Recent lightning deaths show how dangerous it is to seek shelter outdoors during thunderstorms
A Utah fisherman was killed Sunday when a boat was struck by lightning, the third lightning-related injury in the U.S. this month and the ninth U.S. death overall this year.
Although the number of lightning-related deaths in the United States has declined significantly over the past 20 years, preventable tragedies still occur each year, highlighting the importance of continued awareness, especially as student-athletes spend more time outdoors at the start of school and during the fall months.
Most fatal lightning strikes in the United States occur during the summer because people spend more time outdoors engaging in recreational activities.
In recent weeks, three serious and fatal lightning accidents have occurred in Florida, Utah and Montana. There have been nine lightning deaths so far this year. Over the past decade, there have been an average of about 18 lightning deaths in the United States through mid-August.
The most recent lightning strike victims were playing sports or doing other outdoor activities when they were struck by lightning.
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Ashley King, 16, of St. Petersburg, Florida, died Monday, nearly a month after she and three friends were standing under a tree when it was struck by lightning.
Chris Vagasky, a meteorologist and lightning data and safety specialist with the National Lightning Safety Council, said sheltering under a tree is a safety mistake.
“Trees tend to be tall, isolated and pointy, which makes them vulnerable to lightning strikes,” Vagasky said. “Lightning will strike the tree. The electricity will flow through the tree. It can jump from the tree to you, or the electricity can travel through the ground and then into you.”
FILE VIDEO: Chris Vagasky of the National Lightning Safety Council spoke on FOX Weather about how to stay safe during thunderstorms following the Coney Island incident on July 4, 2023, in which two people were injured by a lightning strike.
Members of the National Lightning Safety Council are urging the public to “get out of the tree” to make it clear that just because you’re dry and protected from the rain doesn’t mean you’re safe. The only safe place from lightning is inside a building or vehicle.
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“When a solid building or a completely enclosed metal vehicle is struck by lightning, you’re like in a Faraday cage,” Vagasky said. “So the lightning current penetrates the metal shell of the car or the metal shell of the airplane, or it penetrates the electrical and wiring in the walls and avoids you.”
On Sunday, a 24-year-old fisherman was one of three fishermen struck by lightning on their boat on the Bear River in Utah. Two of the anglers were able to swim to safety, but one did not survive.
Most deaths from lightning strikes occur on the beach, on a boat, or while fishing.
“When you’re on a boat, there’s usually nothing bigger than you unless you have a sailboat or a mast,” Vagasky said. “When you’re fishing and you’re holding a fishing rod, you’re out in the open holding up something big and pointy. And when you’re on the beach, you and everyone else are on the beach.”
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Aside from being the tallest object in the area, the surrounding water also conducts electricity.
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Two football players and a coach were injured Monday night when lightning struck a field at Glacier High School in Kalispell, Montana. The three were treated at a local hospital and one player remains in intensive care.
FILE: Lightning strikes across Montana.
(Chuck Haney / Design Images Editorial Team / Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
Peak season for lightning runs from June to August. Peak season may end in August when schools start back up, but thunderstorms still occur as fall sports are underway. Vagasky recommends that all sports teams have a lightning plan, which can be as simple as a reminder, “When it thunders, go indoors.”
“It could be even more complex, with lightning detection, designated weather observers and designated shelters and the like,” he said. “But every outdoor venue, every outdoor event needs to have a lightning protection plan.”
A lightning protection plan doesn’t necessarily have to include the “lightning crouch,” which was debunked in 2088 as an effective way to avoid being struck by lightning. Athletes on the field used to be taught to crouch as low as possible on the balls of their feet. But Vagasky said since lightning can jump in 50- to 150-foot strides, lowering your height by a few feet wouldn’t make much of a difference. Instead, it’s best to focus on getting to a lightning-safe location.
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America ranks last in the number of deaths from lightning strikes worldwide, which amounts to over 24,000.
The number of lightning deaths in the U.S. has declined as awareness has increased. Last year, there were 14, according to the National Lightning Safety Council. But before anyone rules out the possibility that it could happen to them, Vagasky said there are nearly 56 million cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in the U.S. each year.
“Every year, there are a lot of lightning strikes,” he said. “We try to make people understand that just because it didn’t happen this time, it doesn’t necessarily have to happen next time.”
