Maine, 2001

Lightning Strike in Maine, July 10, 2001

July 10, 2001 · NWS GYX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning struck a home in Alfred and ignited a fire that caused an estimated $30,000 in damage.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$30,000
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.

Lightning struck a home in Alfred and ignited a fire that caused an estimated $30,000 in damage.

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 Gray, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 10, 12:56 PM EST, 4 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 10, 12:56 PM EST, 4 hours 7 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
156 PM EDT TUE JUL 10 2001

UPPER LOW FROM HUDSON BAY TO MOVE SE ALG WITH SERIES OF SHT WVS OVR
NEXT FEW DAYS.  LOOKS LIKE IT MAY FINALLY MOVE E AND BE OUT OF THE
WX PICTURE FOR THE WKEND.

WILL FOLLOW TREND OF PREV FCST KEEPING CHCY PCPN IN FCST FOR
AFTN/EVNG PDS INTO THU AND FOR NRN/MTNS SCTNS ON FRI AS WELL.  SVR
TSTM WATCH TIL 7PM FOR MUCH OF AREA SO WILL HAVE TSTMS IN ZNS FOR
FIRST HALF OF TNGT.  THEN FOG WILL LIKELY FORM IN INTERIOR PTNS AND
SEA FOG KEEPING ITS PRESENCE KNOWN ALG CST.  THEN PROCESS STARTS OVR
AGAIN TMRW.

MARINE...NO CHGS.

.GYX...
ME...NONE.
NH...NONE.

JFR

}

The radar

The Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 61 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:04 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, York

When
July 10, 5:03 PM EST
Where
York County, Alfred
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
43.429, -70.670 (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 Maine in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Maine, July 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: 5262493.