Lightning, Madison
- When
- July 18, 12:47 PM CST
- Where
- Madison County, Huntsville
- Property damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 34.763, -86.550 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strikes in Alabama, July 18, 1997
Lightning was believed responsible for two house fires, one on Jamison Drive and one on Thornton Court. Both structures sustained significant damage from the fires which were confined to the attic areas and roof.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- $85,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 2
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 BMX wrote it up.
Lightning was believed responsible for two house fires, one on Jamison Drive and one on Thornton Court. Both structures sustained significant damage from the fires which were confined to the attic areas and roof.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Madison
- When
- July 18, 1:05 PM CST
- Where
- Madison County, Huntsville
- Property damage
- $35,000
- Coordinates
- 34.763, -86.550 (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
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, July 18, 1997
- Hurricane in Alabama, July 18 to 22, 1997
- Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in New Jersey, July 18, 1997
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Pennsylvania, July 18, 1997
- Tornado and Flood in Wisconsin, July 18, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Utah, July 18, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, July 18, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Ohio, July 18, 1997
- Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in New Jersey, July 18, 1997
- Damaging Winds in New York, July 18, 1997
- Damaging Wind in District of Columbia, July 18, 1997
- Tornado in Illinois, July 18, 1997
More
Every storm in Alabama in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Alabama, July 1997
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: 5611596, 5611597.