Illinois, 1996

Lightning Strike in Illinois, May 9, 1996

May 9, 1996 · NWS LOT · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A man was struck by lightning while walking his dog.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS LOT wrote it up.

A man was struck by lightning while walking his dog.

The radar

The Chicago radar (KLOT), 49 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:58 UTC.

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Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Cook

When
May 9, 9:00 PM CST
Where
Cook County, Northbrook
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
41.895, -87.646 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Lightning, Cook1996-05-0958MaleOutside/Open AreasDirect

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Illinois in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Illinois, May 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5545142.