Lightning, Lucas
- When
- September 2, 8:30 AM CST
- Where
- Lucas County, Chariton
- Property damage
- $3,000
- Coordinates
- 41.029, -93.328 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in Iowa, September 2, 1996
Thunderstorms moved through south central Iowa. Lightning struck the high school in Chariton, knocking out about 6 bricks from the southwest corner of the building.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $3,000
- 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 DMX wrote it up.
Thunderstorms moved through south central Iowa. Lightning struck the high school in Chariton, knocking out about 6 bricks from the southwest corner of the building. The bricks shattered the window of a car parked in the parking lot.
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 85 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:25 UTC.
Event by event
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Lightning Strike in Minnesota, September 2, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Arizona, September 2, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Arizona, September 2, 1996
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, September 2 to 11, 1996
- Hurricane in Maine, September 2, 1996
- Flash Flood in Alabama, September 2, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Florida, September 2, 1996
- High Wind in Massachusetts, September 2, 1996
- Heat in Alaska, September 2 to 3, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Massachusetts, September 2, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Massachusetts, September 2, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Massachusetts, September 2, 1996
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, September 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: 5566407.