Kansas, 1998

Lightning Strike in Kansas, July 22, 1998

July 22, 1998 · NWS GID · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A lightning bolt hit a barn and started it and hay on fire. A driver passing by, seeing the flames, called the fire department.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10,000
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 GID wrote it up.

A lightning bolt hit a barn and started it and hay on fire. A driver passing by, seeing the flames, called the fire department.

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, Smith

When
July 22, 9:00 AM CST
Where
Smith County, 1 mi SW of Smith Center
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.785, -98.785 (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 Kansas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, July 1998

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: 5650187.