48
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$4.8M
Property damage
Lightning in Chatham County, Georgia: 48 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #47 nationally and #6 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Chatham County, Georgia: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Chatham County is the 2020s, when 17 of the county's 48 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 Chatham County archive, lightning makes up 4.9% of all recorded severe weather across 11 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #47 for this hazard and #6 within Georgia, putting it in the 98.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Chatham County with 22 recorded events, while Jan 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2021 | SAVANNAH BEACH | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2001 | SAVANNAH | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2010 | POOLER | 0 | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 2014 | SAVANNAH BEACH | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Aug 23, 1999 | SAVANNAH | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Sep 5, 2020 | FT SCREVEN | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 2013 | MEINHARD | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2007 | CENTRAL JCT | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 11, 2025 | LIBERTY CITY | 0 | $20K |
| Jul 11, 2025 | VERNONBURG | 0 | $20K |
| Jul 26, 2024 | (SVN)HUNTER AAF SAVA | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 26, 2024 | PARADISE PARK | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 26, 2024 | SAVANNAH | 0 | $1K |
| May 14, 2024 | FT SCREVEN | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 17, 2023 | SAVANNAH | 0 | $100K |
| Jun 9, 2022 | POOLER | 0 | $1K |
| Aug 17, 2021 | MEINHARD | 0 | $40K |
| Jun 28, 2021 | OLEARY | 0 | $1K |
Other hazards here
More from Chatham County
- Thunderstorm Wind 608
- Hail 182
- Flash Flood 93
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Construction foreman was killed while trying to clear his crew from a construction site. After the bolt struck the foreman, it traveled through the ground and struck another worker, coming up through the ground into the leg of a 43 year old male worker.
The media and emergency management indicated a fire was initiated by lightning at an apartment complex located along the 5000 Block of Garrard Avenue. The roof and 3rd floor of the 1300 apartment building was primarily involved in the fire, but the entire building was considered a complete loss. Three firefighters had indirect injuries associated with the fire, one from a roof collapse, one from second degree burns and another from third degree burns. All are expected to make a full recovery. Thirty residents were also left without a home.
An emergency manager reported that a top of a tree fell on three power lines due to a lightning strike near the intersection of highway 30 and Keller Road. The power lines fell on the road causing a temporary closing of highway 30 two miles west of Port Wentworth, Georgia.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Chatham County, Georgia?
48 lightning events are recorded in Chatham County between 1996 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Chatham County?
The strongest lightning on record in Chatham County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Chatham 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 Chatham County, Georgia.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/georgia/chatham-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.