Louisiana, 1998

Lightning Strike in Louisiana, January 12, 1998

January 12, 1998 · NWS LCH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning struck a man working on top of a treatment tank at the waste water plant during a thunderstorm. Doctors said the man may have saved his life by wearing rubber boots and a rubber rain slicker when he was struck.

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.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
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 LCH wrote it up.

Lightning struck a man working on top of a treatment tank at the waste water plant during a thunderstorm. Doctors said the man may have saved his life by wearing rubber boots and a rubber rain slicker when he was struck. The man had remarked to a co-worker that they had to hurry due to the close storm clouds just before he was injured. The man was knocked down and felt numb for a few minutes. He was admitted to a local hospital for observations, but no permanent injuries were reported. The lightning bolt left no mark on his body, however a chain he was wearing that identifies his allergies was melted onto his skin.

The radar

The Lake Charles radar (KLCH), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:31 UTC.

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Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Acadia

When
January 12, 8:30 AM CST
Where
Acadia County, Rayne
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates
30.291, -92.412 (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 Louisiana in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, January 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5628977.