Lightning Strikes in Oregon, July 22, 2002

Name: Lightning Strikes in Oregon, July 22, 2002
Start: 2002-07-22T06:35
End: 2002-07-22T17:30
Location: Oregon

July 22, 2002 · NWS MFR · 7 events in 7 counties and zones

A Red Flag Warning for dry lightning was issued for fire weather zones 616/617/619/620/621/622/623/624/625 at 0635 PDT on 07/22/02and expired at 1730 PDT on 07/22/02. mostly east of the Cascades.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 7 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: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 7

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 MFR wrote it up.

A Red Flag Warning for dry lightning was issued for fire weather zones 616/617/619/620/621/622/623/624/625 at 0635 PDT on 07/22/02and expired at 1730 PDT on 07/22/02. These zones include all or part of the counties listed above.Numerous thunderstorms did develop this day...mostly east of the Cascades. Some of the initial strikes may have been dry...but the thunderstorms this day were wet for the most part. Some fire starts did occur anyway.

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 Medford, OR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 22, 1:30 AM PST, 5 hours 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 22, 1:30 AM PST, 5 hours 5 minutes before

SOUTHWEST OREGON/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MEDFORD OR
230 AM PDT MON JUL 22 2002

LATEST RUNS REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH THE LAST SEVERAL PACKAGES WITH
THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT OVER MOST OF THE CWA. CAPES REMAIN PROJECTED
TO BE HIGH THIS AFTERNOON...WITH REMAINS OF YESTERDAYS CONVECTION
SWEEPING INTO THE SOUTHERN EDGES OF FORECAST AREA INTO SISKIYOU AND
MODOC COUNTY...BUT WITH LITTLE LIGHTNING ACCOMPANYING. THESE HIGH
CAPES...ACCOMPANIED BY GOOD DYNAMICS AS SW SWEEPS IN WITH AREA IN
LEFT FRONT OF JET SHOULD BRING SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS FROM THE
COASTAL RANGES ACROSS TO CENTRAL OREGON. TOMORROW H5 LOW IS AMKING A
MORE LEASURELY TREK UP THE COAST THAN PREVOIUS RUNS HAD INDICATED AND
AREA REMAINS IN SW BL FLOW BEFORE H5 LOW FILLS AND MOVES ACROSS. THIS
WILL RESULT IN YET ANOTHER DAY OF INSTABILITY AND A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS AGAIN ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY NIGHT.
SVEN

.MFR...NONE

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Coos

When: July 22, 6:35 AM PST to 5:30 PM PST
Where: Coos County, Countywide
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 43.185, -124.093 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Lightning, Curry

When: July 22, 6:35 AM PST to 5:30 PM PST
Where: Curry County, Countywide
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 42.467, -124.215 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below

Lightning, Douglas

When: July 22, 6:35 AM PST to 5:30 PM PST
Where: Douglas County, Countywide
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 43.285, -123.179 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Lightning, Josephine

When: July 22, 6:35 AM PST to 5:30 PM PST
Where: Josephine County, Countywide
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 42.366, -123.556 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Lightning, Jackson

When: July 22, 6:35 AM PST to 5:30 PM PST
Where: Jackson County, Countywide
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 42.432, -122.728 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Lightning, Klamath

When: July 22, 6:35 AM PST to 5:30 PM PST
Where: Klamath County, Countywide
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 42.686, -121.650 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

Lightning, Lake

When: July 22, 6:35 AM PST to 5:30 PM PST
Where: Lake County, Countywide
Reported by: OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
Coordinates: 42.793, -120.387 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

See below.

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 Oregon in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Oregon, July 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: 5304232, 5304233, 5304234, 5304235, 5304236, 5304237, 5304238.