Be Aware Of The Dangers Of Lightning, Even If It’s Not Raining

Lightning is always dangerous and very unpredictable. We should become aware of the hazardous risks that lightning poses and we should always be safe as we possibly can be. Make no mistake – lightning can kill and does so often.

Between the years 1959 and 2007, there were 449 people killed by lightning in the state of Florida. There were 1,788 people injured by lightning during the same period.

On one Sunday afternoon, a 40-year-old Georgia man was vacationing with his wife and two children on the Florida Panhandle. The wife heard thunder and turned around, only to find her husband collapsed on the sand [Source: AJC]. This tragedy happened in the month of July, 2010.

Earlier in June of 2010, a couple from Knoxville, Tennessee traveled to a spot called Max Patch Bald, on the North Carolina-Tennessee border. The man was going to propose marriage to his beloved girlfriend, but she never got the chance to hear it. Both were struck by lightning; the man survived and at least slipped the ring on her finger while she was carried off. The strange thing here – the man told reporters the rainstorm had completely stopped. It wasn’t even raining at the time of their journey [Source: USA Today].

How do states rank in lightning fatalities? In order, the top 10: Florida (449), Texas (206), North Carolina (186), Ohio (141), Tennessee (140), New York (137), Louisiana (136), Colorado (132), Pennsylvania (126), Maryland (124). (Lightning fatalities, injuries and damage reports in the United States, 1959 – 1994, by B. Curran and R. Holle. Updated 1994 – 2007 by Matt Bragaw.)

In Florida, most people are killed by lightning in the months of May through September.  No deaths occurred in November or January. November through February the risk is minimal. As to be expected, the worst months are July and August. What is quite surprising though, is a majority of people are killed on Wednesdays.

It appears that Brevard county is one of the worst counties in East Central Florida, at least. There are approximately 6,676 lightning strikes in the month of August alone [Source: NWS Melbourne, FL – Lightning Facts & Figures].

Maps show that Florida, for example, is one place where the rate of strikes is unusually high. Dennis Boccippio, an atmospheric scientist with the NSSTC lightning team, explains why: “Florida experiences two sea breezes: one from the east coast and one from the west coast.” The “push” between these two breezes forces ground air upward and triggers thunderstorms [Source: NASA Science – Where LightningStrikes]. And where does lightning strike most frequently? Central Africa.

Here is StrikeStarUs, presenting United States lightning activity, within the last 60 minutes.