60
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$2.5M
Property damage
Lightning in Northampton County, Pennsylvania: 60 recorded events between 1996 and 2022. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #24 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Northampton County, Pennsylvania: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Northampton County is the 2000s, when 31 of the county's 60 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 Northampton County archive, lightning makes up 8.6% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #24 for this hazard and #2 within Pennsylvania, putting it in the 99.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for lightning in Northampton County with 13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2009 | FARMERSVILLE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 19, 2011 | KLECKNERSVILLE | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2012 | WESTGATE HILLS | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 15, 2004 | BETHLEHEM | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 2001 | BETHLEHEM | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 12, 2000 | EASTON | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 14, 2000 | EASTON | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 14, 2000 | NAZARETH | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2022 | BATH | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 18, 2020 | SHOENERSVILLE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 4, 2017 | WIND GAP | 0 | $10 |
| Aug 2, 2017 | NAZARETH | 0 | $10 |
| Jul 25, 2016 | KLECKNERSVILLE | 0 | $10 |
| Jun 28, 2016 | BATH JCT | 0 | $1K |
| Jun 28, 2016 | CLEARFIELD | 0 | $1K |
| Aug 4, 2015 | PALMER HGTS | 0 | $1K |
| Jun 15, 2015 | HELLERTOWN | 0 | $1K |
| Jul 9, 2014 | EASTON | 0 | $5K |
Other hazards here
More from Northampton County
- Thunderstorm Wind 389
- Flash Flood 99
- Hail 69
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 53-year-old man collapsed and died while doing yard work in his backyard in Bethlehem Township. He was holding an electric trimmer when he was struck by lightning. Medical crews responded, administered CPR, then transported him to Lehigh Valley Hospital Muhlenberg Campus where he was pronounced dead.
Frequent cloud to ground lightning associated with a small cluster of thunderstorms rolled across Northampton County during the evening of the 25th. Lightning struck the steeple of the Great Shepard Christian Fellowship Church in Plainfield Township at 9:50 PM EDT. This resulted in a fire, which caused an estimated $250,000 in damage. In addition, lightning struck a saw mill in Upper Mount Bethel Township, sparking a fire at about 10:15 PM EDT. The saw mill was destroyed, which resulted in $1 million dollars in loss.
Thunderstorms with frequent lightning struck several homes in Northampton County and caused a couple of fires. About one hundred cloud to ground lightning strikes occurred within a fifteen minute period in the Lehigh Valley. ||In Moore Township, a lightning strike and ensuing fire gutted a home on Countryview Lane. The shell of the house collapsed. Two adults that lived in the house were displaced and two cats died in the house. In Bushkill Township, a family was displaced after a lightning strike and ensuing fire badly damaged a home on Bushkill Center Road. The rear of the home around the kitchen was badly damaged. Two dogs were rescued. Other house fires were reported in Bath and Upper Nazareth Township. In East Allen Township, a family was trapped after a lightning strike downed wires around their home.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Northampton County, Pennsylvania?
60 lightning events are recorded in Northampton County between 1996 and 2022, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Northampton County?
The strongest lightning on record in Northampton County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Northampton 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 Northampton County, Pennsylvania.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/pennsylvania/northampton-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.