Lightning Strike in Guam, August 26, 2003

Name: Lightning Strike in Guam, August 26, 2003
Start: 2003-08-26T14:00
End: 2003-08-26T16:00
Location: Guam

August 26, 2003 · NWS GUA · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A thunderstorm brought heavy rain to Saipan on the 26th. The heavy rainfall flooded different areas of the island of Saipan during the late afternoon.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
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 GUA wrote it up.

Island heating combined with favorable upper-level winds generated thunderstorms across the island of Saipan.A thunderstorm brought heavy rain to Saipan on the 26th. The heavy rainfall flooded different areas of the island of Saipan during the late afternoon. Portions of As Teo and Chinatown were especially hit. At Capital Hill, Saipan 2.36 inches of rain was recorded during the afternoon. Shell Maraianas temporarily shut down gasoline sales on Saipan because of the lightning.

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 GUA wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 26, 4:15 AM SST, 9 hours 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 26, 4:15 AM SST, 9 hours 45 minutes before

AREA SYNOPTIC DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE TIYAN GU
1 AM GUAM LST WED AUG 27 2003

WESTERN NORTH PACIFIC BETWEEN EQUATOR AND 25N FROM 130E TO 180.

A MONSOON TROUGH EXTENDS FROM 10N130E EASTWARD TO 13N146E TO
12N152E. SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ASSOCIATED
WITH THIS TROUGH ARE LOCATED WEST OF PALAU BETWEEN 9N AND 15N FROM
130E TO 133E...AND EAST OF YAP BETWEEN 9N AND 13N FROM 141E TO 146E.

UPPER-LEVEL DIVERGENCE IS CREATING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE MARIANA ISLANDS WITHIN 150 MILES OF A LINE
FROM 22N139E TO 13N147E.

LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE SOUTHWEST OF CHUUK IS GENERATING SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS BETWEEN THE EQUATOR AND 3N FROM
145E TO 151E.

A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE EXTENDS FROM 12N152E NORTHWARD TO 25N156E.
LOW-LEVEL CONVERGENCE EAST OF THE TROUGH IS PRODUCING SCATTERED
SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS NORTH OF POHNPEI WITHIN 150 MILES
OF A LINE FROM 19N155E TO 10N159E...BETWEEN 23N AND 25N FROM 155E TO
158E...AND SOUTH OF WAKE ISLAND BETWEEN 13N AND 19N FROM 164E TO
168E.

AN UPPER-LEVEL LOW CENTERED NEAR 24N172E IS CREATING SCATTERED
SHOWERS BETWEEN 21N AND 25N FROM 171E TO 177E.

TRADE-WIND CONVERGENCE IS GENERATING SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS IN THE MARSHALL ISLANDS BETWEEN 7N AND 10N FROM 167E
TO 180...AND BETWEEN 4N AND 6N FROM 174E TO 180.

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Saipan

When: August 26, 2:00 PM SST to 4:00 PM SST
Where: Saipan County, Countywide
Reported by: NEWSPAPER

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 Guam in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Guam, August 2003

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: 5338229.