Guide

Lightning strike near your house?

Updated October 29, 2026

Lightning claims usually turn on one question: was a strike near your property on your date of loss. Detection networks record every cloud-to-ground strike with GPS, and NOAA publishes daily counts. Here is how to check, from cheapest to most detailed.

1. Start with the free public data

NOAA's Severe Weather Data Inventory publishes daily lightning strike counts in grid cells of about 6–7 miles. It will not give you an exact strike location, but it tells you whether lightning was near your property at all on that date — which is the first thing an adjuster asks. Our report includes this: lightning counts near your address on your date of loss, alongside hail, wind and warnings. $9.99.

2. If you need an exact strike location

Commercial detection networks record individual strikes with GPS coordinates and timestamps. A report from one of them (for example Vaisala's STRIKEnet, sold through CoreLogic) typically searches a radius around your address for a given window and costs roughly $95. The public data is a good first step: if it shows no lightning near you, you may not need to spend the $95.

3. Document the physical evidence

Photograph scorched outlets, melted or discolored fixtures, a tripped breaker panel, and damage to outdoor equipment like the AC compressor. Keep every damaged item until the adjuster has seen it — a fried surge protector or a melted outlet is physical evidence of the strike.

4. Get an electrician's report

A written assessment from a licensed electrician, on their letterhead, connects the electrical damage to the event. It is the piece adjusters weight most heavily alongside the weather data.

5. Assemble the proof of loss

Many policies require a sworn Proof of Loss form that ties each damaged item to the event. Match your inventory and receipts to the lightning counts and the electrician's report. Submit by the deadline in the demand letter — missing it can sink a valid claim.

The cheap first step

Before you pay for an exact strike report, check the public counts. If lightning was near your address on your date of loss, our report shows it for $9.99; if not, it saves you the cost of a $95 commercial report.