Lightning, Lea
- When
- August 8, 4:45 PM MST
- Where
- Lea County, 1 mi E of Lovington
- Deaths
- 2 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 32.792, -103.412 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in New Mexico, August 8, 1996
Two employees of Lea County Co-op Electric were killed by lightning while attempting to repair lines that had been disabled during a previous storm. Since there were no witnesses of the incident it was first thought the two men had been electrocuted by the lines on which they were working, however, a subsequent investigation ruled out this possibility.
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
- 2
- 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 MAF wrote it up.
Two employees of Lea County Co-op Electric were killed by lightning while attempting to repair lines that had been disabled during a previous storm. Since there were no witnesses of the incident it was first thought the two men had been electrocuted by the lines on which they were working, however, a subsequent investigation ruled out this possibility. People in the area noted a couple of close lightning strikes, and with other evidence, it was surmised that the two were lightning strike victims.
The radar
The Midland/Odessa radar (KMAF), 149 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:53 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, Lea | 1996-08-08 | 36 | Male | Other | Direct |
| Lightning, Lea | 1996-08-08 | 48 | Male | Other | 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
- Lightning Strike in Texas, August 8, 1996
- Flash Flood in Colorado, August 8, 1996
- Flash Flood in New York, August 8, 1996
- Flash Flood in Pennsylvania, August 8, 1996
- Lightning Strike in New York, August 8, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Florida, August 8, 1996
- Damaging Wind in New York, August 8, 1996
- Flash Flood in New York, August 8, 1996
- Flash Flood in New York, August 8, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Ohio, August 8, 1996
- Damaging Wind in New York, August 8, 1996
- Flash Flood in New York, August 8, 1996
More
Every storm in New Mexico in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in New Mexico, August 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: 5576479.