Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, July 15, 2001

Name: Lightning Strike in Rhode Island, July 15, 2001
Start: 2001-07-15T19:45
End: 2001-07-15T19:45
Location: Rhode Island

July 15, 2001 · NWS BOX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning struck a family of four in Burrillville, as they took refuge in their trailer during a thunderstorm. They were treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and later released.

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: 4
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 BOX wrote it up.

Lightning struck a family of four in Burrillville, as they took refuge in their trailer during a thunderstorm. They were treated at a local hospital for minor injuries and later released.

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 Boston/Norton, MA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 15, 2:10 PM EST, 5 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 2:10 PM EST, 5 hours 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TAUNTON MA
310 PM EDT SUN JUL 15 2001

PATTERN REMAINS THE SAME WITH PLAINS RIDGE AND TROFS ALONG BOTH
COASTS.  MODELS AGREE ON BASIC SCENARIO OF MAINTAINING MARITIME LOW
PRES WITH SHORTWVS ROTATING THRU THE FLOW.  MODELS DIVERGE ON LATER
PERIODS WITH AVN MORE CONSISTANT WITH PAST RUNS THAN THE ETA AND SO
PREFERRED...BUT NOT COMFORTABLY.

THIS EVENING...RADAR PICKING UP A FEW SCT SHOWERS ACROSS NH AND
NRN/WRN MASS.  THESE ARE DIURNAL AND WILL FADE AFTER SUNSET.  WL
INCLUDE SCT EVE SHOWER THEN MO CLR OVERNIGHT.

MONDAY...NEXT S/W AROUND UPPER LOW IS STILL WELL UP IN CANADA SO NW
FLOW EXPECTED THRU THE DAY.  THUS INCRS IN MOISTURE WILL BE SLOWER
THAN DEPICTED BY ETA WITH MORE INCRS FEEDING INTO WRN CT/NYC AREA
MON AFTN.  WL FCST MO SUNNY WITH A B1 FCST IN THE 3-6 PM PERIOD.
CLOUDS THEN MOVE OVER THE REGION MONDAY NIGHT. ETA BRINGS OMEGA
BULLSEYE ACRS NRN ZONES LATE MON...AVN BRINGS IT ACROSS CT/RI/SE
MASS.  WL GO WITH BEST POPS IN OUR SRN ZONES AND LESSER CHC POPS IN
THE NORTH.

TUESDAY...BOUNDARY SETS UP ALONG OUR SRN COAST TUES WITH AVN
HOLDING MOISTURE ACRS SRN ZONES AND DRYING LAYERS ABV H700 IN THE
NORTH.  WL GO WITH PTLY CLOUDY NORTH AND MO CLDY SOUTH.  PROX OF
FRONTAL CONVERGENCE AND AVBL MOISTURE SUGGESTS POTL FOR SHOWERS.  WL
GO WITH CHC LATE IN SRN ZONES.

EXTENDED...BOUNDARY LINGERS TO OUR SOUTH WED WITH AVN BRINGING A
COUPLE OF OMEGA BULLSEYES ALONG IT TUE NIGHT/WED.  UPPER LOW THEN
DIGS SOUTH OVER SRN NEW ENGLAND THU/FRI.  AVN CATCHES THIS AND
BRINGS COASTAL LOW TO NEAR CAPE COD FRI.  WL HIT CHC SHOWERS TUE
NIGHT/WED AND AGAIN ON THU/FRI.

MARINE...LIGHT FLOW COkNTINUES THROUGH MIDWEEK.  NO HEADLINES.

COORD...THANX OKX.

.BOX...NONE.

WTB/NS

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 38 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:46 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Providence

When: July 15, 7:45 PM EST
Where: Providence County, Burrillville
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.871, -71.579 (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 Rhode Island in 2001 Every state in 2001 This day in weather history Warnings in Rhode Island, 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: 5258430.