Pennsylvania, 1996

Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, May 21, 1996

May 21, 1996 · NWS BGM · 1 event in 1 county or zone

One man was struck by lightning in East Athens. He was working in a barn when lightning struck a nearby house.

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.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
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 BGM wrote it up.

One man was struck by lightning in East Athens. He was working in a barn when lightning struck a nearby house. The lightning traveled through power lines from the house into the barn, striking him and throwing him a distance of 10 to 12 feet.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Bradford

When
May 21, 10:30 AM EST
Where
Bradford County, East Athens
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
41.789, -76.515 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 Pennsylvania in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Pennsylvania, 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: 5559544.