57
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
19
Direct injuries
$6.5M
Property damage
Lightning in Cook County, Illinois: 57 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #26 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Cook County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Cook County is the 2010s, when 29 of the county's 57 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 Cook County archive, lightning makes up 2.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #26 for this hazard and #1 within Illinois, putting it in the 98.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Cook County with 19 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 22, 2001 | MAYWOOD | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 1996 | PARK RIDGE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 10, 1996 | NORTHBROOK | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 11, 1999 | CHICAGO | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2025 | UPTOWN | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 2022 | GARFIELD PARK | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2018 | (CGX)MEIGS FLD CHICA | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2018 | DEERING | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2025 | UPTOWN | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 2022 | GARFIELD PARK | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 3, 2018 | DUNNING | 0 | $10K |
| Sep 3, 2018 | BROOKFIELD | 0 | $5K |
| Jul 5, 2018 | (CGX)MEIGS FLD CHICA | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 5, 2018 | DEERING | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2015 | MAYWOOD | 0 | $2K |
| Jul 18, 2015 | WILMETTE | 0 | $15K |
| Apr 9, 2015 | MT PROSPECT | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 1, 2014 | HAWTHORNE | 0 | $50K |
Other hazards here
More from Cook County
- Thunderstorm Wind 1,384
- Hail 639
- Flood 209
- Flash Flood 191
- Tornado 85
- Heavy Rain 61
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Lightning struck a 39 unit apartment building in Mt. Prospect. The fire quickly consumed the attic and 3rd floor. Fire departments were delayed by flooded roads. The building was a total loss and would be demolished with all 75 residents having to find a new place to live. Many of the residents lost all their belongings.
A home on the 15700 block of Peggy Lane was struck by lightning sparking a fire. The building was not occupied because it had been struck by lightning earlier in the year; however, a worker inside the building was shocked and had to be transported to the hospital.
Lightning apparently struck a pole at a bank on Burlington Avenue. This pole then fell onto a chimney and then the chimney fell over, damaging a roof. Several pieces of electronic equipment were no longer working after the strike, including credit card readers.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Cook County, Illinois?
57 lightning events are recorded in Cook County between 1996 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Cook County?
The strongest lightning on record in Cook County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Cook 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 Cook County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/cook-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.