581
Recorded events
57
Counties affected
18
Direct deaths
$12.8M
Property damage
New York lightning history: 581 recorded events across 57 counties between 1996 and 2025.
Decade by decade
New York lightning history by decade
The 2000s are the busiest decade on record with 285 reported lightning events across New York. Earlier decades are thinner because systematic reporting for this hazard expanded over time, not because the weather was calmer.
County ranking
Counties with the most lightning events in New York
| Rank | County | Events | Deaths | Damage | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Suffolk County | 36 | 1 | $1.7M | 1998–2020 |
| #2 | Orange County | 32 | 1 | $226K | 1998–2023 |
| #3 | Saratoga County | 29 | 1 | $694K | 1996–2024 |
| #4 | Oneida County | 28 | 1 | $516K | 1997–2021 |
| #5 | Ulster County | 24 | 1 | $676K | 1996–2023 |
| #6 | Columbia County | 23 | 1 | $116K | 1996–2022 |
| #7 | Nassau County | 23 | 1 | $596K | 1998–2025 |
| #8 | Albany County | 21 | 0 | $391K | 1996–2021 |
| #9 | Onondaga County | 20 | 1 | $342K | 1996–2014 |
| #10 | Broome County | 19 | 0 | $128K | 2000–2021 |
| #11 | Westchester County | 18 | 1 | $322K | 1996–2024 |
| #12 | Erie County | 16 | 0 | $1.1M | 1998–2018 |
| #13 | Greene County | 15 | 0 | $458K | 1996–2023 |
| #14 | Dutchess County | 15 | 2 | $302K | 1996–2019 |
| #15 | Kings County | 13 | 0 | $53K | 1997–2025 |
| #16 | St. Lawrence County | 13 | 0 | $522K | 1996–2024 |
| #17 | Rensselaer County | 13 | 0 | $253K | 1996–2020 |
| #18 | Monroe County | 12 | 0 | $120K | 1996–2017 |
| #19 | Rockland County | 12 | 0 | $32K | 1997–2021 |
| #20 | Herkimer County | 11 | 0 | $110K | 1996–2023 |
| #21 | Schenectady County | 10 | 0 | $95K | 1998–2021 |
| #22 | Warren County | 10 | 1 | $77K | 1997–2021 |
| #23 | Washington County | 9 | 0 | $461K | 1996–2021 |
| #24 | Steuben County | 9 | 0 | $102K | 2000–2022 |
| #25 | Queens County | 9 | 0 | $45K | 2004–2020 |
Significant events
Deadliest lightning events in New York
| Date | County | Scale | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2016 | Dutchess County | — | 2 | 3 |
| Aug 10, 2016 | Genesee County | — | 2 | 0 |
| Aug 3, 2002 | New York County | — | 1 | 1 |
| Jun 26, 1998 | Warren County | — | 1 | 3 |
| Jun 27, 2002 | Oneida County | — | 1 | 1 |
| Sep 25, 1999 | Westchester County | — | 1 | 0 |
| Aug 12, 2021 | Bronx County | — | 1 | 6 |
| Aug 27, 2004 | Onondaga County | — | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 7, 2013 | Columbia County | — | 1 | 0 |
| Jul 28, 2006 | Orange County | — | 1 | 1 |