Lightning in Connecticut

Events

171

Deaths

4

Injuries

78

Damage

$2.5 million

• Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, June 8, 20081 death · 4 injured · $61,000 · 70 kt wind · 14 eventsNumerous severe thunderstorms developed as a weak upper level trough interacted with a hot and humid airmass across the region. Strong downburst winds were characteristic of many of the storms.
• Lightning Strikes and Strong Wind in Connecticut, May 8, 20101 death · 2 injured · $104,000 · 3 eventsAn area of low pressure moved to the north dragging a cold front through on May 8th 2010. The pressure gradient tightened considerably behind this front as the low moved to the northeast of the area. A fatal lightning strike also occurred with the system.
• Hail and Lightning Strike in Connecticut, May 10, 20001 death · 0.88 in hail · 4 eventsAs a line of severe thunderstorms moved north, it produced nickel-size hail in New London and penny-size hail in Middletown.These and other thunderstorms were accompanied by frequent and intense lightning strikes that resulted in significant power outages.
• Lightning Strike in Connecticut, June 19, 19971 death · 1 eventA boy was struck by lightning while celebrating the last day of school with four friends in a shed by Beachdale Pond. He was changing a CD in a disc player when lightning struck an electrical socket or skipped off the nearby pond.
• Tornado and Hail in Connecticut, June 26, 2009$1.8 million · EF1 · 24 eventsA cold front moved across Southern New England providing lift for showers and thunderstorms to develop across the area. Strong instability across the state of Connecticut as well as deep layer shear resulted in many of these storms to become severe.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, June 9, 20111 injured · $263,000 · 70 kt wind · 31 eventsA pre-frontal trough and an approaching cold front caused a bout of widespread severe weather across most of Southern Connecticut.
• Lightning Strike in Connecticut, September 9, 200012 injured · $5,000 · 1 eventLightning struck a utility pole at a fair in South Windsor, then traveled through the fairgrounds' electrical system, injuring twelve people.
• Lightning Strike in Connecticut, April 21, 2015$1.0 million · 1 eventA line of showers and embedded thunderstorms moved across northwestern Connecticut during the early morning hours of Tuesday, April 21st. Although the thunderstorms weren't considered severe, cloud to ground lightning struck a home built in the 1800s in the town of Cornwall.
• Lightning Strike in Connecticut, June 25, 201211 injured · 1 eventA passing cold front triggered a thunderstorm causing a lightning strike in New London County.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, July 21, 20101 injured · $215,000 · 1.75 in hail · 17 eventsA stationary front, coupled with an approaching upper level trough caused severe thunderstorms, including isolated supercells, across Southern Connecticut. One supercell was responsible for a microburst in Middlesex County.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, August 1, 20111 injured · $117,000 · 1 in hail · 22 eventsA passing cold front and mid level shortwave combined to produce severe thunderstorms across Southwest Connecticut, with several reports of large hail and wind damage.
• Flooding and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, August 11, 20161 injured · $136,000 · 50 kt wind · 14 eventsA few afternoon showers and thunderstorms developed in the deep moisture across northern Connecticut. Several of these storms produced wind damage, flooding, and numerous lightning strikes.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, June 22, 20243 injured · $56,000 · 1.75 in hail · 15 eventsThunderstorms fired up along a slow moving frontal boundary in an environment with 2000+ J/kg of SBCAPE and weak shear. Some storms became strong to severe and produced damaging wind gusts and large hail over southern CT.
• Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, August 12, 2016$230,000 · 50 kt wind · 8 eventsA mid level disturbance and an approaching cold front resulted in showers and thunderstorms developing over much of southern New England. Like the storms the previous day, frequent lightning accompanied these storms. In addition, wind damage and flooding occurred.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, July 27, 2014$155,000 · 1 in hail · 12 eventsAn upper level disturbance moving out of the Great Lakes initiated showers and thunderstorms over New York and New England. Enough instability was present in the region for some of these storms to become severe, producing strong to damaging winds and at least one funnel cloud.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, August 7, 2008$103,000 · 1 in hail · 18 eventsA strong upper level disturbance, coupled with a passing trough of low pressure at the surface, produced several severe thunderstorms across Southwestern Connecticut, including a microburst near Stratford in Fairfield County.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Connecticut, July 16, 2010$155,000 · 50 kt wind · 3 eventsA cold front brought showers and thunderstorms in southern New England. Some of the storms became severe and produced damaging winds. One report of large hail was received from north central Massachusetts.
• Flash Flood and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, July 27, 2005$110,000 · 50 kt wind · 7 eventsA hot and humid airmass combined with an approaching cold front sparked strong to severe thunderstorms across southern New Hampshire during the late afternoon and early evening hours of 27 July.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Connecticut, July 19, 2010$113,000 · 61 kt wind · 5 eventsA potent cold front crossing the Tri-State spawned multiple severe thunderstorms across southern Connecticut.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Connecticut, May 19, 2015$105,000 · 50 kt wind · 6 eventsAhead of an approaching cold front, a warm and humid air mass was in place over northwestern Connecticut on Tuesday, May 19th.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in Connecticut, August 13, 2016$96,000 · 50 kt wind · 7 eventsHeat, humidity, and a back door cold front all contributed to the development of showers and thunderstorms across southern New England. These storms resulted in damaging winds and localized flooding.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, June 11, 20001 injured · $75,000 · 0.75 in hail · 4 eventsA strong back door cold front dropped southwest from Massachusetts, across Litchfield County on June 11. The air mass ahead of this boundary was hot, humid and unstable.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Connecticut, May 24, 20093 injured · $22,000 · 52 kt wind · 14 eventsA cold front triggered scattered afternoon and early evening severe thunderstorms across southern Connecticut. In addition to the afternoon storms, three people were struck by lightning while camping in early morning convection.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Connecticut, August 25 to 26, 1998$90,000 · 55 kt wind · 5 eventsAs an area of thunderstorms moved east to northeast across the region, they produced high winds, frequent lightning, and heavy rain.High winds downed trees that caused power lines to fall in front of Newtown High School.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in Connecticut, July 1, 2009$70,000 · 0.75 in hail · 10 eventsAn occluded front coupled with shortwave energy moving through associated with a vigorous upper low over the Great Lakes, combined to produce an isolated severe thunderstorm over New London County, CT. Training of cells also caused severe flash flooding.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in Connecticut

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.