Nebraska, 1998

Lightning Strike in Nebraska, July 21, 1998

July 21, 1998 · NWS GID · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A Hastings, NE man who died while working on a road construction project was killed by a lightning strike. He was operating an asphalt roller at the time of the strike.

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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  • Wind
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  • Cold
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  • Marine and coastal
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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 GID wrote it up.

A Hastings, NE man who died while working on a road construction project was killed by a lightning strike. He was operating an asphalt roller at the time of the strike. He was taken to a Hastings hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

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, Webster

When
July 21, 6:10 PM CST
Where
Webster County, 6 mi S of Blue Hill
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
40.176, -98.500 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Lightning, Webster1998-07-2142MaleHeavy Equipment/ConstructionDirect

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 Nebraska in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Nebraska, 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: 5653873.