Lightning in Massachusetts

Events

501

Deaths

8

Injuries

165

Damage

$26 million

• Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, September 6, 20142 deaths · 2 injured · $507,000 · 85 kt wind · 37 eventsAn approaching cold front provided enough lift in a rather unstable environment to produce showers and thunderstorms across southern New England. Many of these storms produced strong to damaging winds.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Massachusetts, May 31, 19982 deaths · 1 injured · $57,000 · 61 kt wind · 9 eventsA severe thunderstorm moving through northern Worcester County resulted in the deaths of two men in their twenties in Winchendon.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Massachusetts, July 28, 20146 injured · $4.3 million · EF2 · 14 eventsAn upper level low developed in the eastern Great Lakes, providing enough lift and energy for showers and thunderstorms to develop across southern New England.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, June 22, 19971 death · 3 injured · $102,000 · 90 kt wind · 12 eventsSevere thunderstorms moved southeastward through the southern portion of the Greater Boston area and parts of Plymouth and Bristol Counties, resulting in one death and three injuries.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Massachusetts, July 3, 19972 injured · $3.1 million · F2 · 6 eventsOn July 3, a fast moving cold front crossed Berkshire County during the afternoon and evening hours. The front initiated four tornadoes. The Richmond F1 tornado is a continuation of the F2 tornado which occurred in Columbia County.
• Tornado and Flooding in Massachusetts, July 11, 2006$1.2 million · F2 · 29 eventsHot and humid air in place over southern New England set the stage for severe thunderstorms throughout the Bay State during the afternoon and early evening.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, June 26, 200515 injured · $280,000 · 1.5 in hail · 14 eventsScattered thunderstorms, with embedded severe thunderstorms, produced lightning and severe wind gusts that damaged property and brought down trees and power lines across Massachusetts. The hardest hit were Franklin, Hampshire, Worcester, Essex, and Plymouth counties.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Massachusetts, June 13 to 23, 1998$13 million · 50 eventsOn June 12th through the 14th, a very slow moving complex storm system moved through southeast New England.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, June 27, 20001 death · 3 injured · 1 in hail · 14 eventsSevere thunderstorms brought damaging winds and hail to much of central and eastern Massachusetts. As the storms moved through Middlesex County, lightning struck and killed a 15-year old boy in Westford, as he was doing yardwork.
• Flooding and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, August 5, 20101 death · $25,000 · 50 kt wind · 6 eventsA cold front moved through the area producing thunderstorms and heavy rain across Southern New England.
• Lightning Strikes in Massachusetts, June 20, 20081 death · 2 injured · 2 eventsA few isolated thunderstorms were associated with two lightning strikes that injured two people and killed another.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in Massachusetts, July 20, 200811 injured · $445,000 · 50 kt wind · 10 eventsA shortwave trough and a warm, humid, unstable atmosphere combined to produce showers and thunderstorms across southern New England. These storms produced damaging wind and lots of lightning.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 10, 20011 death · 1.5 in hail · 13 eventsSevere thunderstorms rolled through much of western and central Massachusetts, dropping large hail and downing trees and power lines in Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester, and Middlesex Counties.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, June 27, 20084 injured · $5.3 million · 50 kt wind · 9 eventsA trough in the lee of the Appalachians combined with a cold front moving through southern New England resulted in severe thunderstorms. These storms produced a variety of severe weather including hail and damaging winds.
• Lightning Strikes in Massachusetts, September 8, 20101 death · 1 injured · $10,000 · 3 eventsA cold front moved across Southern New England, producing showers and thunderstorms across eastern Massachusetts during the morning hours.
• Flood and Hail in Massachusetts, July 1, 20091 death · 0.75 in hail · 4 eventsA stationary front stretched from Hartford, Connecticut across northern Rhode Island to southeast Massachusetts combined with an upper level disturbance to produce showers and thunderstorms across southern New England.
• Tornado and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, August 21, 20043 injured · $1.6 million · F1 · 7 eventsAn early morning severe thunderstorm in Leominster downed large tree limbs.Thunderstorms developed again that afternoon and caused damage in parts of eastern Massachusetts.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 21, 20069 injured · $365,000 · 50 kt wind · 13 eventsSevere thunderstorms brought damaging winds, large hail, and frequent lightning strikes to the Mass Turnpike corridor.Early in the afternoon, simultaneous lightning strikes in Bedford ignited two fires which caused considerable damage.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 23, 199812 injured · $75,000 · 1 in hail · 14 eventsAn isolated early afternoon thunderstorm produced dime size hail in Acton in Middlesex County. Then, severe thunderstorms moved eastward across Massachusetts from Hampden County to Worcester, Middlesex, and Norfolk Counties during the afternoon.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Massachusetts, July 26, 20112 injured · $1.9 million · 3 in hail · 26 eventsA strong cold front moved across Southern New England, providing enough lift for showers and thunderstorms to develop. A large area of instability ahead of the front was enough for these storms to become severe, producing large hail and damaging winds.
• Flooding and Hail in Massachusetts, May 24, 20091 injured · $1.1 million · 2 in hail · 34 eventsA cold front moved across Southern New England, triggering showers and thunderstorms. Warm, moist air and a strong low level jet aided in the development of these storms and several storms became severe, producing hail up to two inches in diameter.
• Flood and High Wind in Massachusetts, December 9, 2005$2.5 million · 65 kt wind · 22 eventsA low pressure system centered near the Delaware coast intensified rapidly as it tracked quickly northeast across southern New England, producing near-blizzard conditions across Massachusetts around mid afternoon.
• Flooding and Hail in Massachusetts, July 12, 2017$1.1 million · 1.25 in hail · 34 eventsA cold front slid across Southern New England, led by a shortwave trough. High moisture content to the airmass allowed for heavy downpours, while breaks of sunshine generated sufficient instability for damaging thunderstorms.
• Flash Flood and Flooding in Massachusetts, July 27, 20144 injured · $440,000 · 50 kt wind · 20 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.
• Flash Flood and Flood in Massachusetts, July 18, 2012$515,000 · 2 in hail · 48 eventsA cold front moved across southern New England into a warm moist airmass with plenty of instability. This resulted in severe thunderstorms and in some cases training of storms that resulted in flash flooding across some of the more urban areas.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in Massachusetts

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.