Lightning Strikes in Connecticut, June 6, 2002

Name: Lightning Strikes in Connecticut, June 6, 2002
Start: 2002-06-06T01:00
End: 2002-06-06T01:43
Location: Connecticut

June 6, 2002 · NWS OKX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Nine volunteer fire departments from surrounding towns and Rhode Island responded to and took shifts fighting the fire in Sterling Industrial Park because of intense heat and dust. The Bean Hill Condominium fire resulted in an evacuation of all six units in the building.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $10,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

Thunderstorms produced lightning that ignited fires and damaged the Exeter Energy Plant in the Sterling Industrial Park at 2:43am EDT and a 6 unit building in the Bean Hill Condominiums at 213 West Town Street at 2:00am EDT.Nine volunteer fire departments from surrounding towns and Rhode Island responded to and took shifts fighting the fire in Sterling Industrial Park because of intense heat and dust. The Bean Hill Condominium fire resulted in an evacuation of all six units in the building. The Yantic fire chief said that the fire caused moderate damage to the exterior wall of unit 22D.

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 Jun 5, 8:25 PM EST, 4 hours 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 5, 8:25 PM EST, 4 hours 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE NEW YORK NY
925 PM EDT WED JUN 5 2002

WE UPDATED THE ZONES...MAINLY TO CLEAN UP THE WORDING. WITH THE
EXCEPTION OF A FEW STRONGER CELLS TO OUR IMMEDIATE WEST...THE
INTENSITY OF THE CELLS ALONG THE COLD FRONT IN PA AND SRN NY ARE
WEAKENING. WILL FCST RW/TRW LIKELY FOR THE OVERNIGHT PD. NO CHANGES
TO OTHER PDS.

MARINE...SCA RMNS UP. WINDS SHOULD WEAKEN LATE TNGT AS THE SFC PRES
GRAD LOOSENS.

.OKX...
CT...NONE.
NJ...NONE.
NY...NONE.
MARINE...SCA ALL WATERS...ANZ350-353-355-330-335-338.

EKH

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, New London

When: June 6, 1:00 AM EST
Where: New London County, Norwich
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.504, -72.101 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning, New London

When: June 6, 1:43 AM EST
Where: New London County, Norwich
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: NEWSPAPER
Coordinates: 41.504, -72.101 (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 Connecticut in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Connecticut, June 2002

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: 5309738, 5309737.