41
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$1.5M
Property damage
Lightning in Will County, Illinois: 41 recorded events between 2000 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #70 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Will County, Illinois: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Will County is the 2000s, when 21 of the county's 41 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 Will County archive, lightning makes up 3.3% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #70 for this hazard and #2 within Illinois, putting it in the 97.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for lightning in Will County with 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2016 | BOLINGBROOK | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 3, 2018 | BARBERS CORNERS | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2016 | BOLINGBROOK | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 30, 2004 | JOLIET | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 25, 2002 | JOLIET | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2025 | FOREST PARK | 0 | $20K |
| Aug 16, 2025 | CARILLON | 0 | $5K |
| Jul 28, 2021 | FOREST PARK | 0 | $0 |
| May 15, 2020 | LOCKPORT LEWIS ARPT | 0 | $1K |
| Sep 3, 2018 | BARBERS CORNERS | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2016 | BOLINGBROOK | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2016 | BOLINGBROOK | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2013 | JOLIET | 0 | $150K |
| Jun 13, 2013 | PLAINFIELD CLOW ARPT | 0 | $10K |
| Jun 12, 2013 | WOLFS | 0 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from Will County
- Thunderstorm Wind 564
- Hail 358
- Tornado 98
- Flood 88
- Flash Flood 65
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A house near the intersection of South Ashland Avenue and Peotone-Beecher Road caught on fire after being struck by lightning. The roof and second story were completely destroyed by the fire and the first floor was destroyed by water damage.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Will County, Illinois?
41 lightning events are recorded in Will County between 2000 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Will County?
The strongest lightning on record in Will County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Will 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 Will County, Illinois.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/illinois/will-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.