Lightning Strike in Puerto Rico, August 31, 1999

Name: Lightning Strike in Puerto Rico, August 31, 1999
Start: 1999-08-31T14:10
End: 1999-08-31T14:15
Location: Puerto Rico

August 31, 1999 · NWS SJU · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lighting struck a 16-year old while he was at the beach causing severe burns in his abdominal area. Another person nearby suffered mild burns.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 2
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 SJU wrote it up.

Lighting struck a 16-year old while he was at the beach causing severe burns in his abdominal area. Another person nearby suffered mild burns.

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Mayaguez

When: August 31, 2:10 PM AST to 2:15 PM AST
Where: Mayaguez County, Rincon
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

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

Every storm in Puerto Rico in 1999 Every state in 1999 This day in weather history Warnings in Puerto Rico, August 1999

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: 5719307.