Lightning, Franklin
- When
- July 18, 2:40 PM EST
- Where
- Franklin County, Rangeley
- Injuries
- 5 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 44.974, -70.444 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in Maine, July 18, 2000
Eight people were reportedly struck by lightning at a campsite on the shores of Mooselookmeguntic Lake during a thunderstorm. The eight were near or huddled on a large rock near a tall tree when lightning struck the tree as the storm was winding down.
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
- 5
- 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.
Eight people were reportedly struck by lightning at a campsite on the shores of Mooselookmeguntic Lake during a thunderstorm. The eight were near or huddled on a large rock near a tall tree when lightning struck the tree as the storm was winding down. The victims were reported to have been crouched down when the lightning struck the tree which was between 5 and 10 feet away. Five of the people were reported to have suffered burns and were taken to nearby hospitals.
The radar
The Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 121 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:41 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
- Heat in Louisiana, July 18, 2000
- Heat in Mississippi, July 18, 2000
- Heat in Mississippi, July 18, 2000
- Lightning Strike in Louisiana, July 18, 2000
- Heat in Texas, July 18, 2000
- Flood and Heavy Rain in Nebraska, July 18 to 19, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Idaho, July 18, 2000
- Tornado in Missouri, July 18, 2000
- Flood in Illinois, July 18, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, July 18, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Vermont, July 18, 2000
- Lightning Strike in Maine, July 18, 2000
More
Every storm in Maine in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, July 2000
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: 5173386.