Lightning, Washington
- When
- February 4, 4:00 AM CST
- Where
- Washington County, Washington
- Coordinates
- 41.336, -91.718 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in Iowa, February 4, 1997
Incredible lightning damage was done to a two-story home in Washington, Iowa during a thundersnow storm. Lightning struck the family's large television antenna tower, scattering pieces of it through the yard, then jumped to the 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.
- 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
- 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 DVN wrote it up.
Incredible lightning damage was done to a two-story home in Washington, Iowa during a thundersnow storm. Lightning struck the family's large television antenna tower, scattering pieces of it through the yard, then jumped to the house. Lightning damaged siding and knocked glass out of eight windows. The force of the surge caused light bulbs to explode, knocked out the telephone, and melted the fuse box. The lightning exited the home on the cold water pipe and caused it to burst, flooding the basement. Other damage: the exterior lead-in wire for the cable televison service was knocked from its connection and sent halfway across the yard; all four phones, the stove vent, and the air conditioning unit were damaged; the glass front on a clock in the basement was blown off; plates hanging on the wall were knocked down; and a piece of linoleum in the downstairs was buckled.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Winter Weather in Vermont, February 4 to 5, 1997
- Winter Weather in New York, February 4 to 5, 1997
- Flood in Ohio, February 4 to 5, 1997
- Winter Storm in Vermont, February 4 to 5, 1997
- Winter Storm in New York, February 4 to 5, 1997
- Winter Storm in New York, February 4 to 5, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, February 4 to 5, 1997
- Winter Storm in Wisconsin, February 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in Iowa, February 4, 1997
- Winter Storm in Minnesota, February 4, 1997
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, February 4, 1997
- Ice Storm in Wisconsin, February 4, 1997
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, February 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: 5589056.