Massachusetts

Shocker: This New England State Gets the Most Lightning in the Region

Published

2 years ago

July 19, 2024

Shocker: This New England State Gets the Most Lightning in the Region

Summertime and the living is easy. The weather can be rough, especially if you don’t like heat and humidity – and then there are the summer thunderstorms.

All of it beats winter cold and snow, as far as I am concerned.

New Bedford has the record for the hottest temperature recorded in Massachusetts, when it hit 107 degrees on August 2, 1975. I remember how my friends and I cruised Acushnet Avenue in a 1967 Mustang convertible. My friends Bob and Debbie were married that day.

Hot and humid weather can lead to unstable air and thunderstorms.

Earth Networks stated that “Massachusetts typically experiences 10-30 thunderstorms per year, with most activity occurring in the summer.”

“In 2020, Massachusetts ranked 38th in the country for total lightning pulses, which is the combination of cloud-to-ground (CG) and in-cloud (IC) lightning strikes,” Earth Networks reported.

This New England State Gets The Most Lightning In The Region

Courtesy John Tomase.

Lightning is most common in the United States in June, July and August when more than 60 percent of the year’s lightning occurs.

June is the most active month for lightning in Massachusetts, followed by August and July. Those are also the months when the most dangerous thunderstorm alerts are issued.

Of the 14 counties in Massachusetts, Bristol County ranked 10th in 2020 for total lightning pulses experienced. Worcester County had the most, followed by Middlesex County. Nantucket County had the least. Plymouth County ranked seventh.

Texas recorded the most lightning pulses in 2020, 63,683,799, followed by Florida with 35,430,198.

Massachusetts was 38th with 1,267,046, the most lightning pulses of the six New England states, followed by Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont. Rhode Island was 48th with 190,992.

LOOK: The most expensive weather and climate disasters in recent decades

Stacker ranked the most expensive climate disasters by the billions since 1980 by the total cost of all damages, adjusted for inflation, based on 2021 data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The list starts with Hurricane Sally, which caused $7.3 billion in damages in 2020, and ends with a devastating 2005 hurricane that caused $170 billion in damage and killed at least 1,833 people. Keep reading to discover the 50 of the most expensive climate disasters in recent decades in the U.S.

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Massachusetts

Wrong-way crash closes I-495 southbound in Chelmsford, 1 seriously injured – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

Published

2 hours ago

April 22, 2026

Press Room

Wrong-way crash closes I-495 southbound in Chelmsford, 1 seriously injured – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

CHELMSFORD, MASS. (WHDH) – A wrong-way driver crashed into another vehicle on I-495 in Chelmsford Tuesday night, shutting down the soundbound lanes in that area, according to Massachusetts State Police and The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT).

State police said Troopers from the Concord Barracks responded to a two-car crash on I-495 at the Hunt Road overpass shortly before 10 p.m. They said preliminary information indicates the crash happened as a result of a wrong-way driver striking a vehicle traveling in the correct direction.

Chelmsford Fire and EMS responded to the scene, and the driver was taken to the hospital by MedFlight. State police said they suffered life-threatening injuries.

MassDOT said the highway southbound is currently closed at exit 88 due to the crash, and is expected to remain closed for several hours.

Drivers are asked to seek alternate routes at this time.

This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

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Massachusetts

Two stabbed at Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods plant in Haverhill

Published

14 hours ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Two stabbed at Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods plant in Haverhill

Two people were seriously injured in a stabbing at the Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods manufacturing facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on Tuesday morning.

Haverhill police said they responded to the Cedar’s plan on Foundation Avenue around 10:30 a.m. for a report of a disturbance involving a weapon. When they arrived, they found two people suffering from apparent stab wounds.

Both people were provided with medical assistance on scene and taken to area hospitals with what police described as serious injuries. Their names have not been released, and no update on their conditions was immediately available.

Preliminary investigation determined that the two people knew each other, and police said there is no ongoing threat to the public. They said their investigation into the incident remains active.

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Massachusetts

Injured Massachusetts teen thanks rescuers who

Published

1 day ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Injured Massachusetts teen thanks rescuers who

Two Plymouth, Massachusetts teens were saved from the summit of Mount Washington after a leg injury stranded them.

Khang Nguyen,17, said he and his friend, 18-year-old Vaughn Webb, thought they were well prepared for their hike on Saturday. They brought trekking poles, layers, microspikes for their boots and more.

But halfway up the trail, Nguyen feared the worst when his leg began to hurt.

“It was just incredibly painful to lift up my right leg,” he explained. “I told [Vaughn] to leave me behind so I could go on my own pace and for him to reach the summit to get help at first.”

The pair managed to reach the top of the mountain but had to seek shelter next to a building as wind gusts increased, and the air temperature reached 38 degrees. Nguyen said they also ran out of food and water. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department received the 911 call around 7:30 p.m. and quickly alerted a State Park employee who began to search for the two teens.

“Conservation Officers then began responding in four-wheel-drive pickup trucks to try and get to the summit and back ahead of incoming snow,” the game department said in a statement.

After around 30 minutes of reaching both Webb and Nguyen were found. They were taken inside a building and Nguyen was being treated for his injury.

“The worker that was up there, [said] that they came in record time, and we appreciate their help a lot. It saved our lives potentially,” Nguyen explained.

The pair was successfully taken off the mountain by 10 p.m. The two teens are now safely back in Massachusetts and are incredibly grateful to their rescuers.

In:

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