New Hampshire, 2006

Lightning Strike in New Hampshire, July 11, 2006

July 11, 2006 · NWS GYX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Lightning struck a home in Northwood and ignited a fire that heavily damaged the structure.

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.

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  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$200,000
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 GYX wrote it up.

Lightning struck a home in Northwood and ignited a fire that heavily damaged the structure.

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 Gray, ME wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 11, 1:43 AM EST, 6 hours 32 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 11, 1:43 AM EST, 6 hours 32 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 11, 4:57 AM EST, 3 hours 18 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
557 AM EDT TUE JUL 11 2006

ANZ150-MEZ007>009-012>014-018>028-NHZ001>010-013-014-121000-
STONINGTON ME TO MERRIMACK RIVER MA OUT TO 25 NM-NORTHERN OXFORD-
NORTHERN FRANKLIN-CENTRAL SOMERSET-SOUTHERN OXFORD-
SOUTHERN FRANKLIN-SOUTHERN SOMERSET-INTERIOR YORK-
INTERIOR CUMBERLAND-ANDROSCOGGIN-KENNEBEC-INTERIOR WALDO-
COASTAL YORK-COASTAL CUMBERLAND-SAGADAHOC-LINCOLN-KNOX-
COASTAL WALDO-NORTHERN COOS-SOUTHERN COOS-NORTHERN GRAFTON-
NORTHERN CARROLL-SOUTHERN GRAFTON-SOUTHERN CARROLL-SULLIVAN-
MERRIMACK-BELKNAP-STRAFFORD-INTERIOR ROCKINGHAM-
COASTAL ROCKINGHAM-
557 AM EDT TUE JUL 11 2006

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF WESTERN MAINE...
CENTRAL NEW HAMPSHIRE...NORTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE...SOUTHEASTERN NEW
HAMPSHIRE AND THE COASTAL WATERS FROM STONINGTON ME TO THE
MERRIMACK RIVER MA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT
A PERSISTENT AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS HELD TOGETHER AS THEY MOVED
THROUGH NEW YORK STATE OVERNIGHT...AND VERMONT AROUND DAYBREAK.
THESE WILL BE MOVING THROUGH OUR AREA TODAY. SOME COULD PRODUCE
STRONG GUSTY WINDS...HAIL AND HEAVY DOWNPOURS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY
LOW PRESSURE MOVING ACROSS SOUTHERN PORTIONS WILL BRING RAIN TO
THOSE AREAS LATE WEDNESDAY. THERE WILL ALSO BE SOME SCATTERED
THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE REST OF THE REGION. THE REST OF THE WEEK
LOOKS HAZY...WARM AND HUMID WITH AREAS OF AFTERNOON AND EVENING
THUNDERSTORMS AND PATCHY NIGHTTIME FOG.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...
PLEASE BE READY TO ASSIST IN SOLICITING THUNDERSTORM RELATED
DAMAGE REPORTS TODAY.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 11, 2:41 AM EST, 5 hours 34 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 11, 6:39 AM EST, 1 hour 36 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAY ME
739 AM EDT TUE JUL 11 2006

NHZ007>009-111230-
BELKNAP-MERRIMACK-SULLIVAN-
739 AM EDT TUE JUL 11 2006

...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT BELKNAP COUNTY...SULLIVAN COUNTY
AND MERRIMACK COUNTY THROUGH 830 AM EDT...

AT 739 AM EDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM CENTERED 13 MILES SOUTHWEST OF NEWBURY...OR ABOUT
12 MILES NORTHEAST OF BELLOWS FALLS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 40 MPH.
THIS STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL AFFECT AREAS IN AND AROUND SUTTON...
NEWBURY...BRADFORD...WILMOT...WARNER...CONTOOCOOK...ANDOVER...
WEBSTER...SALISBURY AND HILL THROUGH 830 AM EDT.

HAIL UP TO ONE HALF INCH IN DIAMETER...FREQUENT CLOUD-TO-GROUND
LIGHTNING AND GUSTY WINDS OF 45 TO 55 MPH ARE POSSIBLE.

MARINE

The radar

The Boston radar (KBOX), 115 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:15 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Rockingham

When
July 11, 8:15 AM EST
Where
Rockingham County, Northwood
Property damage
$200,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
42.985, -71.089 (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 New Hampshire in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in New Hampshire, July 2006

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5524910.