U.S. Lightning Strike Deaths | Lightning (2024)

FAQs

How many people have been killed by lightning in the US? ›

From 2006 through 2021, 444 people in the United States died from lightning strikes. On average, 28 people in the United States die each year from lightning strikes, according to all U.S. lightning deaths reported from 2006 through 2021.

Only about 10% of people who are struck by lightning are killed, leaving 90% with various degrees of disability.

Most deaths occur within one hour of injury and are due to fatal arrhythmia or respiratory failure. Up to 74% of survivors may have some form of permanent disability.

There are about 240,000 lightning strikes incidents around the world each year. According to National Geographic, about 2,000 people are killed annually worldwide by lightning.

About 40 million lightning strikes hit the ground in the United States each year.

Not many people in the U.S. experience being struck by lightning. There were 11 deaths and 69 injuries reported in 2021.

Lightning damage in the U.S. - number of fatalities and injuries 1995-2021. In 2021, there were a total of 11 fatalities and 69 injuries reported due to lighting in the United States. In the previous year, there were 17 deaths and 53 injuries reported due to lightning nationwide.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the odds of being struck by lightning are less than one in a million, and 90% of lightning strike victims survive. Despite the high survival rate, though, many people who survive the strike end up having some sort of disability as a result.

(WFLA) — Four Corners, Florida, an area just a few miles to the south and west of Orlando, was found to have the highest lightning strike density of anywhere in the entire U.S.

Nevertheless, the world's prime lightning hotspot is located in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, where lightning strikes nearly 300 days per year.

What happens to body when struck by lightning? ›

Aside from internal injuries, lightning strikes can burn the body. Some of these burns resemble Lichtenberg figures, which are wavy lines or skin lesions that look like ferns. Other long-term effects can include seizures, muscle spasms, memory loss, and cataracts from the bright flash.

Find out whether women or men are most vulnerable to being killed by a lightning strike. Although the odds of being hit by lightning in a person's lifetime are 1 in 13,500, men are much more likely to be struck and killed than women, according to data from the National Weather Service (NWS).

Most indoor lightning casualties and some outdoor casualties are due to conduction. Whether inside or outside, anyone in contact with anything connected to metal wires, plumbing, or metal surfaces that extend outside is at risk.

In most cases, a person's heart will stop after being struck by lightning, so the key to survival is having someone nearby who can administer CPR. Even if you survive, a lightning strike will have long-lasting effects on your body, including memory issues, muscle soreness and changes in mood.

If we track lightning by density and convert from square kilometers to square miles, Florida becomes the clear winner with 285 lightning strikes per square mile in 2022. Louisiana was second at 221 strikes per square mile, with Mississippi (206), Oklahoma (163) and Arkansas (157) rounding out the Top 5.

Leading states with the most lightning count in the U.S. 2021. The state with the highest count of lightning in the United States in 2021 was Texas, amounting to a sum of 41,914,516 lightning events recorded. Texas always has higher lightning count than any other state, partly due to its size and location.

Florida scored first place in lightning density among all 50 U.S. states, with 285 lightning events per square mile. Louisiana and Mississippi came in second and third place, respectively. Florida also ranked second, behind Texas, in total lightning count with a staggering 18,706,904 lightning strikes.

The odds that one will be struck by lightning in the U.S. during one's lifetime are 1 in 15,300. On average, 270 people in the U.S. are struck per year, and only about 10 percent of that number die from the event. Around the world, approximately 2,000 people are struck by lightning every year.

National Weather Service Lightning Fatalities in 2023: 4.

It's not because lightning prefers to strike men, but because men tend to engage in activities that put them at greater risk. For example, outdoor work being male dominated is a major factor. Lifestyle and behavioral differences between men and women also play roles.

How many people were killed by lightning in Florida last year? ›

On average, lightning kills 31 people each year in the United States. Florida averages seven fatalities per year due to lightning, with many more injuries, and often leads the nation in lightning deaths. In 2017, Florida again claimed this unfortunate distinction, with five fatalities.

Lightning strikes the United States 20 million times per year. Lightning moves about 30,000 times faster than a bullet. Thunder is the result of the rapid heating and expansion of air caused by a lightning flash.

A jolting, excruciating pain. “My whole body was just stopped—I couldn't move any more,” Justin recalls. “The pain was … I can't explain the pain except to say if you've ever put your finger in a light socket as a kid, multiply that feeling by a gazillion throughout your entire body.

Like trees, houses, and people, anything outside is at risk of being struck by lightning when thunderstorms are in the area, including cars. The good news though is that the outer metal shell of hard-topped metal vehicles does provide protection to those inside a vehicle with the windows closed.

In fact, lightning can heat the air it passes through to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5 times hotter than the surface of the sun).

Out of the lower 48 states and the District of Columbia, Washington is the least lightning-prone state. The Evergreen State only sees around 21,000 strikes per year, with an average of 0.3 strikes per square mile. This is between 1 and 2 percent of the number of strikes Florida sees in a year.

The electric current has to pass through your body to do you any harm, and the conducting sea water will carry a good deal of the current around your body. You are at much greater risk if you are protruding above the water in a boat or on a windsurf board, as I once was during a lightning storm in Australia.

In fact, the answer might surprise you. With an annual average of 89 thunderstorms, Fort Myers, Florida, is the thunderstorm capital of the U.S. And that's not some climatic anomaly, either.

Metal pipes and wires can allow lightning to travel into a house with often damaging and dangerous results.

Lightning doesn't strike the ocean as much as land, but when it does,it spreads out over the water, which acts as a conductor. It can hit boats that are nearby, and electrocute fish that are near the surface. If you're at the beach and hear thunder or see lightning, get out of the water.

What countries have no lightning? ›

Are there any areas of our planet where thunder and lightning have not been known to occur? This planet's only thunderstorm-free locations would be areas close to both poles — the interior of the Arctic Ocean and the interior of Antarctica.

The state of Florida ranks highest for lightning density, with an average of 109.84 lightning strikes per square kilometer last year. The state of Texas ranks highest for the total number of lightning strikes, with 27,696,688 strikes last year.