62
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$3.2M
Property damage
Lightning in Maricopa County, Arizona: 62 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #23 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Maricopa County, Arizona: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Maricopa County is the 2000s, when 23 of the county's 62 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 Maricopa County archive, lightning makes up 2.3% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #23 for this hazard and #2 within Arizona, putting it in the 99.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Maricopa County with 21 recorded events, while Nov 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 15, 1998 | PARADISE VLY | 0 | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 28, 1999 | FOUNTAIN HILLS | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 1999 | CAREFREE | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Aug 9, 2018 | EL MIRAGE | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2000 | TONOPAH | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Oct 15, 2022 | BEARDSLEY | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2011 | (CHD)WILLIAMS AFB | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Oct 19, 2000 | MESA | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 22, 2025 | AVONDALE | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 3, 2025 | AVONDALE | 0 | $100K |
| Jul 25, 2024 | LAVEEN | 0 | $20K |
| Sep 1, 2023 | PARADISE VLY | 0 | $500 |
| Sep 1, 2023 | GUADALUPE | 0 | $500 |
| Jul 31, 2023 | MOBILE | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 15, 2022 | BEARDSLEY | 0 | $0 |
| Oct 15, 2022 | ENNIS | 0 | $5K |
| Aug 4, 2022 | (PHX)SKY HARBOR ARPT | 0 | $15K |
| Mar 20, 2022 | SCOTTSDALE MUNI | 0 | $5K |
Other hazards here
More from Maricopa County
- Thunderstorm Wind 1,519
- Flash Flood 580
- Hail 226
- Heavy Rain 144
- Flood 81
- Tornado 73
- Funnel Cloud 58
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Lightning struck the plywood roof of a home under construction. A worker was killed when the lightning bolt traveled down a wooden rafter and hit him in the head. Three other workers received minor injuries from this lightning.
Widespread showers and embedded thunderstorms developed across the greater Phoenix metropolitan area during the early morning hours on September 8th. Although the thunderstorms were rather isolated, at 0200MST lightning from one of the storms struck a house in south Phoenix. The house was located near 27th Avenue and Baseline Road, at 9624 S 26th Lane in Phoenix. Neighbors reported hearing a large boom at 0200MST when the lightning bolt struck; by the time firefighters arrived the flames were too intense and they were forced to go into a defensive mode. Four children and two adults made it out of the house safely, however the house was a total loss.
Strong thunderstorms over east Phoenix metropolitan valley caused lightning which struck up to 13 homes in a Mesa neighborhood. Dramatic damage occurred as a result of the lightning; windows were blown out of the houses, drywall was damaged, electric power service meters and circuit breakers were destroyed, electric transformers were blown out of the ground.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Maricopa County, Arizona?
62 lightning events are recorded in Maricopa County between 1996 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Maricopa County?
The strongest lightning on record in Maricopa County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Maricopa 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 Maricopa County, Arizona.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/arizona/maricopa-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.