53
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$8.7M
Property damage
Lightning in Hamilton County, Indiana: 53 recorded events between 1996 and 2019. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #35 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Hamilton County, Indiana: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Hamilton County is the 2000s, when 42 of the county's 53 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 Hamilton County archive, lightning makes up 9.2% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #35 for this hazard and #1 within Indiana, putting it in the 98.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for lightning in Hamilton County with 13 recorded events, while Mar 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 8, 1999 | CARMEL | 0 | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 5, 2005 | SHERIDAN | 0 | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Jun 15, 2002 | CARMEL | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 21, 1996 | CARMEL | 0 | 0 | 1 | $500K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 2019 | FISHERS | 0 | $4K |
| Jun 22, 2010 | HOME PLACE | 0 | $3.5M |
| Jun 16, 2010 | CLARKSVILLE | 0 | $20K |
| Jul 22, 2008 | FISHERS | 0 | $15K |
| Jul 22, 2008 | FISHERS | 0 | $8K |
| Jul 22, 2008 | FISHERS | 0 | $100K |
| Jun 9, 2008 | FISHERS | 0 | $300K |
| Jun 4, 2008 | EAGLETOWN | 0 | $500 |
| Jun 4, 2008 | NOBLESVILLE | 0 | $250K |
| May 31, 2008 | CLARKSVILLE | 0 | $300K |
Other hazards here
More from Hamilton County
- Thunderstorm Wind 259
- Hail 174
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Newspaper and broadcast media reported a lightning strike was the suspected cause of a fire of a shopping strip in western Carmel, Indiana. Firefighters think lightning struck the El Rodeo restaurant, located in the 12-unit Weston Shoppes, and quickly spread across the shopping center. The strip mall owner said continuing lightning strikes prevented firefighters from hosing the flames from their ladder trucks, hampering their efforts to save the building. Damage estimates, not including each store's inventory, could be between 3 and 4 million dollars. Firefighters were still on the scene 8 1/2 hours later.
A fire, believed to be started by lightning striking a tree parallel to the garage of a house on Westchester Boulevard in Noblesville, was not discovered until hours after initiation. The lightning likely reached the house via a utility line. Fire fighters were called around 5 AM EST by a passerby. Flames were still visible as late as 7 AM EST.
There was confirmation of two houses being struck by lightning in the Westfield area. A firefighter was hurt when the ceiling of a house collapsed on him when he was inside the house. One house sustained substantial damage of $150,000 to $175,000. The other house had minor damage to the attic.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Hamilton County, Indiana?
53 lightning events are recorded in Hamilton County between 1996 and 2019, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Hamilton County?
The strongest lightning on record in Hamilton County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Hamilton 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 Hamilton County, Indiana.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/indiana/hamilton-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.