72
Recorded events
11
Direct deaths
55
Direct injuries
$7.1M
Property damage
Lightning in Harris County, Texas: 72 recorded events between 1996 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #13 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Harris County, Texas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Harris County is the 2010s, when 30 of the county's 72 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 Harris County archive, lightning makes up 3.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #13 for this hazard and #2 within Texas, putting it in the 99.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for lightning in Harris 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 15, 2012 | LITTLE YORK | 0 | 2 | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 2, 2005 | HOUSTON | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 27, 2019 | SPRING | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 22, 2018 | EAST HAVEN | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 20, 2017 | OLCOTT | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 2016 | HOUSTON | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2012 | SHELDON | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2004 | MAGNOLIA GARDENS | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 16, 2024 | HOUSTON WEISER ARPT | 0 | $50K |
| Jun 8, 2023 | BAMMEL | 0 | $100K |
| Jun 6, 2023 | BAMMEL | 0 | $20K |
| Apr 7, 2023 | SPRING BRANCH | 0 | $20K |
| Oct 13, 2022 | JOYCE | 0 | $50K |
| Aug 11, 2022 | KATY | 0 | $50K |
| Aug 11, 2022 | DYERSDALE | 0 | $0 |
| May 22, 2022 | WEST PARK | 0 | $50K |
| Nov 11, 2021 | HARMASTON | 0 | $15K |
| Aug 16, 2021 | SPRING VLY | 0 | $1K |
Other hazards here
More from Harris County
- Thunderstorm Wind 713
- Hail 603
- Tornado 254
- Flash Flood 217
- Funnel Cloud 62
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A utility worker was killed by a lightning strike while trying to repair a power line near the intersection of Miller Road 1 and Miller Road 2. The man was initially revived at the scene but died the next day on July 1st.
There were several house fires caused by lightning strikes. A couple of minor injuries were reported, including one person sustaining minor burns while trying to put out the fire, and another person getting shocked while using the microwave at the time of the lightning strike.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Harris County, Texas?
72 lightning events are recorded in Harris County between 1996 and 2024, causing 11 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Harris County?
The strongest lightning on record in Harris County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Harris 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 Harris County, Texas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/texas/harris-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.