43
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$932K
Property damage
Lightning in Baldwin County, Alabama: 43 recorded events between 1996 and 2022. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #61 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Baldwin County, Alabama: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Baldwin County is the 2000s, when 15 of the county's 43 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Baldwin County archive, lightning makes up 4.8% of all recorded severe weather across 11 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #61 for this hazard and #3 within Alabama, putting it in the 97.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for lightning in Baldwin County with 13 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 23, 2005 | GULF SHRS | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 26, 2017 | GULF SHRS | 0 | 1 | 5 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2019 | OAK | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2015 | FT MORGAN | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 7, 2010 | HURRICANE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 16, 2006 | ELBERTA | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 2010 | GULF SHRS | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 10, 2012 | GULF SHRS | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2022 | POINT CLEAR | 0 | $20K |
| Jun 30, 2022 | SPANISH FT | 0 | $10K |
| Jun 30, 2022 | SUMMERDALE | 0 | $10K |
| Jun 30, 2022 | FOLEY | 0 | $10K |
| Jun 30, 2022 | BON SECOUR | 0 | $10K |
| Jun 30, 2022 | FOLEY | 0 | $10K |
| Aug 15, 2019 | OAK | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 26, 2017 | GULF SHRS | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2015 | FT MORGAN | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 9, 2015 | FOLEY | 0 | $5K |
Other hazards here
More from Baldwin County
- Thunderstorm Wind 358
- Hail 178
- Flash Flood 125
- Tornado 116
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A man and his stepson were trying to retrieve their beach belongings during a thunderstorm along the Gulf Shores beach. They were both struck and killed by a lightning bolt. They were on a weekend outing at the beach. The man's wife was watching them from a condo and observed the strike. Another of the mans stepsons was walking several yards in front of them and didn't even know the pair had been struck.
An eleven year old boy was struck and killed by lightning while watering his animals near Elberta. Witnesses said there was only one cloud in the sky and the sun was shining when the boy was hit. He was likely hit by the first strike from the storm. He had a water hose in his hand when he was struck.
Lightning struck a 12 year old girl playing volleyball on Fort Morgan. There were 7 other near her that were affected by the closeness of the strike. However, only the girl was transported to the hospital. She passed away two days later from her injuries.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Baldwin County, Alabama?
43 lightning events are recorded in Baldwin County between 1996 and 2022, causing 7 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Baldwin County?
The strongest lightning on record in Baldwin County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Baldwin County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Lightning in Baldwin County, Alabama.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/alabama/baldwin-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.