Lightning, Grand
- When
- August 17, 5:30 PM MST
- Where
- Grand County, 12 mi N of Moab
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 38.982, -109.570 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in Utah, August 17, 1996
A man was struck by lightning while hiking with two others on the Delicate Arch trail in Arches National Park. Lightning from the thunderstorm also started two fires in the park.
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
- 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 GJT wrote it up.
A man was struck by lightning while hiking with two others on the Delicate Arch trail in Arches National Park. Lightning from the thunderstorm also started two fires in the park.
The radar
The Grand Junction radar (KGJX), 118 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:29 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, Grand | 1996-08-17 | 22 | Male | Outside/Open Areas | 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 Florida, August 17, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Wildfire in Colorado, August 17, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Tennessee, August 17, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Oklahoma, August 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in Oklahoma, August 17, 1996
- High Wind in Alaska, August 17, 1996
- Flash Flood in New Mexico, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Pennsylvania, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Waterspout in Florida, August 17, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Oklahoma, August 17, 1996
More
Every storm in Utah in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, 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: 5567220.