Lightning, Gladwin
- When
- July 18, 5:25 PM EST
- Where
- Gladwin County, Gladwin
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 6 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 43.991, -84.388 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in Michigan, July 18, 1996
No rain fell in Gladwin on this date; however a single bolt of lightning from a distant thunderstorm, struck and killed the pitcher in a mens league softball game. Several in the infield were knocked to the ground by the lightning and three were taken to the hospital that day.
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
- 1
- Injuries
- 6
- 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 APX wrote it up.
No rain fell in Gladwin on this date; however a single bolt of lightning from a distant thunderstorm, struck and killed the pitcher in a mens league softball game. Several in the infield were knocked to the ground by the lightning and three were taken to the hospital that day. The ages of the softball players who were effected ranged from 22 to 53 years of age. The pitcher was throwing warm-up pitches when struck.
The radar
The NCL Michigan radar (KAPX), 105 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:25 UTC.
Event by event
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
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.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Gladwin | 1996-07-18 | 27 | Male | Ball Field | Direct |
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
- Tornado in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996
- Tornado in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996
- Flash Flood in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996
- Flash Flood in Indiana, July 18, 1996
- Tornado in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996
- Hail in Nebraska, July 18, 1996
- Tornado in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996
- Heat in Missouri, July 18 to 20, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Ohio, July 18, 1996
- Flash Flood in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996
- Flash Flood in West Virginia, July 18 to 19, 1996
- Tornado in Wisconsin, July 18, 1996
More
Every storm in Michigan in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Michigan, July 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: 5583591.