatment. | 1 | 5 | – | |
| 1999-07-06 | LightningWarrensville Hgts, Cuyahoga County One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. A 36 year old male construction worker was found laying dead face up in a puddle of water. Witnesses claim the man was struck by lightning while working outdoors. | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 1996-06-12 | LightningEllsworth Township, Mahoning County Four men were injured when struck by lightning at the Diamond Back Golf Course. One of them died 17 days later, on June 29th. | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 2002-08-18 | LightningReynoldsburg, Franklin County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A man working on the roof of an apartment complex was struck by lightning. Witnesses said that the man shot up several feet in the air, landing back on the roof where he was unresponsive. The man was rushed to a local hospital where he died from his injuries one day later. | 1 | 3 | – | |
| 1996-06-12 | LightningFrankfort, Ross County Lightning struck a propane tank which caused a nearby home to explode. One person was killed and 2 were injured. | 1 | 2 | $94K | |
| 2011-09-04 | LightningWest Chester, Butler County A man was struck and killed by lightning while camping. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 1999-06-11 | LightningWakeman, Huron County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places, 1999-06-11 to 1999-06-12; the totals are the episode's. A 59 year old man man was struck by lightning bolt that traveled through a nearby tree. The man had been camping and was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2008-06-26 | LightningWakeman, Huron County A married couple was struck by lightning while standing outside of their rural Huron County home. The husband was temporarily knocked unconscious and sustained burns to his ankle. His 51 year old wife was also knocked unconscious. She was taken to a nearby hospital where she died early the next day. Witnesses stated ... | 1 | 1 | – |
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 Ohio
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-06-27 | LightningCarey, Wyandot County | 0 | 0 | $3.6M | |
| 1998-05-19 | LightningWest Chester, Butler County | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 1996-07-18 | LightningDelaware County | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 1998-07-21 | LightningCamden, Lorain County | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 2001-04-06 | LightningCreston, Wayne County | 0 | 0 | $833K | |
| 2010-06-12 | LightningUnion Vlg, Warren County | 0 | 0 | $677K | |
| 1996-06-11 | LightningHuron, Erie County | 0 | 0 | $659K | |
| 1998-07-21 | LightningPerrysburg, Wood County | 0 | 0 | $453K |
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 Ohio?
Ohio'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 | Ohio | United States | Ohio's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 130 | 3,521 | 3.7% |
| 2000s | 80 | 8,052 | 1.0% |
| 2010s | 25 | 5,103 | 0.5% |
| 2020-26 | 7 | 1,544 | 0.5% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in Ohio
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-06 | LightningSenecaville, Guernsey County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2025-06-29 | LightningMinerva Park, Franklin County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-07-06 | LightningSidney, Shelby County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2020-08-16 | LightningEagle Mills, Vinton County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2019-08-30 | LightningCummingsville, Hamilton County | 2 | 1 | $1K | |
| 2017-08-02 | LightningNorth Brewster, Stark County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2017-07-22 | LightningLancaster, Fairfield County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2017-06-22 | LightningBowling Green, Wood County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2016-08-10 | LightningWarsaw, Coshocton County | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-05-26 | LightningNorthup, Gallia County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2015-04-08 | LightningDayton, Montgomery County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2012-07-03 | LightningZanesville, Muskingum 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
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