42
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$1.8M
Property damage
Lightning in Cumberland County, Maine: 42 recorded events between 1996 and 2014. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #64 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Cumberland County, Maine: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Cumberland County is the 2000s, when 26 of the county's 42 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 Cumberland County archive, lightning makes up 7.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #64 for this hazard and #2 within Maine, putting it in the 97.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Cumberland County with 16 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 18, 2008 | STANDISH | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 1997 | GORHAM | 0 | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jul 27, 2009 | HARRISON | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 2014 | SOUTH BRIDGTON | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2013 | SONGO LOCK | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 2006 | SEBAGO LAKE | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 2005 | STANDISH | 0 | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Jun 30, 2001 | PORTLAND | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 31, 2014 | SONGO LOCK | 0 | $150K |
| Jul 28, 2014 | SOUTH BRIDGTON | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2013 | SONGO LOCK | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 4, 2009 | DUNNS | 0 | $175K |
| Jul 27, 2009 | HARRISON | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 4, 2009 | FREEPORT | 0 | $50K |
| Jul 18, 2008 | STANDISH | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 15, 2007 | CAPE ELIZABETH | 0 | $135K |
| Sep 9, 2006 | WALNUT | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 9, 2006 | EAST BALDWIN | 0 | $70K |
Other hazards here
More from Cumberland County
- Thunderstorm Wind 320
- Hail 147
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 25-yr-old woman was injured in a lightning strike at Point Sebago Resort. The woman was standing near a tall pine at the edge of Sebago Lake when lightning struck the tree. She was reportedly thrown into the air by the strike and was unconscious after landing on some rocks and a concrete barrier. She was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation and treatment. Two others who were also reportedly thrown into the air were not injured.
A 16-year-old boy was injured when he was struck by lightning at the Four Seasons Campground in Naples, Maine. The boy was sitting outside at a picnic table when lightning struck a nearby tree and apparently travel along the ground to the boy. The boy was transported to the hospital and later released.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Cumberland County, Maine?
42 lightning events are recorded in Cumberland County between 1996 and 2014, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Cumberland County?
The strongest lightning on record in Cumberland County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Cumberland 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 Cumberland County, Maine.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/maine/cumberland-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.