63
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
31
Direct injuries
$2.9M
Property damage
Lightning in Middlesex County, Massachusetts: 63 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #20 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Lightning in Middlesex County, Massachusetts: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for lightning in Middlesex County is the 2000s, when 33 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 Middlesex County archive, lightning makes up 5.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #20 for this hazard and #2 within Massachusetts, putting it in the 99.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for lightning in Middlesex County with 25 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 2000 | WESTFORD | 0 | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 1998 | CONCORD | 0 | 0 | 11 | $70K |
| Jul 9, 2004 | WESTFORD | 0 | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Aug 21, 2004 | TOWNSEND | 0 | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Jul 8, 1996 | LITTLETON | 0 | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2020 | WEST NEWTON | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 8, 2010 | WAKEFIELD | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 3, 2008 | WILMINGTON | 0 | 0 | 1 | $5K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2, 2025 | BURLINGTON | 0 | $10K |
| Jul 14, 2023 | NORTH TEWKSBURY | 0 | $5K |
| Jun 26, 2023 | GRANITEVILLE | 0 | $6K |
| Jun 2, 2023 | STOW | 0 | $3K |
| Aug 5, 2022 | UNION MARKET | 0 | $3K |
| Jun 21, 2020 | WEST NEWTON | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 4, 2019 | TUFTS COLLEGE | 0 | $5K |
| Aug 21, 2019 | TYNGSBORO | 0 | $5K |
| Jul 17, 2019 | WESTON | 0 | $1K |
| Jul 17, 2019 | NORTH WALTHAM | 0 | $2K |
Other hazards here
More from Middlesex County
- Thunderstorm Wind 627
- Hail 182
- Flood 150
- Flash Flood 75
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A restaurant in Marlboro was struck by lightning, starting a fire. The fire was contained to the roof but damages were enough that the restaurant was shut down. One of the restaurant patrons reported being struck by the lightning bolt and was taken by ambulance to the local hospital. No additional information was available about the victim.
Lightning struck an apartment building on Christie Way, setting one third flood apartment on fire. The fire damaged a natural gas line which forced the evacuation of 26 apartments. The damage was repaired and residents were allowed back into their apartments two days later.
A 55 year old woman was injured when lightning struck her house in Wakefield. The woman was ironing when lightning struck and was thrown about 6 feet. She temporarily lost feeling in her right arm and was transported to the hospital. Doctors evaluated her, determining that no permanent damage was done but the strike had affected her right eardrum and thrown off her equilibrium. The house was found to be undamaged.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many lightning events are on record in Middlesex County, Massachusetts?
63 lightning events are recorded in Middlesex County between 1996 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest lightning recorded in Middlesex County?
The strongest lightning on record in Middlesex County measured 0.
Where does the lightning data for Middlesex 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 Middlesex County, Massachusetts.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/massachusetts/middlesex-county/lightning/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.