44
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$1.8M
Property damage
Lightning in Hampshire County, Massachusetts: 44 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #60 nationally and #6 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Hampshire County, Massachusetts: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Hampshire County is the 2000s, when 17 of the county's 44 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 Hampshire County archive, lightning makes up 6.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #60 for this hazard and #6 within Massachusetts, putting it in the 97.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for lightning in Hampshire County with 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2013 | WARE | 0 | 0 | 3 | $1K |
| May 21, 2013 | GRANBY | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2023 | PELHAM | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 2009 | WORTHINGTON CORNERS | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 20, 2004 | CUMMINGTON | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 27, 1996 | WILLIAMSBURG | 0 | 0 | 1 | $20K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 2025 | BAY STATE | 0 | $8K |
| Jun 6, 2025 | NORTHAMPTON | 0 | $7K |
| Jun 19, 2024 | SEARSVILLE | 0 | $3K |
| Sep 8, 2023 | AMHERST | 0 | $1K |
| Jul 12, 2023 | WESTHAMPTON | 0 | $3K |
| Jun 6, 2023 | PELHAM | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2022 | NORWICH | 0 | $300 |
| Jun 8, 2021 | HATFIELD | 0 | $1K |
| Aug 3, 2019 | BELCHERTOWN | 0 | $5K |
| Aug 3, 2019 | HADLEY | 0 | $1K |
Other hazards here
More from Hampshire County
- Thunderstorm Wind 384
- Hail 139
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Lightning struck the medical office building on the campus of Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware, blowing out the building's electrical panel. In addition, three people who were on the telephone at the time of the strike reported feeling numbness and a tingling in their arms. All three walked over to the hospital to be checked out and were fine.
Three students at the MacDuffie School in Granby were struck by lightning while sitting outside at a picnic table. Two students were knocked unconscious and were hospitalized. The third student was further away when the lightning struck and was not directly hit, suffering less serious effects. The students were 16, 17, and 20 years of age. All of the students reovered from their injuries.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Hampshire County, Massachusetts?
44 lightning events are recorded in Hampshire County between 1996 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Hampshire County?
The strongest lightning on record in Hampshire County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Hampshire 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 Hampshire County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/hampshire-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.