40
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$411K
Property damage
Lightning in Bristol County, Massachusetts: 40 recorded events between 1997 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #78 nationally and #7 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Bristol County, Massachusetts: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Bristol County is the 2010s, when 18 of the county's 40 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 Bristol County archive, lightning makes up 7.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #78 for this hazard and #7 within Massachusetts, putting it in the 96.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Bristol County with 15 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 19, 2010 | WESTPORT | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2008 | ASSONET | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2008 | ASSONET | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 22, 1997 | SEEKONK | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 25, 2025 | SWANSEA | 0 | $10K |
| May 23, 2024 | ACUSHNET | 0 | $5K |
| Apr 23, 2023 | BUELAH CORNERS | 0 | $500 |
| Sep 22, 2022 | HORTONVILLE | 0 | $3K |
| Jul 2, 2022 | WINNECONNET | 0 | $200 |
| Apr 8, 2022 | FAIRHAVEN | 0 | $5K |
| Sep 16, 2021 | EAST FAIRHAVEN | 0 | $2K |
| Jul 23, 2019 | ASSONET | 0 | $2K |
| Aug 9, 2018 | SCONTICUT NECK | 0 | $5K |
| Apr 6, 2017 | (EWB)NEW BEDFORD ARP | 0 | $1K |
Other hazards here
More from Bristol County
- Thunderstorm Wind 192
- Flood 111
- Hail 80
- Flash Flood 60
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
In Norton, a NWS Employee discovered a tree which was struck by lightning at the intersection of Route 123 and Newland Street. The trees was debarked and exploded, with bark strewn on Newland Street. Time radar estimated.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Bristol County, Massachusetts?
40 lightning events are recorded in Bristol County between 1997 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Bristol County?
The strongest lightning on record in Bristol County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Bristol 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 Bristol County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/bristol-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.