Lightning in New Jersey

Events

632

Deaths

24

Injuries

200

Damage

$25 million

• Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, June 29 to 30, 20122 deaths · $19 million · 1.25 in hail · 13 eventsA well-organized cluster of thunderstorms with a history of producing widespread damaging winds advanced into a hot, unstable airmass over the Mid Atlantic.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, June 10, 20082 deaths · 2 injured · $333,000 · 90 kt wind · 43 eventsA strong cold front moved across Northeast New Jersey the evening of Tuesday June 10th causing multiple severe thunderstorms across the region.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in New Jersey, July 18, 19972 deaths · 2 injured · 63 kt wind · 6 eventsA severe thunderstorm moved southeast over Bergen County. It produced high winds. A 20 year old male parking attendant at Ridgefield Country Club in Paramus was crushed (and killed) by a large wind-blown tree branch.A line of severe thunderstorms swept southeast across the area…
• Lightning Strike in New Jersey, July 22, 20062 deaths · 2 injured · 1 eventTwo teenagers were killed and two were injured when they were struck by lightning at Memorial Field in Montvale.The teens were playing soccer and were struck by lightning as they ran off the field during a heavy down pour. They suffered severe burns and trauma.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in New Jersey, July 7, 20121 death · 4 injured · $342,000 · 68 kt wind · 26 eventsA complex of strong to severe thunderstorms moved through the central third of New Jersey during the early evening of the 7th. This complex was fueled by high temperatures that reached as high as around 100F and triggered by an approaching cold front.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, June 24, 20101 death · 2 injured · $751,000 · 1.25 in hail · 15 eventsSevere thunderstorms caused considerable tree damage during the afternoon into the early evening of the 24th across the southern third of New Jersey and claimed the life of one woman and injured two other persons in Burlington County.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, July 27, 20081 death · 4 injured · $136,000 · 1.75 in hail · 27 eventsA strong cold frontal passage triggered severe thunderstorms across New Jersey on the afternoon of the 27th.
• Lightning Strike in New Jersey, July 16, 20251 death · 14 injured · 1 eventA stalled boundary over New Jersey resulted in a few isolated sub-severe thunderstorms developing over the state. Frequent lightning was observed with some thunderstorms.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in New Jersey, June 23, 20156 injured · $32 million · 74 kt wind · 49 eventsThe combination of an unseasonably hot and humid air mass, an approaching cold front and strong winds aloft caused a squall line of severe thunderstorms to move through southern New Jersey during the very late afternoon and early evening of the 23rd.
• Lightning Strikes in New Jersey, August 17, 20071 death · 1 injured · $200,000 · 3 eventsA vigorous upper air disturbance in the northwest flow behind the cold front still had sufficient moisture to develop strong to severe thunderstorms across Pennsylvania and New Jersey during the afternoon and the evening of the 17th.
• Flash Flooding and Hail in New Jersey, July 26, 20091 death · 3 injured · $44,000 · 1 in hail · 16 eventsA pre-frontal trough followed by a potent cold front caused multiple severe thunderstorms some of which produced flash flooding across Northeast New Jersey.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, July 3, 20111 death · 1 injured · $79,000 · 1 in hail · 15 eventsA warm front acted as a focus for strong to severe thunderstorms during the early morning of the 3rd in northwestern New Jersey and during the late afternoon and early evening of the 3rd across central New Jersey.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, July 26, 200912 injured · $2.2 million · 1 in hail · 14 eventsAn unseasonably warm and humid air mass combined with an approaching surface trof to produce strong to severe thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening across New Jersey.
• Tornado and Hail in New Jersey, July 29, 2009$1.2 million · EF2 · 15 eventsA warm front retreating to the north and a cold front approaching from the west produced strong to severe thunderstorms across New Jersey during the afternoon and early evening of the 29th. One EF-2 tornado also occurred.
• Lightning Strike in New Jersey, August 14, 19991 death · 6 injured · 1 eventA cluster of thunderstorms that moved through Southern New Jersey during the early morning hours of the 14th was a prolific lightning producer. A 42-year-old man was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
• Lightning Strike in New Jersey, August 30, 20211 death · 6 injured · 1 eventA few thunderstorms developed over eastern New Jersey on August 30. Marginal environmental conditions precluded any severe weather in association with these storms. However, they approached several locations along the New Jersey Shore during the mid to late afternoon.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strikes in New Jersey, July 19, 20101 death · 3 injured · $25,000 · 50 kt wind · 4 eventsA lee side trough coupled with an upper air disturbance triggered and maintained a line of strong to locally severe thunderstorms across central and southern New Jersey during the morning of the 19th.
• Lightning Strike in New Jersey, May 3, 19981 death · 5 injured · 1 eventLightning apparently struck a tree, traveled along the saturated ground, entered a tent and killed a 22-year-old National Guardsman during a routine artillery training weekend at McGuire Air Force Base. The lightning also injured five others, two critcially and one seriously.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in New Jersey, July 13 to 17, 20171 death · $40 · 1 in hail · 34 eventsA hot and humid airmass was present ahead of a frontal boundary which slowly moved southeast toward and then through the state. Several rounds of thunderstorms moved through the region ahead of this front over the course of a few days. 2,800 people lost power in Ocean county.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in New Jersey, June 23, 20241 death · 50 kt wind · 26 eventsA shortwave and pre-frontal trough moved into a very hot, humid, and unstable airmass, which sparked off several severe thunderstorms, mainly producing damaging wind gusts.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, August 10, 2008$17 million · 1.75 in hail · 28 eventsAn unusually strong for August upper air disturbance helped trigger numerous strong to severe thunderstorms across New Jersey.
• Lightning Strike in New Jersey, September 15, 20111 death · 2 injured · 1 eventA cold frontal passage helped trigger thunderstorms preceding it across southeast New Jersey during the afternoon of the 15th.
• Damaging Winds and Lightning Strike in New Jersey, July 8, 20251 death · 55 kt wind · 17 eventsA cold front slowly moved into New Jersey, with showers and thunderstorms developing in a very unstable and tropical airmass. Strong to severe thunderstorms developed, producing damaging wind gusts and large hail across portions of the state.
• Lightning Strike in New Jersey, June 30, 20011 death · 1 injured · 1 eventA 22-year-old man was struck and killed by lightning while tossing a football with his friend on the beach at Island Beach State Park in section A-15. His friend (23-year-old man) was also injured by the same bolt, but suffered only minor burns.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in New Jersey, August 15, 20121 death · $5,000 · 1.25 in hail · 8 eventsAn approaching cold front helped trigger scattered strong to severe thunderstorms across New Jersey mainly during the second half of the afternoon and the early part of the evening. One lightning related death occurred in Monmouth county.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in New Jersey

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.