PlainHazard

Wyoming lightning

Every recorded lightning record since 1996 · 19 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 54 lightning records in Wyoming from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 2.1 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 24, 1999 lightning in Albany County: 2 deaths. Wyoming ranks 48th of 52 states and territories by count and 49th of 51 per square mile.

Lightning in Wyoming, 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
541996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
2.1average
Deaths
1081 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$1.9Mas filed
Busiest year
20108 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 Wyoming?

Wyoming averages about 2.1 lightning records a year since 2000, 48th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2010 (8). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Wyoming records 5.6 lightning records since 1996, 49th 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
  11. 49. Wyoming 5.6

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 Wyoming have the most lightning records?

Per square mile, Teton County leads Wyoming: 10 days with a lightning record since 1996, 2.5 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Teton County has the most lightning records (10 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. Teton County 2.5 (10)
  2. Crook County 1.4 (4)
  3. Albany County 1.2 (5)
  4. Park County 0.9 (6)
  5. Campbell County 0.8 (4)
  6. Sublette County 0.8 (4)
  7. Niobrara County 0.8 (2)
  8. Natrona County 0.6 (3)
  9. Platte County 0.5 (1)
  10. Goshen County 0.4 (1)
  11. Fremont County 0.4 (4)
  12. Weston County 0.4 (1)

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 Wyoming?

63% of its lightning records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (18 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 5 · Jun 16 · Jul 18 · Aug 11 · Sep 4 · Oct 0 · 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 Wyoming?

Wyoming: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1999-07-24 LightningCentennial, Albany County Lightning killed two hikers on Medicine Bow peak northwest of Centennial, WY, about 150 to 200feet below the summit at an altitude just over 12,000 feet. 2 0 –
2010-07-21 LightningJenny Lake, Teton County Lightning struck Grand Teton mountain in Grand Teton National Park injuring 17 climbers that were among three separate private climbing parties. One of the injured ultimately fell 2,000 feet to his death as an indirect result of the lightning strike. The climbers were all above 13,000 feet MSL when the lightning storm ... 1 17 –
2003-07-26 LightningJackson, Teton County One person died and five were seriously injured when they were struck by lightning while climbing Grand Teton. 1 5 –
1998-08-10 LightningArlington, Carbon County A woman was killed by a lightning bolt while hiking in the Snowy Range. A friend that was hiking with her was injured. The two were trying to get to lower levels of the mountains after spotting the storm, but the storm caught them in the open. 1 1 –
2022-08-02 LightningMoran, Teton County On Tuesday evening, August 2, 2022 lightning struck a group of backpackers camped at Enos Lake in the Teton Wilderness. One person, a 22-year-old male, died in the incident, while another, an adult male, sustained major injuries. The lightning bolt reportedly hit the backpackers at camp. The men were part of a group ... 1 1 –
2003-06-16 LightningPinedale, Sublette County Lightning struck two hikers twice. After the first strike, they awaited for the storm to pass. They were then struck a second time as they waited. 1 1 –
2010-07-11 LightningDayton, Sheridan County A Sheridan man died after being struck by lightning in the Big Horn Mountains. The man died at a Billings hospital from cardiac arrest, one day after the lightning strike. A U.S. Forest Service employee found the 63 year old man in an unresponsive state on a Forest Service road. 1 0 –
2010-06-20 LightningPitchfork, Park County A developing thunderstorm produced a single bolt of lightning that killed a 70-year-old man during a camping and fishing trip to Upper Sunshine Reservoir southwest of Meeteetse. The man and his son went to shore to avoid the developing storm. The man was struck when he attempted to gain better cell phone reception ... 1 0 –
2002-09-17 LightningEncampment, Carbon County Lightning struck a tree and woman standing under it at the Pickaroon Campground inMedicine Bow National Forest. 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 Wyoming

Wyoming: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1996-08-05 LightningWheatland, Albany County 0 0 $564K
2001-07-09 LightningMoorcroft, Crook County 0 0 $417K
2011-06-13 LightningRiverton, Fremont County 0 0 $262K

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 Wyoming?

Wyoming'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: Wyoming and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeWyomingUnited StatesWyoming's share
1996-99183,5210.51%
2000s178,0520.21%
2010s175,1030.33%
2020-2621,5440.13%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent lightning records in Wyoming

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2023-07-27 LightningBuford, Albany County 0 1 –
2022-08-02 LightningMoran, Teton County 1 1 –
2019-07-03 LightningJackson Hole Ar, Teton County 0 1 –
2014-06-25 LightningGarland, Park County 0 4 –
2014-05-29 LightningWright, Campbell County 0 3 –
2014-05-24 LightningReliance, Sweetwater County 0 1 –
2012-06-04 LightningMilford, Fremont County 0 1 –
2011-06-13 LightningRiverton, Fremont County 0 0 $262K
2010-07-21 LightningJenny Lake, Teton County 1 17 –
2010-07-11 LightningDayton, Sheridan County 1 0 –
2010-06-30 LightningWright, Campbell County 0 1 –
2010-06-20 LightningPitchfork, Park 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.

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