Lightning, Salt Lake
- When
- May 24, 2:00 PM MST
- Where
- Salt Lake County, Midvale
- Deaths
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Injuries
- 6 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
- Coordinates
- 40.668, -111.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strikes in Utah, May 24, 2000
An 11-year-old girl was killed and six other children were injured when lightning struck them as they were getting out of Midvalley Elementary School in Midvale. The children were walking across the playground, heading for their bus when the lightning struck.
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
The toll
- Deaths
- 1
- Injuries
- 7
- 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 SLC wrote it up.
An 11-year-old girl was killed and six other children were injured when lightning struck them as they were getting out of Midvalley Elementary School in Midvale. The children were walking across the playground, heading for their bus when the lightning struck. The victim was still alive as she was transferred to the hospital, but died later from her injuries. One other child was hospitalized, but recovered. The other five children suffered minor injuries. Shortly afterwards, also in Midvale, a 36-year-old man was injured by lightning as he ran out to his car to roll up his windows. His injuries were not life-threatening.
The radar
The Salt Lake City radar (KMTX), 79 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:58 UTC.
Event by event
2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.
Lightning, Salt Lake
- When
- May 24, 2:05 PM MST
- Where
- Salt Lake County, Midvale
- Injuries
- 1 direct, 0 indirect
- Reported by
- FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
- Coordinates
- 40.668, -111.924 (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.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lightning, Salt Lake | 2000-05-24 | 11 | Female | School | Direct |
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
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Tennessee, May 24 to 25, 2000
- Damaging Winds in Tennessee, May 24 to 25, 2000
- Damaging Winds in Arkansas, May 24, 2000
- Damaging Winds in Missouri, May 24, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in New York, May 24, 2000
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Carolina, May 24, 2000
- Lightning Strike in Florida, May 24, 2000
- Damaging Wind in Missouri, May 24, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, May 24, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Maryland, May 24, 2000
- Hail and Damaging Winds in West Virginia, May 24, 2000
- Tornadoes and Hail in Oklahoma, May 24 to 25, 2000
More
Every storm in Utah in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Utah, May 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: 5178474, 5178475.