New Jersey, 1998

Lightning Strikes in New Jersey, June 20, 1998

June 20, 1998 · NWS OKX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

At Newark Airport, 2 officers were injured when lightning hit the Port Authority Car they were in. At Scotch Plains, lightning struck 2 houses.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
2
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 OKX wrote it up.

As thunderstorms moved over the area, they produced frequent lightning, small hail, and heavy rain.At Newark Airport, 2 officers were injured when lightning hit the Port Authority Car they were in. Both officers suffered hearing losses.At Scotch Plains, lightning struck 2 houses. One house sustained fire damage.

The radar

The Philadelphia radar (KDIX), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:03 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Essex

When
June 20, 6:05 PM EST
Where
Essex County, Newark Arpt
Injuries
2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.787, -74.247 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, Union

When
June 20, 6:29 PM EST
Where
Union County, Scotch Plains
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
40.660, -74.309 (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 New Jersey in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in New Jersey, June 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: 5658754, 5658755.