Pennsylvania lightning
Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 52 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 554 lightning records in Pennsylvania from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 17 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 6, 2020 lightning in Bradford County: 2 deaths and 2 injuries. Pennsylvania ranks 9th of 52 states and territories by count and 15th of 51 per square mile.
Lightning in Pennsylvania, 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
- 5541996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 17average
- Deaths
- 27230 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $26Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 199847 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 Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania averages about 17 lightning records a year since 2000, 9th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1998 (47). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Pennsylvania records 124 lightning records since 1996, 15th 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 Pennsylvania have the most lightning records?
Per square mile, Delaware County leads Pennsylvania: 28 days with a lightning record since 1996, 152.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Bucks County has the most lightning records (65 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 Pennsylvania?
48% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is June (137 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 1 · Feb 2 · Mar 10 · Apr 24 · May 93 · Jun 137 · Jul 131 · Aug 121 · Sep 28 · Oct 4 · Nov 1 · Dec 2 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest lightning records in Pennsylvania?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-07-06 | LightningBailey Corners, Bradford County Lightning from a nearby thunderstorm struck four individuals under a tree stand in the area of 447 Tube Drive in Granville Township. Two of these people were killed and the other two were injured. They were holding a metal latter at the time they were struck. | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 2019-06-13 | LightningWeltytown, Westmoreland County Two teenagers were struck by lightning while fishing and killed. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2012-08-05 | LightningLong Pond, Monroe County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. A series of strong to severe thunderstorms that culminated with a squall late in the afternoon affected Eastern Pennsylvania on the 5th. Lightning caused one death and nine injuries at Pocono Raceway in Monroe County that afternoon. | 1 | 8 | – | |
| 2005-06-27 | LightningTionesta, Forest County One woman was killed as she and 7 others stood under a tree when rain and thunder began at Tionesta Lake. | 1 | 7 | – | |
| 2002-08-02 | LightningShoemakers, Monroe County A 16-year-old boy scout was struck and killed by lightning while attending the Resica Falls Boy Scout Camp off Pennsylvania State Route 402 in Middle Smithfield Township. Lightning apparently struck a tent where he and eleven other scouts were eating. Six other scouts suffered minor injuries. | 1 | 6 | – | |
| 2005-08-07 | LightningPatton, Cambria County Lightning struck and injured 4 motorcyclists, one fatally, who were taking refuge under a tree adjacent to Route 36 in Cambria County. | 1 | 4 | – | |
| 2012-05-16 | LightningWest Bristol, Bucks County A lightning strike caused a three-alarm fire at the Dow Chemical facility on Pennsylvania State Route 413 and State Road in the Croydon section of Bristol Township. A lightning bolt struck two of the storage tanks at the plant. The ensuing fire badly damaged two large 250,000 gallon tanks that held chemicals used in ... | 1 | 3 | $321K | |
| 2008-06-14 | LightningTobyhanna, Monroe County One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A slow moving cold front helped trigger scattered showers and thunderstorns across eastern Pennsylvania during the afternoon and evening of the 14th. Because of the hot and humid air mass preceding this front, some of the storms became severe. | 1 | 3 | $411K | |
| 2001-06-20 | LightningLigonier, Westmoreland County Two adult Boy Scout leaders and one 15-year old Boy Scout were struck by lightning at Twin Echo Park off Route 271. One of the leaders died the next day from his injuries. The other two people were treated and released from the hospital. A group of around 10 people were standing outside under a large pine tree when ... | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2016-08-13 | LightningStemlersville, Carbon County Lightning struck in the Beltzville Lake. The lightning strike spread through the water and injured several people and killing a man. Details still unknown on number of injuries etc. | 1 | 2 | – |
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 Pennsylvania
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-08-25 | LightningBelfast, Northampton County | 0 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 2007-07-29 | LightningWest Catasauqua, Lehigh County | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | |
| 2014-07-02 | LightningStanwood, Bucks County One storm episode: 2 records; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 1 | $1.2M | |
| 2005-06-06 | LightningFranconia, Montgomery County | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | |
| 2017-06-19 | LightningNew London Airport, Chester County | 0 | 0 | $903K | |
| 2001-05-26 | LightningPlymouth Meeting, Montgomery County | 0 | 0 | $833K | |
| 2005-08-14 | LightningConshohocken, Montgomery County | 0 | 0 | $756K | |
| 2010-07-12 | LightningNew Hope, Bucks County | 0 | 0 | $677K |
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 Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania'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 | Pennsylvania | United States | Pennsylvania's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 120 | 3,521 | 3.4% |
| 2000s | 241 | 8,052 | 3.0% |
| 2010s | 141 | 5,103 | 2.8% |
| 2020-26 | 52 | 1,544 | 3.4% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent lightning records in Pennsylvania
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-12 | LightningUswick, Wayne County | 0 | 0 | $20K | |
| 2026-06-11 | LightningChinchilla, Lackawanna County | 0 | 0 | $75K | |
| 2025-08-13 | LightningSchnecksville, Lehigh County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-07-26 | LightningSt Thomas, Franklin County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-07-26 | LightningHuntingdon County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-07-26 | LightningMenges Mill, York County | 0 | 0 | $40K | |
| 2025-07-16 | LightningEbensburg, Cambria County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-06-30 | LightningWest Bristol, Bucks County | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2025-06-28 | LightningHahnstown, Lancaster County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-06-25 | LightningHarrisonville, Fulton County | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-06-25 | LightningSwissdale, Clinton County | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2025-06-22 | LightningDuryea, Luzerne County | 0 | 2 | – |
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
- Delaware County: the county's whole recordThe Pennsylvania county with the most lightning records per square mile
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