Lightning, Monmouth
- When
- May 1, 6:25 PM EST
- Where
- Monmouth County, Tinton Falls
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Coordinates
- 40.288, -74.158 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in New Jersey, May 1, 1997
An adult male was killed while driving southbound on Hockkockson Road in Tinton Falls when lightning struck a tree and sliced it in half. The tree fell down and crushed the vehicle he was driving.
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 PHI wrote it up.
An adult male was killed while driving southbound on Hockkockson Road in Tinton Falls when lightning struck a tree and sliced it in half. The tree fell down and crushed the vehicle he was driving.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
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, Monmouth | 1997-05-01 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | 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
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Kansas, May 1 to 29, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 1, 1997
- Drought in Texas, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Flooding in Idaho, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Heavy Rain in Ohio, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Flooding in Montana, May 1 to 31, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, May 1, 1997
- Flooding in Louisiana, May 1 to 9, 1997
- Flooding in Texas, May 1 to 9, 1997
- High Wind in Ohio, May 1, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Tennessee, May 1, 1997
- High Wind in New York, May 1, 1997
More
Every storm in New Jersey in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, May 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: 5608942.