Louisiana, 2002

Lightning Strike in Louisiana, August 24, 2002

August 24, 2002 · NWS LCH · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A 60 year old man was struck by lightning. His wife began CPR and saved his life.

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
1
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 LCH wrote it up.

A 60 year old man was struck by lightning. His wife began CPR and saved his life.

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 Lake Charles, LA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 24, 1:30 PM CST, 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 24, 1:30 PM CST, 30 minutes before
SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA AND SOUTHEAST TEXAS FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LAKE CHARLES LA
230 PM CDT SAT AUG 24 2002

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHEAST TEXAS
AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA THIS AFTERNOON. MOST OF THE HEAVIER
ACTIVITY IS CONCENTRATED ACROSS THE COASTAL SECTIONS OF THE CWA.
EXPECT THESE SHOWERS TO DISSIPATE TONIGHT WITH THE LOSS OF DAYTIME
HEATING.

CONDITIONS ALOFT WILL CHANGE RAPIDLY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AS HIGH
PRESSURE TO THE WEST CONTINUES TO BUILD AND LOW PRESSURE OVER THE
UPPER-MISSISSIPPI VALLEY DEEPENS. THIS WILL PRODUCE A STEEP PRESSURE
GRADIENT ACROSS THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTRY RESULTING IN A STRONG
JET AXIS DIRECTED RIGHT TOWARD SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST
LOUISIANA. ENOUGH DIFLUENCE ALOFT WILL ALLOW FOR ANOTHER CHANCE FOR
AFTERNOON SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES IN THE
LOWER TO MIDDLE 90S ON SUNDAY.

THE UPPER-LEVEL LOW WILL CONTINUE TO DEEPEN SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY
ACROSS THE EASTERN UNITED STATES. A SURFACE FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS
SOUTHEAST TEXAS AND SOUTHWEST LOUISIANA ON MONDAY BEFORE WASHING OUT
AS IT APPROACHES THE COAST. INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS FRONT
MAY BRING A FEW SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA THROUGH
MONDAY NIGHT.

DRIER CONDITIONS WILL BE ON TAP FROM TUESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY AS HIGH
PRESSURE TO THE WEST AND NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT PROVIDE GENEROUS
AMOUNTS OF SUBSIDENCE. TEMPERATURES WILL RANGE FROM THE LOWER 70S TO
THE LOWER 90S EACH DAY.

.LCH...NONE.

.PRELIMINARY NUMBERS...
BPT 76/93/75/93/75/90/73  1313100
LCH 75/92/75/92/75/90/71  1313100
LFT 74/93/75/93/74/91/72  1313100
AEX 73/94/73/94/72/93/70  -313100

MAYEAUX

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, Lafayette

When
August 24, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Lafayette County, Youngsville
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
30.207, -92.064 (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

More

Every storm in Louisiana in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Louisiana, August 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: 5317315.