Lightning Strike in Ohio, April 11, 2001

Name: Lightning Strike in Ohio, April 11, 2001
Start: 2001-04-11T01:45
End: 2001-04-11T01:45
Location: Ohio

April 11, 2001 · NWS RLX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning sparked a fire that destroyed a one story residence along New England Road. The residents were not at home that night.

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.

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Wind
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Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $40,000
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 RLX wrote it up.

Lightning sparked a fire that destroyed a one story residence along New England Road. The residents were not at home that night.

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 Charleston, WV wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 10, 12:55 PM EST, 12 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 10, 12:55 PM EST, 12 hours 50 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CHARLESTON WV
155 PM EDT TUE APR 10 2001

INDIANA SHORT STILL PROGGED TO ROLL ACROSS FORECAST AREA THIS
EVENING.  ANALYZED WEAK LOW ON INTERSECTING BOUNDARIES VICINITY CELL
SOUTHERN INDIANA.  EAST WEST BOUNDARY EXTENDS INTO SOUTHERN WV.  IT
IS A WEAK BOUNDARY THAT APPEARS TO HAVE FORMED TODAY AS PEGGED BY 6Z
MESO-ETA.  WITH HIGHER DEW POINTS ARE ALONG AND SOUTH OF THIS
BOUNDARY...FIGURE ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE PROPAGATING ALONG BOUNDARY
AND POSSIBLY EVEN LEAN A LITTLE ESE...AND THUS HEAVIEST QPF WILL
AFFECT SOUTHERN PORTIONS OF FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING.  THUS
LEANING AWAY FROM IDEA OF ISSUING FFA FOR PRIMED AREAS OF SOUTHEAST
OHIO.

WILL MAINTAIN LIKELY POPS TONIGHT WITH BEST CHANCE FOR ANY SVR SOUTH
THIS EVENING.  LOOKS LIKE ACTIVITY SHOULD WIND DOWN LATE TONIGHT AS
SHORT WAVE ROLLS ON THROUGH...ALTHOUGH NGM SUGGEST SECOND WEAK SHORT
AND INSTABILITY AXIS SETTING UP NORTHWEST SOUTHEAST COULD PROLONG OR
RE-INSTIGATE ACTIVITY.

WEDNESDAY WILL SEE A NORTHWARD SURGE OF THE WARM AIR AND ANY
ACTIVITY SHOULD BE MAINLY OF THE DIURNAL VARIETY WITH PLENTY OF
INSTABILITY PRESENT.  POTPOURRI OF CLOUDS AROUND IN THE MORNING
COULD ALSO GIVE RISE TO VARIOUS BOUNDARIES FOR STORMS TO FOCUS ON.

AVN NOW FASTER ON PUSHING FRONT THROUGH...WITH TIMING PUSHED UP TO
EARLY FRIDAY.  AT ANY RATE...FRONT SHOULD BE NEARBY
THURSDAY...WARRANTING AT LEAST HIGH CHANCE POPS.  SHORT PUSHING
FRONT BACK NORTH THROUGH FORECAST AREA LATER SATURDAY SHOWN BY
EUROPEAN MODELS TRACKS WELL SOUTH OF AREA ON AVIATION.  WILL
PROBABLY STICK CLOSE TO CURRENT PACKAGE...WHICH HAS THUNDERSTORMS
THROUGH FRIDAY AND POPS THROUGH SATURDAY...FOLLOWED BY
DRIER...COOLER WEATHER.

NUMBERS GENERALLY BALLPARK...LIKE FWC A LITTLE BETTER IN THE EARLIER
PERIODS...THEN LEAN TOWARD AVN.  POPS CURIOUSLY LOW THURSDAY WITH
FRONT IN VICINITY.  LESS INSTABILITY INDICATED PER CLOUDINESS AND
LESS INFLOW.

.RLX...
WV...NONE.
VA...NONE.
KY...NONE.
OH...NONE.

.END/TRM

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Athens

When: April 11, 1:45 AM EST
Where: Athens County, 2 mi W of Stewart
Property damage: $40,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 39.334, -82.045 (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 Ohio in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Ohio, April 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: 5239450.