Lightning Strike in Guam, June 19, 2001

Name: Lightning Strike in Guam, June 19, 2001
Start: 2001-06-19T08:15
End: 2001-06-19T08:40
Location: Guam

June 19, 2001 · NWS GUA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A Japanese military plane was struck by lightning during training exercises. At about 0820 the E-767 Boeing airborne controllingaircraft was hit by lightning.

The toll

Deaths: 0
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 GUA wrote it up.

A Japanese military plane was struck by lightning during training exercises. At about 0820 the E-767 Boeing airborne controllingaircraft was hit by lightning. The plane was in the sky for less than an hour before being struck. About 20 U.S. and Japaneseservice members were on board when the incident occurred. The plane and its crew were taking part in Cope North Guam, atraining exercise involving the U.S. Air Force and Japanese Air Self Defense Force troops.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS GUA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 19, 4:51 AM SST, 3 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 19, 4:51 AM SST, 3 hours 24 minutes before

AREA SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TIYAN GU
1 AM GUAM LST WED JUN 20 2001

WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC BETWEEN EQUATOR AND 25N FROM 130E TO 180.

...CORRECTION TO DAY AND DATE...

THE MONSOON TROUGH STRETCHED FROM 12N130E TO A WEAK CIRCULATION
NEAR 9N135E. AN UPPER LEVEL LOW IS CENTERED NEAR 13N130E.
SURFACE WIND FLOW CONVERGENCE ASSOCIATED WITH THE CIRCULATION
AND THE MONSOON TROUGH..COMBINED WITH FAVORABLE UPPER LEVEL
WINDS BEING GENERATED BY THE UPPER LOW IS PRODUCING A LARGE
AREA OF SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM. THIS AREA IS BETWEEN
THE EQUATOR AND 15N AND FROM 130E TO 144E.

A SECOND UPPER LEVEL LOW IS LOCATED NEAR 13N167E.

FAVORABLE UPPER LEVEL WINDS ARE ENHANCING SHOWER ACTIVITY NEAR
POHNPEI RESULTING IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS
BETWEEN 6N AND 13N AND FROM 151E TO 160E.

SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE WITHIN AN AREA
BOUNDED BY 16N153E TO 20N153E TO 26N170E TO 26N180 BACK TO
16N153E.

AN AREA OF SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS IS
CROSSING THE DATELINE INTO THE SOUTHERN MARSHALL ISLANDS. THESE
SHOWERS ARE LOCATED WITHIN A TRIANGULAR AREA BOUNDED BY A LINE FROM
3N180 TO 9N173E TO 9N180 BACK TO 3N180.

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Guam

When: June 19, 8:15 AM SST to 8:40 AM SST
Where: Guam County, Andersen Afb
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 Guam in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Guam, June 2001

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: 5255673.