Lightning Strike in Maine, September 1, 2001

Name: Lightning Strike in Maine, September 1, 2001
Start: 2001-09-01T04:00
End: 2001-09-01T04:00
Location: Maine

September 1, 2001 · NWS GYX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning struck a large barn in the town of North Nobleboro and ignited a fire that destroyed the barn. The barn was 65 feet by 145 feet and housed equipment and tools.

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: 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.

Lightning struck a large barn in the town of North Nobleboro and ignited a fire that destroyed the barn. The barn was 65 feet by 145 feet and housed equipment and tools. Lost in the fire were a skidder, snow plows, snow plow equipment, numerous tools, engine and machinery parts, tires for farm equipment, and approximately 2500 board feet of milled lumber. Acetylene and propane tanks used for welding exploded during the fire.

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 Sep 1, 1:34 AM EST, 2 hours 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 1, 1:34 AM EST, 2 hours 26 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
234 AM EDT SAT SEP 1 2001

SOME MUCH NEEDED RAIN MOVING THRU NH AND WRN ME...

CDFRNT PUSHING E DRIVING BEST BATCH OF RAIN SEEN IN THESE PARTS FOR
SOME TIME. ALL MDLS SHWG FRNT PUSHING OFFSHR BY 12Z WITH BRISK NW
FLOW SETTING UP ACRSS THE RGN BY LT AM. EXPCT CLDS ASSOC WTH FRNT TO
QUICKLY MOVE OUT THS AM...BUT LINGERING LLVL RH SHLD KEEP MTNS MC.
DESPITE GOOD DWNSLP WIND...EXPCT A FAIR AMOUNT CU EVEN ACRSS SRN
NH/SW ME.

HI PRES OVR GRT LAKES GRDLY BLDS E TNGT AND SUN. SOME GRDNT LEFT OVR
THS EVNG BUT EXPCT MST AREAS TO QUCKLY DECOUPLE AFTR SS ALLOWING
TEMPS TO FREE FALL...REACHING MID TO UPPR 30S IN CLDR MTN VALLYS BY
SUN AM.

HI PRES CRESTS OVR THE RGN ON SUN. MDLS SGGSTG SOME DEGREE OF CLDNSS
ASSOC WTH WAA TO THE NW...BUT SHLD NOT HV MCH EFFECT ON AN OTHERWISE
PERFECT LATE SUMMER DAY. A TAD COOL FR THS TIME OF YEAR WTH MAX TEMPS
NOT TOPPING MCH MR THN 70 IN WARMEST LCTNS.

OFFSHR...MRP GDNC LOOKING RATHER LOW CNSDRG SYNTOPTC SITUATON. BUFKIT
SHWG 25 TO 30 KTS BTWN 1 AND 5 KFT AND SEE NO REASON WHY THIS SHLD
NOT MIX DWN. WILL GO WTH SCA.

.GYX...
ME...NIL.
NH...NIL.

EJS

The radar

The Portland,ME radar (KGYX), 60 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:58 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Lincoln

When: September 1, 4:00 AM EST
Where: Lincoln County, Nobleboro
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 43.998, -69.526 (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

Every storm in Maine in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Maine, September 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: 5267635.