63
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$1.4M
Property damage
Lightning in San Bernardino County, California: 63 recorded events between 1996 and 2024. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #20 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in San Bernardino County, California: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in San Bernardino County is the 2010s, when 30 of the county's 63 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 San Bernardino County archive, lightning makes up 3.8% of all recorded severe weather across 12 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #20 for this hazard and #1 within California, putting it in the 99.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in San Bernardino County with 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 11, 2004 | LENWOOD | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 3, 2001 | APPLE VLY | 0 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2009 | FONTANA | 0 | 1 | 0 | $1K |
| Sep 12, 2012 | YUCCA VLY GNT RCK AR | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 17, 2015 | (EED)NEEDLES ARPT | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Oct 1, 2010 | FONTANA | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jan 4, 2005 | ONTARIO | 0 | 0 | 1 | $15K |
| Dec 11, 2003 | YUCAIPA | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 20, 2024 | DAGGETT | 0 | $25K |
| May 15, 2024 | SUGARLOAF | 0 | $10K |
| Aug 20, 2023 | BARSTOW | 0 | $10K |
| Apr 21, 2022 | ARROWBEAR LAKE | 0 | $10K |
| Sep 9, 2021 | MENTONE | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2021 | MOONRIDGE | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 31, 2021 | BIG BEAR CITY | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2021 | HECTOR | 0 | $10K |
| Oct 13, 2018 | MORONGO LODGE | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 29, 2018 | BIG BEAR LAKE | 0 | $10K |
Other hazards here
More from San Bernardino County
- Flash Flood 836
- Thunderstorm Wind 197
- Flood 160
- Heavy Rain 124
- Wildfire 90
- Hail 67
- Debris Flow 50
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A was 40 year old female was struck and killed by lightning around 1530 PST while she was standing under a tree along the 8600 block of Bennett Avenue in Fontana. Some concrete nearby may have also been damaged due to the strike.||Six men were leaning against a metal fence near Electric Avenue and 40th Street in San Bernardino when lightning struck nearby. All six appeared to have suffered electrical burns. Four of the six were administered medical treatment by firefighters as a precaution.
A lightning strike damaged a critical power transformer in Colton, cutting power to 95% of the city. An estimated 50,000 customers lost power. Area schools closed due to a lack of power that lingered into the following day.
Two cloud-to-ground strikes occurred outside of a rain shaft. Highway Patrol reported brush fire start just west of Lake Arrowhead. Other strikes were detected just to the east and also outside of the main rain shaft near Big Bear Lake.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in San Bernardino County, California?
63 lightning events are recorded in San Bernardino County between 1996 and 2024, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in San Bernardino County?
The strongest lightning on record in San Bernardino County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for San Bernardino 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 San Bernardino County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/san-bernardino-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.