The odds of being struck by lightning is less than one in a million in a given year, according to the Centers for Disease Control. But people have died from lightning strikes in New Jersey before. In June 2024, a Manchester man was killed in Seaside Park.

Dark gray storm clouds brewed over the Ballyowen Golf Club in Hardyston, New Jersey, on July 8. That day, a 28-year-old man was struck by lightning while golfing on the course.

A deadly storm with winds topping 60 mph tore through central New Jersey on Thursday night, forcing one town to cancel its Fourth of July celebrations.

Two men were killed in Plainfield on July 3 when their car was hit by a fallen tree on Myrtle Avenue. One was a 79-year-old North Plainfield resident, the other a 25-year-old who resided in Plainfield, officials said.

A young man passed away on Monday, nearly one week after he was struck by lightning while playing on a golf course in Hardyston, New Jersey.

Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding struck Plainfield and Scotch Plains, New Jersey, causing widespread disruption. The National Weather Service issued a warning at 7:31 PM EDT, due to thunderstorms producing 1–2 inches of rain, with an additional 1–2 inches expected.

The heaviest rainfall and the most widespread thunderstorms are expected to develop from Northern Virginia through southern New England in the afternoon. The Weather Prediction Center has issued a “moderate” (Level 3 out of 4) risk for flash flooding in that corridor through Tuesday morning.