Maine, 1998

Lightning Strike in Maine, July 1, 1998

July 1, 1998 · NWS GYX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning struck the Buxton police, fire, and rescue dispatch center and destroyed computers, radio equipment, and phones. Less than 200 yards away, the lightning struck the town's transfer station and salt and sand shed, causing an electrical fire in both buildings.

Where it happened

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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 GYX wrote it up.

Lightning struck the Buxton police, fire, and rescue dispatch center and destroyed computers, radio equipment, and phones. Less than 200 yards away, the lightning struck the town's transfer station and salt and sand shed, causing an electrical fire in both buildings.

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, York

When
July 1, 2:30 PM EST
Where
York County, Buxton
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.429, -70.670 (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 Maine in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, 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: 5675926.