Lightning, Suffolk
- When
- May 25, 3:16 AM EST to 4:25 AM EST
- Where
- Suffolk County, Riverhead
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 40.941, -72.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Lightning Strike in New York, May 25, 2001
During the early morning of Friday, May 25th, a cluster of thunderstorms moved northeast across sections of eastern Suffolk County on Long Island. Frequent cloud to ground lightning accompanied these thunderstorms, which triggered fires that damaged at least two homes in Riverhead.
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
- 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 OKX wrote it up.
During the early morning of Friday, May 25th, a cluster of thunderstorms moved northeast across sections of eastern Suffolk County on Long Island. Frequent cloud to ground lightning accompanied these thunderstorms, which triggered fires that damaged at least two homes in Riverhead. One home, located on Mill Road, was struck at approximately 4:16 AM EDT. This triggered a fire, which did moderate damage to the home's interior walls and windows. The home's electrical system was severely damaged. The second home was a condominium, and was struck at approximately 5:25 am EDT. This triggered a fire which destroyed the roof on the condo in the Saddle Lakes development on Middle Road. No one was injured, as the condo was unoccupied at the time the fire occurred. An adjacent condominium suffered only minor 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 New York, NY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 25, 2:27 AM EST, 49 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, May 25, 2:27 AM EST, 49 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY 327 AM EDT FRI MAY 25 2001 SHWRS AND IMBEDDED TSTMS CONT TO DEVELOP SOUTH OF ONG ISLAND AND MOVG ACROSS LI AND INTO SOUTHERN CT. WL CONT WITH THE CHC OF SHOWERS THROUGH THE MORNING. SOME DRIER AIR MAY MOVE INTO THE AREA WITH RIDGE HOLDING OVR NEW ENG AND COULD SEE SOME BREAKS IN THE CLDS THIS AFTN. WL BE LESS OPTOMISTIC THAN PREVIUOUS FORECAST AND MENTION MOSTLY CLDY. WL ALSO KP A CHC OF SHRWS THRU AFTN ACRS LI AND CT. THE HI OVR NEW ENG WEAKENS TONIGHT AND MOISTURE RETURNS TO THE AREA. WL GO WITH LIKELY POPS LATE TONIGHT AND CAT FOR SAT. WL DESTABILIZE SAT AND WL ALSO MENTION CHC TSTM SAT AND SAT NIGHT. PLENTY OF MOISTURE SAT AND SAT NIGHT WITH SOME HVY PCPN POSSIBLE. WITH LIMITED HEATING AND PCPN WL LEAN TOWARD SLIGHTLY COOLER AVN NUMBERS. MARINE: SEAS AT BUOY 44025 STILL NR 5 FT AND WL CONT WITH THE SCA FOR SEAS JUST ON THE COASTAL WATERS. GRADIENT REMAINS ABOUT THE SAME THROUGH THE PD WITH EASTERLY FETCH AND WL KP SEAS 3 TO 5 THRU THE PD. COORDINATED WITH BOX. .OKX... CT...NONE. NJ...NONE. NY...NONE. MARINE...SCA FOR SEAS CSTL WTRS ONLY...ANZ350-353-355.
The radar
The Brookhaven radar (KOKX), 17 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:13 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
- Tornadoes and Damaging Wind in Maryland, May 25, 2001
- Hail in Florida, May 25, 2001
- Damaging Wind in Texas, May 25, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Michigan, May 25, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Virginia, May 25, 2001
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, May 25, 2001
- Hail in Ohio, May 25, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Florida, May 25, 2001
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, May 25 to 26, 2001
- Dense Fog in Wisconsin, May 25 to 26, 2001
- Hail in South Carolina, May 25, 2001
- Hail and Damaging Wind in North Carolina, May 25, 2001
More
Every storm in New York in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in New York, May 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: 5244699.