Chances of being struck by lightning are low, but safety knowledge is still important
Lightning in recent days has claimed at least one life, maimed others, and done damage across multiple states.
Strikes killed a New Jersey man who was out trying to warn others of the storm, struck a tree and injured three people in Connecticut, reportedly hurt seven people from a church youth group in Utah, and sparked fires at apartment complexes, multiple homes, and even a church steeple.
We're heading into dangerous lightning season with fatal strikes being most common during summer months. Your chances of being struck by lightning in any given year are about one in 1.22 million, and the number of people who have died from lightning strikes has thankfully decreased in recent years, according to the National Weather Service.
Still, lightning strikes across the country are growing in frequency.
During National Lightning Safety Awareness Week, here's what to know about lightning bolts and how to stay safe.
3 killed by lightning so far this year
At least three people have died after run-ins with lightning bolts this year, putting 2024 on track to meet the annual average in recent years of just over 20.
Patrick Dispoto, 59, was on a beach in Seaside Park, New Jersey, on Sunday when he was struck. Police said he was found unconscious at about 7:38 p.m. and was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His girlfriend told authorities he went out to warn others about the dangerous storm after making sure she was safe inside a vehicle.
Earlier this year, a Tallahassee, Florida, man was killed by a lightning bolt so powerful that it blew off the bottoms of his socks. Michael Herbert Smith, 73, and his wife were out for a walk on March 3 when he was struck while they were heading back to their car.
“(His wife) was walking in front and then heard a loud bang and (saw) bright light come from behind her,” a police report obtained by the Tallahassee Democrat, part of the USA TODAY Network, said. “When she turned around, she observed Michael fall over onto the ground."
Bystanders tried to rescue him, but he was pronounced dead at a hospital later.
When lightning struck in Jackson County, Colorado, on May 25, rancher Mike Morgan, 51, and 34 of his cattle were killed. Morgan was feeding the herd in an open field. His father-in-law and wife who were nearby survived, news outlets reported.
In Sevier County, Utah, seven people from a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints youth group were transported to hospitals after lightning struck the ground during a hike.
Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis said about 50 people felt a shock when the strike hit Thursday afternoon. Seven members of the youth group had “medical concerns” due to electrocution and were transported to hospitals by ambulances, according to the sheriff.
Two of them were seriously injured and carried by a medical helicopter to Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi. Curtis said none of the injuries are expected to be life-threatening.
Lightning strikes are on the rise, but deaths have been declining
Lightning strike deaths reached a near-record low in 2023, and on the whole have declined in the past decade. Between 2009 and 2018, the U.S. has seen 27 deaths per year on average. The 30-year average between 1989 and 2018 was 43 reported lightning fatalities per year.
Experts attribute the drop in deaths to increased awareness about safety during thunderstorms and a shift of population to more urban areas since the 1940s, when hundreds of people were killed by lightning per year. A lightning safety campaign that began in 2001 has helped, according to John Jensenius, a meteorologist with the National Lightning Safety Council.
"Since then, we've seen a notable drop in the number of lightning fatalities across the U.S., despite an increasing population," he told USA TODAY earlier this year.
Florida leads the nation in lightning strike deaths, with 89 since 2006, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. Most lightning strike victims are men (80%), and about two-thirds of fatalities occurr during outdoor leisure activities. Over 70% of lightning fatalities happen during the summer months of June, July and August, with weekend days seeing deaths more commonly.
Though deaths are down, lightning itself is booming, according to Vaisala Xweather, which tracks lightning: 242 million flashes were recorded in 2023, the most in the last seven years. That's also led to more damage to homes and insurance claims.
How to stay safe during a storm
"When thunder roars, go indoors!"
That's the slogan adopted by lightning safety campaigns over the years and the top tip for staying safe and avoiding a lightning injury or fatality.
- Stay indoors during a thunderstorm. If you can hear thunder, you are within striking distance of lightning. Too many people wait too long to head inside after a storm starts, the National Weather Service says.
- Check weather conditions and plan ahead. Have a plan for where you will seek shelter if a thunderstorm develops.
- While indoors, don't touch electrical outlets or anything plugged into one, plumbing, or corded phones. Stay away from windows and exterior doors.
- Wait 30 minutes until after the last lightning bolt or thunderclap to go back outside.
- Understand your level of risk: "(T)he threat of lightning increases as a thunderstorm approaches, reaches a peak when the storm is overhead, and then gradually diminishes as the storm moves away," the weather service says.
- If you see someone struck by lightning, call 911. Start CPR or use an automated external defibrillator if needed. The person is safe to touch and won't carry an electrical charge.
Contributing: Doyle Rice, Dinah Voyles Pulver, Janet Loehrke and Emilee Coblentz, USA TODAY; Ken Serrano, Asbury Park Press; Jeff Burlew, Tallahassee Democrat