Lightning, Franklin
- When
- March 30, 8:15 PM EST
- Where
- Franklin County, Farmington
- Property damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in Maine, March 30, 1998
A large warehouse near Farmington was heavily damaged when it was struck by lightning and caught fire. Lightning also damaged and set fire to power company equipment and caused many homes in and near the Chesterfield/New Sharon area to lose power for the night.
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
- $100,000
- 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 GYX wrote it up.
A large warehouse near Farmington was heavily damaged when it was struck by lightning and caught fire. Lightning also damaged and set fire to power company equipment and caused many homes in and near the Chesterfield/New Sharon area to lose power for the night.
The radar
The Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:16 UTC.
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
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Maine, March 30 to 31, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Iowa, March 30, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Arkansas, March 30, 1998
- Tornado and Hail in Oklahoma, March 30, 1998
- Flooding in Iowa, March 30 to 31, 1998
- Flooding in New York, March 30 to 31, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, March 30, 1998
- Damaging Winds in Texas, March 30, 1998
- Winter Storm in Nebraska, March 30 to 31, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Texas, March 30, 1998
- Flooding and Hail in Wisconsin, March 30 to 31, 1998
- Blizzard in Alaska, March 30 to 31, 1998
More
Every storm in Maine in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, March 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: 5655522.